Zameen w Zamaan – A Muslim Guide to Self-Actualization

Recently I’ve been thinking a lot about how various theological and philosophical traditions overlap when it comes to self-actualization. Mainly, what it means to become self-actualized and what must be done to attain that state of being. The main consistency across all of these traditions is that achieving a higher state of self is by no means a passive process. It is a process that must first be learned, and must then be steered until the desired state is achieved. Whether an individual has ever been able to achieve this higher sense of self without some kind of divine providence is largely unknown and to a certain extent, insignificant. What is important here is that self-actualization is synonymous with peace – peace that there is no further knowledge to be attained, that everything is clear, understandable, and unobstructed. There are no longer any constraints and as a result, the physical world unravels.  

This is discussed in detail in both Sufi philosophy and Shia tradition. In these two areas, there is a strong emphasis on the concept of nafs. An individual’s nafs is the equivalent of the Freudian “ego” or in other words, the inner self. The Quran speaks of nafs many times – not as something with good or bad qualities on its own, but as something that must be regulated and nurtured in order to be constructive to the individual’s personal development. 

Sufi philosophy splits the nafs into three separate stages: al-ammarah, al-luwwamah, and al-mutma’innah. 

An-nafs al-ammarah is the most primitive and animalistic stage of the nafs, the lowest version of the inner self. This stage is limited to the base instincts of the human being that are hedonistic in nature – that seek to hoard for survival, that chase material possession, and that pursue overt physical pleasure over spirituality. An-nafs al-luwwamah is accusatory in nature and is characterized by inner guilt. In this stage, the acquisition of knowledge and self-reflection develops aql or intellect and awakens the conscience. The individual becomes highly self-critical – they begin to uncover their weaknesses and attempt to abolish those weaknesses to achieve perfection. An-nafs al-mutma’innah is the final stage, where the individual experiences peace, self-actualization, and a dispersion of all material obsessions. They become content with themselves and ultimately, with their spiritual experience. 

This Sufi discussion of nafs goes deeper into each stage, establishing transitions to get from one stage to the next and providing a clear list of the characteristics that must be eliminated to achieve nafs luwwamah. Shia tradition takes this a step further and dives into the notion of Irfan, or Islamic gnosis. 

Irfan represents knowledge and wisdom of the self. It is the philosophical idea that an understanding of the self is a process that brings one closer to understanding the divine. By understanding the self, we understand human nature and what binds us and as a result, we uncover a component of the divine that is collectively within us. What is noteworthy is that Irfan focuses on releasing the individual from all earthly constraints, not just material preoccupations like wealth and comfort. Earthly constraints can be expanded to include even the physical form of a person – a body that limits the ability to experience connectivity with the divine. Therefore, Irfan is not just an acquisition of knowledge or achieving a level of understanding – it is a constant process of releasing oneself from constraints both mental and physical, until a final release of the nafs from the body in death. Only in death is there peace, and only in death the possibility for divine exploration. 

Within this conversation around nafs and Irfan, I think about the roadmap drawn by Sufi mystics and Shia philosophers to achieve self-actualization. How this roadmap focuses on practicing self-awareness, exercising self-restraint, and ultimately unearthing the divine. More so, how self-actualization is uncovering an element of the divine within the self. And therefore, by theological principle, how self-actualization can never truly be achieved. Our bodies are too constricted and our minds too shallow to comprehend the magnanimity of what we share our inner existence with. We are too limited in nature to grasp something so vast.  

It reminds me of a phrase I heard a scholar use once about the state of human intellect: Na zameen ka ilm hai, na zamaan ka. We have neither knowledge of the earth nor knowledge of what comes after the earth. To live is to acquire knowledge. And to seek knowledge is to know that no amount of comprehension will ever be enough to attain self-actualization. 

At least not in this life.