LEGALIZATION
The thesis entitled “The Philosophical Thought Analysis on Human Concept In
The Alchemist” has been defended by the Letters and Humanities Faculty’s Examination Committee on March, 2010. The thesis has already been accepted as a partial fulfillment
of the requirement for acquiring the Strata One Degree (S1) in English Letters
Department.
Jakarta, March, 2010
Examining Committee
Chief, Secretary,
Dr. H. M. Farkhan, M. Pd Drs. A. Saefuddin, M. Pd
NIP. 150 299 480 NIP. 150 261 902
Members;
Examiner I, Examiner II,
Dr. H. M. Farkhan, M. Pd Drs. A. Saefuddin, M. Pd
DECLARATION
I hereby declare that this submission is my own work and that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, it contains no material previously published or written by another person nor material which to a substantial extent has been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma of the university or other institute of higher learning, except where due acknowledgement has been made in the text.
Jakarta, 22nd of March 2010
37
CHAPTER IV
CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION
A. Conclusion
The Alchemist delivers a lot of messages inspiring the readers around the world. Almost the messages can be accepted by people without any border of
religion, ethnicity, state, culture, and geography. The messages are related to basic
life matters that all people have experienced them. Within those messages, the
writer finds out that many wisdom of the author’s resemble thought and wisdom
emerge in Islamic tradition and thought. Yet, the writer only focuses to the
philosophical thought of man.
Man is considered one of three prominent aspects of metaphysics which
scholars attribute it as trilogy of metaphysics; God, universe and man. The three
beings are the bases of the existences exist, although we can easily say that God as
the most prominent factor of everything exist. In discussion of Coelho’s view to
man, the writer selects only three themes that most of people in Muslim world
concern about. They are man as microcosm, man as the theomorphic, and man
and his freedom.
First, man is as microcosm because he contains all aspects of universe;
such mineral, plant, animal. The idea of microcosm-man is deeply related with the
fact that man is the ultimate stage of evolution. Coelho describes man as
38
Alchemist that man is the representation of universe whose ingredients of his creation made of the elements of the universe and its contents.
Second is man as theomorphic creature. Man is basically a theomorphic
that means, behind his weakness and limitation, a man has a “thing” inside
himself then we know it as the divine attributes. This case does not mean the
anthropomorphism of God, because His essence is eternal and constant. It is
different from man’s that is mortal and changing.
The man who has the divine attribute is called in Islamic thought as the
universal man (insan kamil). The universal man level indicates the position of this species in the universe that is as the mirror of God. According to Sufis that is
along with Coelho’s view, the universe is not only a creature but also the
manifestation of God’s attributes, therefore every aspect of this universe is to
manifest and reflect the God’s attributes that is along with each level of creature
existence. The higher level the more God’s attributes are reflected and manifested
to universal man. The mineral things such stones are also reflecting God’s
attribute, but it matches with its level. A dust contains millions of atom, and every
atom consists of incredible nuclear force reflecting the greatness of God (jalal). Third is about man and his freedom. There are three mainstreams
discussing this problem is first determinism; this school view that all human do
had set up by God thoroughly, there is no possibility and chance to have a
freedom even a little. So the man’s deed, effort, and will are nothing but God’s
will Himself. This school or ism believed that man’s fate and deed are set from
39
effort absolutely belong to man, so there is no God’s involvement to whom will
choose whether bad or good. But in the recent discussion, we find the school that
poses in between, the school is following know as the Ahl-Bait, although there lots of Islamic scholar’s view outside the school resembles that moderate view.
This school view man’s freedom is gift from God, it means God Himself bestows
force to man being a potency and power to run his responsibility as vice-gerent of
God on earth, but the decision of choosing either badness or goodness is in the
hand of man.
From the three mainstreams Coelho adopts the first through some
statements in the novel by using various contexts. And also he accepts the third
that states man is bestowed “the force” to realize what he wants. About the second
mainstream, Coelho rejects the concept of inability of man realizing his of
destiny. Coelho calls it as the world’s greatest lie that never been any possibility
to be correct. The man who loses control on his deed and effort is someone who
has already lost his epistemological instruments; senses, imagination, intellect and
intelligence. That man is not called as a man anymore; the appropriate term for
him is “an animal” that lives with the instinct solely.
B. Suggestion
The Alchemist is considered one of the most inspired novels that ever wrote by human being. The novel teaches many wisdoms of life and drives our
consciousness to what our life should be brought to. The novel reaches the issues
40
relating with himself after the life, the soul of universe, the soul of world, the
universal man, the universal language, and man’s freedom and other non-physical
issues.
The last for suggestion in this thesis, the writer suggests all readers to
follow what Santiago did in the novel, to do not ever give up reaching something
that you believe it. As a human who bestowed intelligence and power to pick up
the destiny, he followed, analyzed and convinced his fate and destiny, Even
though it was beginning from his dream (some people sometimes think that a
dream is only a common thing) but he believed and convinced that it was an
omens of God.
The writer suggests as well the reader who is bestowed a chance to discuss
about the philosophical thoughts of human concept to follow the rule of academic
research. Therefore, there are a lot of interesting issues need to be explored by
other researchers that the time and space grant them to analyze the issues.
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Study
A man has a power to bring his destiny into reality, but they always
encounter two difficult choices. The two difficult choices are first, choosing to
live where he is to be, means a life that he undergoes as usual with all
achievements and privileges they reached. Second, something that he wants to
fulfill, that is a dream, desires, destiny, which must reached with sacrifice.
The Alchemist also introduces the third instrument to get knowledge that is intuition. Some civilizations and western scientists do not accept it as
an epistemological instrument besides brain and five senses. However, The Alchemist emphasizes that intuition has function that is more essential than other instruments in the epistemological realm. This novel describes that
intuition is a sudden immersion of the soul in the universal current of life,
where the history of all people interconnected, because it’s been written by
God.
Man is the culmination of evolution from things do not live, move,
reproduce, and which end in the rational man who lives, moves and
reproduces. In addition, in the same time he becomes the closest creature to
the Creator. Furthermore, this novel explores about the essence of man. The
man is the wind, the desert, the ocean, the stars and everything created in the
universe. The human is the representation of creating microcosm, in the
thing created by God, such as the material aspect, the plant aspect, the animal
aspect, and the most essential is the human aspect, that is to say that human is
microcosm.1
This novel explores – unless gives the good information- every part of
creature in this world has a soul, like a stone, animal, sun, land, water, and so
on. However, every single of the object in this universe always transform,
because universe including this earth is alive and has a soul.
Based on the explanation above, the writer thinks that a theme of
human essence, which becomes the core of the message showed in the novel,
is going to be very interesting to be analyzed, discussed, and studied in the
midst of human metaphysic bareness in the west literary world.
B. Focus of the Research
In accordance to the previous exploration, the writer only focuses on
the philosophical thought of the essence of human concept. Through the
philosophical thought, the writer will identify man’s free will, man as
microcosm, and theomorphic creature.
C. Research Questions
1. How is a man as a microcosmdescribedin The Alchemist?
2. How is a man in term of theomorphic,described in The Alchemist?
3. As a creature, how a man was blessed freedom not free will or
pre-destination in The Alchemist?
1
D. Significance of The Research
The writer expects the result of the research will uncover the true
meaning and give the right understanding of human concept with both its
simplicity and its complexity.
E. Methodology of The Research 1. The Objectives of the Research
1) Knowing human concept as a microcosm
2) Knowing the essence of human with their theomorphic
3) Knowing human’s concept of freedom
2. The Method of the Research
The research applies the descriptive-qualitative method. In this
research, the writer uses the content analysis. In literature field, it includes
the understanding of works from the extrinsic aspects perspective. The
aspects of the outside are discussed and explored in detail to know the
objective of content analysis that is especially connecting with
philosophical values and religious values. So that, the researcher can
applies the content analysis when he is going to reveal the content of
particular values of literary works.2
Although, the content analysis is running with the substance, it
does not mean the aspects of literature should neglected. The content
analysis remains in good treatment of the literary work as the art, in spite
of quoting the values to reinforce the message revelation. The essential
2
aspect of the content analysis is how the achievement of analysis can
benefited by whoever needs the meanings, messages and values. The
messages of literary works ought to be associated with any community
who practice and use the result of the research.3
3. The Technique of Data Analysis
1) Reading the novel accurately
2) Noting the contents or messages dealing with “Man as Microcosm”,
“Man as Theomorphic Creature” and “Man and His Freedom”
3) Concerning to the philosophical messages inside the novel that become
core of the data
4) Analyzing the data by correlating them with the relevant theories,
namely the descriptive-qualitative method.
4. Instrument of the Research
Research instrument is the writer himself by marking and classifying data
from several sources related to the novel.
5. The Unit of Analysis
The unit analysis of the research is The Alchemis written by Paolo Coelho, a Brazilian novelist who has written many best sellers novels that
are full of inspirations. First published in English language by Editora
Rocco Ltd, in 1988 with 177 pages.
3
CHAPTER II
THEORITICAL DESCRIPTION
A. Philosophical Thought on Human Concept
As the physical creature, man is the foremost and complex viewed
from his biological function. He is the ultimate of the evolution of universe.
He is proved as the creature which can do what entire creatures do because of
his ability to grow, eat, and reproduce. In other side, he owes a rational soul
which only owned by mankind. This rational soul enables him to perceive the
meaning both from sensual data and mental concept that function not only for
knowing the truth and systemizing knowledge, but also for managing the
lower soul than his whom we call it as a desire. Thereby, human briefly is
believed as “the core of universe” and “the ultimate aim of God’s creation”.
Regarding to the previous point, Mulyadi Karthanegara formulated the
theory of man in his book Gerbang Kearifan,4 which is containing philosophy and Islamic mysticism. It is very different from modern science; philosophy
and Islamic mysticism consider human as a dimensional creature that has
physic and non-physic aspect. Consequently, human is regarded as more
comprehensive than what modern science offers.
Mulyadi formulates human prominent thought into three principal
issues; “first, the man as microcosm that he is a representation of all creatures
4
in this universe. Second, human as theomorphic creature and the last is human
with their freedom”. 5
B. Man as Microcosm
As the physical creature, man is the foremost and complex viewed
from his biological function. He is the ultimate of the evolution of universe.
He is proved as the creature which can do what entire creatures do because of
his ability to grow, eat, and reproduce. In other side, he owes a rational soul
which only owned by mankind. This rational soul enables him to perceive the
meaning both from sensual data and mental concept that function not only for
knowing the truth and systemizing knowledge, but also for managing the
lower soul than his whom we call it as a desire. Thereby, human briefly is
believed as “the core of universe” and “the ultimate aim of God’s creation”.
The Muslim thinkers – philosophers and mysticists – mostly do not
only view human from their physiological aspect, but also view from their
non-physical aspect. Therefore, they give the marvelous meaning to human
than merely as chemical and physiological creature. For instance, human is
regarded as the best creature (insan al-taqwim) and has symbolical meaning
for the universe. What poses in human describes what poses in the universe,
due to that human as Muslim philosophers and mysticists, call as microcosm,
which significantly represent the macrocosm.6
5
Ibid. p. 111 6
Human is considered as microcosms, despite he is small, he consisted
of every ingredient of cosmic aspects; from mineral aspect, plant aspect, and
animal aspect. Human contain even the angelic and divine aspect that in the
form of spirit which is blown by God, consequently He creates human as two
dimensional creatures: physical and spiritual creature.7
C. Man as Theomorphic Creature
The Second of the tree prominent thought of human essence
formulated is man as theomorphic. It differs from modern sciences which
consider human as only a physical creature, in the Islamic thought (especially
Islamic philosophy and mysticism), human is on the precious position in the
both relationship between universe and God. 8 Since that, it is not amazed when some intellectuals declared that human is “the last purpose of creation”
as a representation and reflection of God.
Due to this uniqueness, he is created by God as the ultimate destination
of creation and His vice-gerent (khalifah) on earth. According to Sufis, man is the ultimate destination of creation. It is as the same as the fruit, although he
appears in the last after the root, stem, branch, and twig, the tree itself grows
for the sake of fruit. The fruit – through its seed – contains all aspects of the
tree, so, man like the fruit is considered as microcosm containing all aspect of
the universe (macrocosm).9
7
Mulyadi Karthanegara, Jalaluddin Rumi’s Theory of Evolution, paper (Jakarta, 2007) p. 5
8
Mulyadi, Gerbang. Op Cit. p. 117 9
As logical consequences of human as theomorphic creature, human
considered as a mirror of its reality itself. In fact, this universe considered as
reflections of God. However they only are able to reflect half of God’s
attributes that are unlimited. Man has a great potentiality to be able to reflect
all God’s attributes. That potentiality could be performed only when human
get his perfection level (insan kamil).10
The insan kamil regarded as the mirror of God, because he can pose in which God manifest His all attributes, actions, names, and His essence (dzat)
as well. So that whatever is done by human considered as the reflection of
God’s actions and will. The Qur’an said “not thee (Muhammad) when ye
throw, but God throw.”11
D. Man and His Freedom
Louse Leahy divided freedom into three major points: first, the
freedom of physics which means man can do everything with his physical
aspect. Second the freedom of morality means the unforced of man’s action to
do with his right and obligation, and the last is the freedom of psychology
which means man has to be free from any psychological pressure to do
everything or vise versa.12 The third of three prominent thought of human essence is man and his freedom. The most important question of human is, are
human blessed with free will, or has everything they act predestined before
(pre-destination)? 13
Louise Leahy, Siapakah Manusia (Yogyakarta: Kanisius, 2001), p. 182 13
Destiny and free will continuously have been debating subject,
especially in the Muslim theology. This case conveyed the Muslim
intellectuals separated into two groups; the first group is Jabariyyah who declared that everything happened in this world has been predestined by God
in the early time – and it called as destiny.14 This school believes that God creates human and his actions as well.
The second group is Qodariyyah, notified in contrary that people are the creator for their actions, and must be responsible for whatever they do. In
this point, they stated that however all the power or capacity they have created
by God, but they have a liberty using their capacity in order to achieve what
they want to do.15
Human are creator of their actions and should be responsible for what
they act. This school believes that the force or the power of human are created
by God, but human has their own freedom to choose whether it is bad or good
thing. According to Louise Leahy, human is essential creature who inheritably
blessed by their freedom to choose the best for their lives.16
14
Harun Nasution, Teologi Islam, (Jakarta: UI Press, 2002) 33 15
Ibid. 35 16
CHAPTER III RESEARCH FINDING
A. The Analysis of Man as Microcosm
Man is microcosm because he contains all aspects of universe, like a
fruit which contains all aspect of a tree; its root, stem, branch, twig, and leave.
Man resembles fruit in the case that contains all aspects of universe; such
mineral, plant, animal, and even angelic and divine aspect. The idea of
microcosm-man is deeply related with the fact that man is the ultimate stage of
evolution. This idea is pioneered by Jalalluddin Rumi considered by Muslim
scholars as the modern phenomenon. Six centuries before Darwin, Rumi
released his theory of evolution believed as the most interesting and
comprehensive compared with other scholars’. The universe evolved slowly
from the lowest stage; the mineral, plant and animal stage, to the highest stage;
man. Rumi told “I died as mineral and became plant, I died as plant and
resurrected as animal, I died as animal and resurrected as man”17 Rumi believed the persistence of evolution is going beyond the man stage. This faith
states the existence of soul and here-after life.
Rumi stated the evolution begun from “the universe’s love” (it in that
time is merely a potency) to the God as the true reality. Due to the God’s
motive of creating universe is love, the love infiltrates into all width and
breadth of the universe, therefore, the universe is fulfilled by a love to the
17
creator. Love believed as the universal force is becoming the power moving
the universe.18
B. The Analysis of Man as Theomorphic Creature
Man is basically a theomorphic that means, behind his weakness and
limitation, a man has a “thing” inside himself then we know it as the divine
attributes. This case does not mean that a man is same with God physically,19 because His essence is eternal and constant. It is different from man’s that is
mortal and changing. According to Sayyed Hossein Nasr, in the tradition of
God creating Adam, that first man became the mirror reflecting names and
attribute of God consciously. There is something sacred (malakuti) inside man, which that man’s condition permits him to be holier than angels. Even,
reaching the particular borders of having the divine attributes in high
amount.20
The man who has the divine attribute is called in Islamic thought as the
universal man (insan kamil).21 The universal man level indicates the position of this species in the universe that is as the mirror of God. According to Sufis,
the universe is not but the manifestation of God’s attributes, therefore every
aspect of this universe is to manifest and reflect the God’s attributes that is
18
Jalaluddin Rumi, The Mathnawi of Jalaluddin Rumi, vol. v, trans. Nicholson, (London: Luzac & Co Ltd, 1977) p. 231
19
The ideology that creates God resembling man’s attributes in order to make God more easy understood and conceived. This ism describe God like man such having hand, face, leg, anger, head, wife, family and other. In other word the ism treats God as man alike. See. Lorens Bagus, Op. Cit. p. 59
20
Sayyed Hossein Nasr, Islam Dalam Cita dan Fakta,(Jakarta: Lappenas, 1981) p. 4 21
along with each level of creature existence. The higher level the more God’s
attributes are reflected and manifested. The mineral things such stones are also
reflecting God’s attribute, but it matches with its level. A dust contains
millions of atom, and every atom consists of incredible nuclear force
reflecting the greatness of God (jalal).22
If we get back to our discussion about the man concept that he consist
of all aspect of the universe, this is easily to comprehend that he can reflect
and manifest all God attributes in contrast with other creature that enable only
reflecting some few of God’s attributes.23 This is not all man can be in that level, only what is called as the universal man can do it. The concept of
universal man, according to al-Jilli, is a theme relating to God who is absolute.
The absolute is believed to have the perfect and kind characteristics. This
perfectness has to be copied properly by man. The more man resembles God’s
perfectness, the more perfect level man can obtain. This ability of reflecting
and manifesting God’s attribute makes man being called as the theomorphic.
The next question arises for the previous facts are, what is the main
goal of God creating man is the ultimate creation? Al-Qur’an pronounces the
creation of man is to be vice-gerent (khalifah) of God on earth. God expects man to conduct His will on earth as His representation. To make man success
runs his role as the khalifah, God bestows man the epistemological instruments; these instruments are to obtain knowledge of everything. Senses
are the first instrument to grasp object in the physical word, intellect (aql) is
22
Mulyadi, Menembus….Op Cit. p. 53 23
the second to grasp in the ideal and conceptual world (non-physical) and the
last is intelligence (qalb) is to grasp the presentational knowledge.
The Alchemist teaches us that the heart is the most important thing bestowed to man. It the instrument that is never being deceived, the instrument
always tells the truth and the instrument that will lead us to the eternal life.
C. The Analysis of Man and His Freedom
The message on this quotation is along with Asy’arian’s concept of force called kasb.24 Man does a deed that it does not mean that man creates that deed. The creator of the deed essentially is God Himself.25 Conclusively the force of man in this case is not effective, because somehow the force does
not affect anything.
So the freedom is necessary for man in order to run his mission on
earth. He is ordered to rule the world in order to bring peace and God’s nature
to all human being in the universe. Freedom is a key for opening chances of
the world dreamed of by all human being and wished by God. The importance
of freedom resembles the importance of creating man as the mirror of God and
microcosm.
Moreover we should know something that restricts man’s freedom;
this is called the law of nature (sunnatullah). It is impossible to man to chance and redesign what God has already set, for instance, fire is hot or ice is cold;
24
The theory of kasb is the coincidence between the God’s deed and the man’s; it means if somebody will do something is at that time God creates “a force” in man to realize what he wants. See. Harun Nasution, Teologi Islam, (Jakarta: UI Press, 2002) p. 87
25
the heat of fire and cold of ice can be changed and redesigned into something
else. The man’s freedom occupies in choosing which law of nature will be
followed, whether the heat of fire used for burning, or the cold of ice used for
breezing.26
26
CHAPTER IV
CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION
A. Conclusion
The Alchemist delivers a lot of messages inspiring the readers around the world. Almost the messages can be accepted by people without any border of
religion, ethnicity, state, culture, and geography. The messages are related to basic
life matters that all people have experienced them. Within those messages, the
writer finds out that many wisdom of the author’s resemble thought and wisdom
emerge in Islamic tradition and thought. Yet, the writer only focuses to the
philosophical thought of man.
Man is considered one of three prominent aspects of metaphysics which
scholars attribute it as trilogy of metaphysics; God, universe and man. The three
beings are the bases of the existences exist, although we can easily say that God as
the most prominent factor of everything exist. In discussion of Coelho’s view to
man, the writer selects only three themes that most of people in Muslim world
concern about. They are man as microcosm, man as the theomorphic, and man
and his freedom.
First, man is as microcosm because he contains all aspects of universe;
such mineral, plant, animal. The idea of microcosm-man is deeply related with the
fact that man is the ultimate stage of evolution. Coelho describes man as
Alchemist that man is the representation of universe whose ingredients of his creation made of the elements of the universe and its contents.
Second is man as theomorphic creature. Man is basically a theomorphic
that means, behind his weakness and limitation, a man has a “thing” inside
himself then we know it as the divine attributes. This case does not mean the
anthropomorphism of God, because His essence is eternal and constant. It is
different from man’s that is mortal and changing.
The man who has the divine attribute is called in Islamic thought as the
universal man (insan kamil). The universal man level indicates the position of this species in the universe that is as the mirror of God. According to Sufis that is
along with Coelho’s view, the universe is not only a creature but also the
manifestation of God’s attributes, therefore every aspect of this universe is to
manifest and reflect the God’s attributes that is along with each level of creature
existence. The higher level the more God’s attributes are reflected and manifested
to universal man. The mineral things such stones are also reflecting God’s
attribute, but it matches with its level. A dust contains millions of atom, and every
atom consists of incredible nuclear force reflecting the greatness of God (jalal). Third is about man and his freedom. There are three mainstreams
discussing this problem is first determinism; this school view that all human do
had set up by God thoroughly, there is no possibility and chance to have a
freedom even a little. So the man’s deed, effort, and will are nothing but God’s
will Himself. This school or ism believed that man’s fate and deed are set from
effort absolutely belong to man, so there is no God’s involvement to whom will
choose whether bad or good. But in the recent discussion, we find the school that
poses in between, the school is following know as the Ahl-Bait, although there lots of Islamic scholar’s view outside the school resembles that moderate view.
This school view man’s freedom is gift from God, it means God Himself bestows
force to man being a potency and power to run his responsibility as vice-gerent of
God on earth, but the decision of choosing either badness or goodness is in the
hand of man.
From the three mainstreams Coelho adopts the first through some
statements in the novel by using various contexts. And also he accepts the third
that states man is bestowed “the force” to realize what he wants. About the second
mainstream, Coelho rejects the concept of inability of man realizing his of
destiny. Coelho calls it as the world’s greatest lie that never been any possibility
to be correct. The man who loses control on his deed and effort is someone who
has already lost his epistemological instruments; senses, imagination, intellect and
intelligence. That man is not called as a man anymore; the appropriate term for
him is “an animal” that lives with the instinct solely.
B. Suggestion
The Alchemist is considered one of the most inspired novels that ever wrote by human being. The novel teaches many wisdoms of life and drives our
consciousness to what our life should be brought to. The novel reaches the issues
relating with himself after the life, the soul of universe, the soul of world, the
universal man, the universal language, and man’s freedom and other non-physical
issues.
The last for suggestion in this thesis, the writer suggests all readers to
follow what Santiago did in the novel, to do not ever give up reaching something
that you believe it. As a human who bestowed intelligence and power to pick up
the destiny, he followed, analyzed and convinced his fate and destiny, Even
though it was beginning from his dream (some people sometimes think that a
dream is only a common thing) but he believed and convinced that it was an
omens of God.
The writer suggests as well the reader who is bestowed a chance to discuss
about the philosophical thoughts of human concept to follow the rule of academic
research. Therefore, there are a lot of interesting issues need to be explored by
other researchers that the time and space grant them to analyze the issues.
ABSTRACT
SYARIF HIDAYATULLAH. The philosophical thoughts analysis on human concept In The Alchemist. Thesis; English letters Department, Faculty of Adab and Humanities. Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University. Strata I Degree 2009.
This thesis aims to analyze the descriptions and messages of the human essence which appeals in The Alchemist through the philosophical thoughts analysis on human concept. The Alchemist written by Paolo Coelho, a Brazilian novelist who has written many best sellers novels that are full of inspiration. The Alchemist is one of his novels that most well known, because it contains thoughts and wisdoms inspiring people of any country.
The research applies the descriptive-qualitative method. In this research, the writer uses the content analysis, which includes the understanding of the novel from the extrinsic aspects perspective. The aspects of the outside are discussed and explored in detail to know the objective of content analysis that is especially connecting with philosophical values and religious values.
From the research the writer gets the answers that; 1) A man as a microcosm is a representation of the universe. He has all aspects inside of him, like a wind, plant, animal etc. He is becoming the highest level of natural evolution, starting from the lowest stage; the mineral, plant and animal stage, to the highest stage; man. 2) A man regarded as theomorphic creature because he bestowed a divine attributes by God inside himself. Actually winds, dusts, deserts, plants and stones and all of stuff in the universe reflecting to God, but they have no capability and potency to be closer to the God, because it needs a brain and intelligence for analyzing where God is. Only a man who can come closer and closer to the God, Nevertheless, not all men are able to reflect and manifest all God attributes properly. Only a man who his heart is no dirty by sin able to analyze and listen to sound of God from his heart, on the other name that man is universal man (insan kamil). 3) A man as a creature blessed freedom to choose his life not free will or pre-destination. Through this freedom, a man not only traded on God’s forces such as jabariyah or the absolute free will like qadariyah, but a man uses two powers, beginning from the force which is bestowed to him by God, and another one is the man’s power itself used to run and act his deed.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
In The Name of Allah, The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful
All praises to be Allah the all mighty, who has given the writer many mercies and blessings in the process of finishing this thesis and salutation be upon
the most honorable prophet messenger Muhammad SAW, his relatives and followers.
On the occasion, the writer would like to express his sincerest thanks to his
advisor Mrs. Danti Pujianti S.Pd, M.Hum for her advice and valuable guidance in
order to complete this thesis.
The writer would like to express as well his deepest gratitude and honor to
those who have helped completing this thesis:
1. Dr. H. Abdul Choir, M.A, as the Dean of Faculty of Humanities.
2. Dr. M. Farkhan, M. Pd, as the Head of English Department.
3. Drs. Asep Saefuddin, M. Pd, as the secretary of English
Department.
4. All lectures of English Department for teaching and guiding
precious knowledge and sharing wonderful experiences to the
writer at the class.
5. His gratitude and honor also to his beloved parents, wife
(Hairunnisa, S. Pd. I), son (Rif’at Ali Syahid) who always become a
light in his life, brothers and sisters, and all families.
6. All staff officers at English Department and Libraries of UIN
Jakarta.
Indra, Deny, Uyoh, elvi, witri, bisri and all friends at the class.
Keep in touch bro!
Finally, the writer realized that this thesis is not perfect yet. Therefore, he
would like to accept any constructive suggestion and advices to improve this
thesis.
Bekasi, July 2010
The Writer
TABLE OF CONTENTS
C. Man as Theomorphic Creature ……….. 15
D. Man and His Freedom ……… 17
Chapter III REASERCH FINDING
A. The Analysis of Man as Microcosm ... 20
B. The Analysis of Man as Theomorphic Creature ... 22
C. The Analysis of Man and His Freedom ... 30
Chapter IV CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION
A. Conclusion ………... 37
B. Suggestion ……… 39
APPENDIX
1. The Summary of The Alchemist 2. The Biography of The Author
APPENDIX
1. Brief of Summary of The Alchemist
The story stared from an anonymous boy works as a shepherd. Upon a
time, the boy dreams twice about a child who is playing with his sheep. He
does not like people teasing his sheep, but he becomes amazed, when he
realizes that child playing with sheep without frightening them. That child
suddenly takes the boy by his both hand and transports him into the Egyptian
Pyramids and the child said "if you come here, you will find a hidden
treasure"
Based on the Gypsy's prophecy, the hunt of hidden treasure begun, the
boy meets Melchizedek, a king of Salem that assures him to do so. From this
king he learns firstly about wisdom of life that says “when want something, all
universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” The king continuous guiding
the boy by remarking “there is a force that wants you to realize your destiny, it
whets your appetite with a taste of success” he tells the boy that to find the
treasure, you should follow the omens. God has prepared a path for everyone
to follow. You just have to read the omens that he left for you.
When the boy reaches Tangier Africa, he is deceived and all his money
is stolen. Fortunately he founds a kind crystal merchant who allows him to
work in his shop. He has been working there for 12 months and then feels to
have enough goods and fund to enroll the hunt. He learns a lot of thing and
comes into conclusion that is he can learn without-word language; he is going
to understand the word.
The boy follows the caravan to across the desert; he meets an
Englishman who obsesses to find out what the alchemist is. From him, the boy
learns about the alchemist and his miracle ability. When he stays in oasis as
the neutral place when the tribesmen are fighting each other, he finds out his
true love, Fatima, who teaches him about loyalty and honor. Here also he
meets the alchemist who guided him until the end of the story.
The boy learns from the alchemist, he has inside him winds, deserts,
oceans, stars, and everything created in the universe. He realizes that all men
that he is a part of soul of the world, the universe, even he acquaintances
himself as a part of the hand writes everything-God.
The hunt of treasure is only a way by which the boy hunts knowledge
of the reality of the creation, the real treasure that all beings want to have it.
“Because, wherever you heart is that where you’ll find your treasure” through
this trail or path, the boy finds out the language without words, his true love,
and the most important is the secret behind existences. Those achievements
are concluded as the real treasure he hunts, although he finally finds the
2. Brief of Biography The Author
Paulo Coelho was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. His father, Pedro,
was an engineer, and his mother Lydia was a home-maker. He attended a
Jesuit school. As a teenager, Coelho wanted to become a writer. Upon telling
his mother this, she responded with "My dear, your father is an engineer. He's
a logical, reasonable man with a very clear vision of the world. Do you
actually know what it means to be a writer?" After researching, Coelho
concluded that a writer "always wears glasses and never combs his hair" and
has a "duty and an obligation never to be understood by his own generation,"
amongst other things.
At 17, Coelho's introversion and opposition to follow a traditional path
led to his parents committing him to a mental institution from which he
escaped three times before being released at the age of 20.
At his parents' wishes, Coelho enrolled in law school and abandoned
his dream to become a writer. One year later, he dropped out and lived life as
a hippy, traveling through South America, North Africa, Mexico, and Europe
and becoming immersed in the drug culture of the 1960s. Upon his return to
Brazil, Coelho worked as a songwriter, composing lyrics for Elis Regina, Rita
Lee, and Brazilian icon Raul Seixas. In 1974, Coelho was arrested and
tortured for "subversive" activities by the ruling militia, who viewed his lyrics
as left-wing and dangerous.
In 1986, Coelho walked the 500-plus mile Road of Santiago de
Compostela in northwestern Spain, a turning point in his life. On the path,
Coelho had a spiritual awakening, which he described autobiographically in
The Pilgrimage. In an interview, Coelho stated "[In 1986], I was very happy in the things I was doing. I was doing something that gave me food and water
-- to use the metaphor in The Alchemist, I was working, I had a person who I loved, I had money, but I was not fulfilling my dream. My dream was, and
still is, to be a writer."
The Alchemist is an allegorical novel by Paulo Coelho first published
in 1988. It follows Santiago, a young Spanish shepherd, on a journey to fulfil
his Personal Legend. It has been hailed as a modern classic. According to
sales in 2003. Eleven Minutes topped all lists in the world, except for England, where it was in second place.
The Alchemist was one of the most important literary phenomena of the 20th century. It reaches the first place in bestselling lists in 74 countries,
and so far has sold 35 million copies. This book also brought the author in
2008 the Guinness World Record for most translated book in the world (67
languages).
APPROVAL SHEET OF ADVISOR
THE PHILOSOPHICAL THOUGHTS ANALYSIS ON HUMAN CONCEPT IN THE ALCHEMIST
A Thesis
Submitted to Letters and Humanities Faculty in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to the Strata Degree (S1)
SYARIF HIDAYTULLAH NIM. 101026021555
Approved By
Danti Pudjianti, S.Pd. M. Hum NIP. 132 233 516
ENGLISH LETTERS DEPARTMENT
FACULTY OF ADAB AND HUMANITIES
THE PHILOSOPHICAL THOUGHT ANALYSIS ON HUMAN CONCEPT IN THE ALCHEMIST
Submitted to the Faculty of Adab and Humanities in Partial Accomplishment of the Requirement for the 1 degree
SYARIF HIDAYATULLAH
101026021555
ENGLISH LETTERS DEPARTMENT
FACULTY OF ADAB AND HUMANITIES
STATE ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY SYARIF HIDAYATULLAH
JAKARTA
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Study
Literature is always becoming a fertile mind to be studied and
analyzed, because a literary work is a mirror of human life, society, morality,
culture etc. With literature, a culture of the nation could be discovered, but on
the other hand, a literature also can be studied from the daily and habitual
activities of society. Both of them cannot be separated each other. Thus, as
long as this world is still running on and the people breath, a literature work
will always exist, and develop dependent on the situation and condition
wherever it is.
The terminology of literature etymologically taken from Latin; Litera
means the writing or the alphabets. Literature itself arose in Europe in 18th century, where firstly was applied as a writing language. Then it developed by
the basis of paradigms that a literature was the use of esthetical language in
literary work. Mostly, some novelists agreed with the opinion about the
impossibility to construct a definition of literature universally.1 What is literature depends on culture, environment, and situation where the literature
acknowledged.
A literature could appreciate with tree elements; First, Expression that
is, feeling which described through words that are in orderly arranged.
1
Second, feeling which is describing the material or theme of the literature,
such as the feeling of love, hatred, enjoyment, sad etc. Third, rule of the
literature itself, it means a literature has to be a literary work that accepted by
mostly people in society (convention).2
Such as William Shakespeare in his era, his work was not easily
accepted as a literary work at that time, it was only considered as a punk fiction.3 Then after this work passed several periods in Britain’s poetry afterwards, it begun to be considered as a literary work and William
Shakespeare achieved as the biggest poet who ever born in that country.
Literature is a fiction work in the imaginative form or using the esthetical
language that symbolizes either the outside world or its own world.
Generally, literary work is divided into several genres: Poem, drama
and Prose. Novel - which is becomes the object of this research – is sub-genre of prose. Novel appeared in the world literature later on than heroism poem,
epic, and drama, and it all becomes the last at once. Nevertheless, novel is a
literary works which more flexible and has a bit rules in the literature critics.
The simplicity of novel brings it so fast to be the foremost literary work of this
age.
Novel does not only need a character and plot, but also it needs also an
artistic language with an absolute present. A novelist able to arrange the
incidents according to the plot by locating all actors in the certain place at
2
Rene Wellek & Austin Warner, Theory of Literature, (USA: Harcourt, Brace & World. Inc, 1965) p. 34
3
once that reader feels like in the real life where they have a strong feeling with
the actors.4
According to Virginia Wolf such as quoted by Henry Guntur Tarigan,
Novel is an exploration or chronicle of life, unity, achievement, destruction,
and description of human activities.5
A novel with its freedom and unbounded to the specific rule come to
the modern era faster than others. These things push the novelist to create
literary works more creative and productive. Finally, many novels launch and
flood literary world, and become the biggest literary work in quantity and the
most favorite literary work to the readers around the world.
One of the novels, which mostly read around the world, is The Alchemist written by Paolo Coelho, a Brazilian novelist who has written many best sellers novels that are full of inspiration. The alchemist is one of his novels that is most wellknown, because it contains thoughts and wisdoms
inspiring people of any country.
The theme that extremely appeals in this novel is descriptions and
messages of the human essence. The Alchemist explained that destiny is the big lies, because they are who unable to reach their own destinies, they always
avoid and said to themselves and others that when we could not make it real
what we dream of, that is our fate. Moreover, according to this novel, a
destiny is what we always wanted to accomplish, and people when they are
young, knows what their destinies are. So, the only one that should be done is
4
Stevick, Philip, the Theory of the Novel, (New York: the Free Press, 1967) p. 371 5
not only sitting and doing nothing but creating the destiny. Because, if
someone become closer to create their destinies, it would become a great
reason what for they live.
Actually, a man has a power to bring his destiny into reality, but they
always encounter two difficult choices. The two difficult choices are first,
choosing to live where he is to be, means a life that he undergoes as usual with
all achievements and privileges they reached. Second, something that he wants
to fulfill, that is a dream, desires, destiny, which must reached with sacrifice.
The Alchemist also introduces the third instrument to get knowledge that is intuition. Some civilizations and western scientists do not accept it as
an epistemological instrument besides brain and five senses. However, The Alchemist emphasizes that intuition has function that is more essential than other instruments in the epistemological realm. This novel describes that
intuition is a sudden immersion of the soul in the universal current of life,
where the history of all people interconnected, because it’s been written by
God.
Man is the culmination of evolution from things do not live, move,
reproduce, and which end in the rational man who lives, moves and
reproduces. In addition, in the same time he becomes the closest creature to
the Creator. Furthermore, this novel explores about the essence of man. The
man is the wind, the desert, the ocean, the stars and everything created in the
universe. The human is the representation of creating microcosm, in the
thing created by God, such as the material aspect, the plant aspect, the animal
aspect, and the most essential is the human aspect, that is to say that human is
microcosm.6
This novel explores – unless gives the good information- every part of
creature in this world has a soul, like a stone, animal, sun, land, water, and so
on. However, every single of the object in this universe always transform,
because universe including this earth is alive and has a soul.
Based on the explanation above, the writer thinks that a theme of
human essence, which becomes the core of the message showed in the novel,
is going to be very interesting to be analyzed, discussed, and studied in the
midst of human metaphysic bareness in the west literary world.
B. Focus of the Research
In accordance to the previous exploration, the writer only focuses on
the philosophical thought of the essence of human concept. through the
philosophical thought, the writer will identify man’s free will, man as
microcosm, and theomorphic creature. Accordingly, the other thoughts or
messages only become supporter for the main theme.
C. Research Questions
The writer focuses on the content of the novel dealing with the
philosophical thought of man essence and construct it into the three following
question:
1. How is a man as a microcosmdescribedin The Alchemist?
6
2. How is a man in term of theomorphic,described in The Alchemist?
3. As a creature, how a man was blessed freedom not free will or
pre-destination in The Alchemist?
D. Significance of The Research
The writer expects the result of the research will uncover the true
meaning and give the right understanding of human concept with both its
simplicity and its complexity.
The writer also want to present knowledge for those who are interested
in discussing literature and philosophy, especially human philosophy that
encompasses all evolution types of God’s creature.
E. Methodology of The Research 1. The Objectives of the Research
The research is conducted to achieve purposes as the following:
1) Knowing human concept as a microcosm
2) Knowing the essence of human with their theomorphic
3) Knowing human’s concept of freedom (vis a vis God’s will)
2. The Method of the Research
The research applies the descriptive-qualitative method. In this
research, the writer uses the content analysis. In literature field, it includes
the understanding of works from the extrinsic aspects perspective. The
aspects of the outside are discussed and explored in detail to know the
objective of content analysis that is especially connecting with
applies the content analysis when he is going to reveal the content of
particular values of literary works.7
Although, the content analysis is running with the substance, it
does not mean the aspects of literature should neglected. The content
analysis remains in good treatment of the literary work as the art, in spite
of quoting the values to reinforce the message revelation. The essential
aspect of the content analysis is how the achievement of analysis can
benefited by whoever needs the meanings, messages and values. The
messages of literary works ought to be associated with any community
who practice and use the result of the research.8
3. The Technique of Data Analysis
The writer attempts to describe The Alchemist with the following steps; 1) Reading the novel accurately 2) noting the contents or messages
dealing with “Man as Microcosm”, “Man as Theomorphic Creature” and
“Man and His Freedom” 3) concerning to the philosophical messages
inside the novel that become core of the data 4) Analyzing the data by
correlating them with the relevant theories, namely the
descriptive-qualitative method.
4. Instrument of the Research
Research instrument is the writer himself by marking and classifying data
from several sources related to the novel.
7
Suwardi Endraswara, Metodologi Penelitian Sastra: Epistemologi, Model, Teori dan aplikasi, (Yogyakarta: Pustaka Widyatama, 2003)p. 160
8
5. The Unit of Analysis
The unit analysis of the research is The Alchemis written by Paolo Coelho, a Brazilian novelist who has written many best sellers novels that
are full of inspirations. First published in English language by Editora
Rocco Ltd, in 1988 with 177 pages. This book also brought the author in
2008 the Guinness World Record for most translated book in the world (67
languages). The writer copied this novel from Ahmed Imtiyaz a friend from
CHAPTER II
THEORITICAL DESCRIPTION
A. Philosophical Thought on Human Concept
Talking about human essence like talking about a river that never stops
flowing. Man is like another animal which has differences among his species.
The thing differs from other animal is ability to think which gives him
freedom to choose.
Man is a species of animal and thus shares many features with other
animals. But many differences distinguish man from animal and grant him a
special virtue, an elevation that leaves him unrivaled or perfect creature (Insan Kamil). The basic difference between man and the other animals, the touchstone of his humanity, the source of what have come to be known as
human civilization and culture, is the presence of insights and beliefs.1 Animal in general can perceive themselves and the external world and strive to attain
their desires and objects in the light of their awareness and cognition. The
same holds true of man, but he differs from the rest of the animals in the
scope, extent, and breadth of his awareness and cognitions and in the level to
which his desires and objects rise. It grants man a special virtue and elevation
and separates him from the rest of the animals.2
The mythology in Greek stated that this universe is a battlefield among
gods and man. Man is always in the opposite and competing to gods. Gods are
1
Leslie Stevenson, The Study of Human Nature (Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press, 2000), p. 70
2
the anti-human that through their power always attempts to shackle the human
freedom, independent, and unity. For showing his superiority, a man purposes
to conquer, subjugate the universe, and then with power he has, he can be
master of the universe.3 This opinion later in the future will bear out materialism prefer for secular life.
In Marxism, a man has to be free in thinking, exploring science
research, intellectual activities and economic production without being
controlled by the religious things that repeatedly purposed as a reason for
suppression and slavery.4 If we look at it more concisely, this western opinion has formed the human freedom comprehensively and considered them only
such a Chemico-physiological creature as well.
Man is considered one of three prominent aspects of metaphysics
which scholars attribute it as trilogy of metaphysics; God, universe and man.
The three beings are the bases of the existences exist, although we can easily
say that God as the most prominent factor of everything exist.
Biologically, man is the most perfect creature compared with other
creatures. He is an ultimate result of creation that is commonly well-known as
the evolution. Man is two dimensions creature, in one hand he is extracted
from the mud making him as the physical being; he is also spiritual one,
because, according to Qur’an, the soul of God was blown up into him in other
hand. Hence, a man occupies the unique position between God and universe
which grants him to communicate both of them.
3
Ali Shari’ati, Marxism and Other Western Fallacies, (Berkeley: UB Press, 1980) p. 15-31
4
As the physical creature, man is the foremost and complex viewed
from his biological function. He is the ultimate of the evolution of universe.
He is proved as the creature which can do what entire creatures do because of
his ability to grow, eat, and reproduce. In other side, he owes a rational soul
which only owned by mankind. This rational soul enables him to perceive the
meaning both from sensual data and mental concept that function not only for
knowing the truth and systemizing knowledge, but also for managing the
lower soul than his whom we call it as a desire. Thereby, human briefly is
believed as “the core of universe” and “the ultimate aim of God’s creation”.
Regarding to the previous point, Mulyadi Karthanegara formulated the
theory of man in his book Gerbang Kearifan,5 which is containing philosophy and Islamic mysticism. It is very different from modern science; philosophy and Islamic mysticism consider human as a dimensional creature that has
physic and non-physic aspect. Consequently, human is regarded as more
comprehensive than what modern science offers.
Mulyadi formulates human prominent thought into three principal
issues; “first, the man as microcosm that he is a representation of all creatures
in this universe. Second, human as theomorphic creature and the last is human
with their freedom”. 6
B. Man as Microcosm
If we discern human as what modern science discern them, we will
state how meaningless human’s life within the great cosmic. How come, the
5
Mulyadi Karthanegara, Gerbang Kearifan (Jakarta: Lentera Hati, 2006) p. 110 6
earth we live in is considered a small point in the Milky Way Galaxy,
moreover if we see it from other Galaxy. Human is like an ant who crawl in
the giant ball called earth. And we can compare how long human can live and
how long this universe’s age. Human form is only considered as a small thing
and his age is only a point of time within a very long sequence of this universe
time. So if we see human from their physiological view, human is only the
dust in the wind.7
Fortunately, the Muslim thinkers – philosophers and mysticists –
mostly do not only view human from their physiological aspect, but also view
from their non-physical aspect. Therefore, they give the marvelous meaning to
human than merely as chemical and physiological creature. For instance,
human is regarded as the best creature (insan al-taqwim) and has symbolical meaning for the universe. What poses in human describes what poses in the
universe, due to that human as Muslim philosophers and mysticists, call as
microcosm, which significantly represent the macrocosm.8
Human is considered as microcosms, despite he is small, he consisted
of every ingredient of cosmic aspects; from mineral aspect, plant aspect, and
animal aspect. Human contain even the angelic and divine aspect that in the
form of spirit which is blown by God, consequently He creates human as two
dimensional creatures: physical and spiritual creature.9
This universe is divided into two parts, the physical and the spiritual
part. As microcosm, man contains those two parts in himself. As the physical
creature, he contains all things in the universe that is considered physic; even
he can do what those physical creatures are able to do. As the spiritual being,
man contains what is considered spiritual, according to Ibn Khaldun, man with
the spiritual worlds owes the potency to acquaint metaphysical things. Besides
the physical objects which are known by the senses, man can know the rest
two objects: imaginal and spiritual.10
The imaginal objects, according to philosopher and mysticism, are
entities occupy in the world which poses between the physical and spiritual
world. This world is also called as barzakh world which becomes a partition between those two worlds. We can experience the imaginal world through our
imagination force. This force enable us to grasp the imaginal objects such we
undergo in our daily life in the form of dream, or in the Sufis’ experiences that
undergo this world, not only when they are dreaming but also when the are in
consciousness. The spiritual object such gins or angels take the peculiar
image, by which the man can communicate interactively with them, especially
the prophets and sages.11
Besides being bestowed the imagination, man is bestowed intelligence
or reason. With intelligence man can break up the physical and sensual
borders, for then by the syllogism method, he can non-matter objects, which is
known as ma’qulat, namely the entities that is cannot be grasped but by the intelligence such as numbers, ideas, concepts, etc. the ma’qulat opposes the
mahsuhsat that is objects of the physical and sensual world.12
10
Ibn Khaldun, al-Muqaddimah, Trans. Franz Rosenthal (Princeton: Princeton Univ. Press, 1967) p. 371
11
Ibid. p. 372 12
Man also bestowed by intellect (qolb) which is considered the most prominent compared to the previous two bestows, imagination and
intelligence. This one is like intelligence that can grasp the immaterial objects,
yet that differs from intelligence grasping that object indirectly by reasoning
and syllogistic from known objects (inference). The intellect grasps the objects
through knowledge by presence, those objects are present in the soul of man,
and hereby the process of knowing by intellect is called presential. The
revelation and divine presentation (ilham) is grasped by man by the intellect. And these revelation and divine presentationis the highest modus that among
others, meanwhile the highest modus that can be grasped by intelligence that
is science.13
C. Man as Theomorphic Creature
The Second of the tree prominent thought of human essence
formulated is man as theomorphic. It differs from modern sciences which
consider human as only a physical creature, in the Islamic thought (especially
Islamic philosophy and mysticism), human is on the precious position in the
both relationship between universe and God. 14 Since that, it is not amazed when some intellectuals declared that human is “the last purpose of creation”
as a representation and reflection of God.
Because of his exclusive position among the creature, man is bestowed
a spiritual aspect, making him not only as physical creature but also the
spiritual one. As the spiritual creature, he can conduct everything that the
13
other creatures cannot, such as reasoning, communicating abstract ideas,
communicating with spiritual entities, receiving divine inspiration and
revelation, and contemplating, as well as understanding ma’qulat that means non-sensual entities which can be grasped only by reason (‘aql) and intellect
(qalb), but it cannot be comprehended by senses which are able to understand and perceive the physical matter.15
Due to this uniqueness, he is created by God as the ultimate destination
of creation and His vice-gerent (khalifah) on earth. According to Sufis, man is the ultimate destination of creation. It is as the same as the fruit, although he
appears in the last after the root, stem, branch, and twig, the tree itself grows
for the sake of fruit. The fruit – through its seed – contains all aspects of the
tree, so, man like the fruit is considered as microcosm containing all aspect of
the universe (macrocosm).16
As logical consequences of human as theomorphic creature, human
considered as a mirror of its reality itself. In fact, this universe considered as
reflections of God. However they only are able to reflect half of God’s
attributes that are unlimited. Man has a great potentiality to be able to reflect
all God’s attributes. That potentiality could be performed only when human
get his perfection level (insan kamil).17
The insan kamil regarded as the mirror of God, because he can pose in which God manifest His all attributes, actions, names, and His essence (dzat)
as well. So that whatever is done by human considered as the reflection of
God’s actions and will. The Qur’an said “not thee (Muhammad) when ye
throw, but God throw.”18
D. Man and His Freedom
Louse Leahy divided freedom into three major points: first, the
freedom of physics which means man can do everything with his physical
aspect. Second the freedom of morality means the unforce of man’s action to
do with his right and obligation, and the last is the freedom of psychology
which means man has to be free from any psychological pressure to do
everything or vise versa.19
The third of three prominent thought of human essence is man and his
freedom. The most important question of human is, are human blessed with
free will, or has everything they act predestined before (pre-destination)? 20 Destiny and free will continuously have been debating subject, especially in
the Muslim theology. This case conveyed the Muslim intellectuals separated
into two groups; the first group is Jabariyyah who declared that everything happened in this world has been predestined by God in the early time – and it
called as destiny.21 This school believes that God creates human and his actions as well.
This concept is based on the koran verses: “when Allah hath created you and what ye make”22 and “yet ye will not, unless Allah willeth.”23
18
Ibid. p. 120 19
Louise Leahy, Siapakah Manusia (Yogyakarta: Kanisius, 2001), p. 182 20
Ibid. h. 120 21
Harun Nasution, Teologi Islam, (Jakarta: UI Press, 2002) 33 22
Al-Saffat: 96 23
