What does Al-rwḥ al-aʿẓm mean?

Islam > Glossary > Al-rwḥ al-aʿẓm

Discover the meaning of the term Al-rwḥ al-aʿẓm (روح الأعظم) in Islamic vocabulary.

Definition Al-rwḥ al-aʿẓm

Al-rwḥ al-aʿẓm according to Kitab at-Ta'rifat (Al-Jurjani)

He who is the human spirit, the manifestation of the divine Essence from the aspect of His lordship. Therefore, none can hover around it, no aspirant can seek to reach it, and none knows its true reality except Allah the Most High, nor can anyone other than Him attain this desire. He is the First Intellect, the Muhammadan Reality, the Single Soul, and the Reality of the Names. He is the first existent being that Allah created in His image. He is the greatest vicegerent, the luminous substance whose substantiality is the manifestation of the Essence and whose luminosity is the manifestation of His knowledge. He is named, with respect to substantiality: a single soul, and with respect to luminosity: a first intellect. Just as he has in the macrocosm manifestations and names from the first intellect, the Supreme Pen, the light, the universal soul, the Preserved Tablet, and others, he has in the microcosm...

Al-rwḥ al-aʿẓm according to Dustur al-'Ulama (Al-Ahmadnagari)

He is the human spirit, the manifestation of the divine Essence from the aspect of His lordship. Therefore, none can hover around it, no aspirant can seek to reach it, and none knows its true reality except Allah the All-Knowing. He is the First Intellect, the Muhammadan Reality, the Single Soul, and the Reality of the Names. He is the first existent being that Allah the Most High created in His image.

Related terms: Al-rwḥ al-aʿẓm