Al-Insān al-Kāmil: Doctrine and Practice

Sufi Metaphysics is composed of two essential dimensions-doctrine and method. Because the subject matter of metaphysics is the truth, which is one, these two dimensions inevitably intertwine and overlap, for they are symbiotic parts of a greater whole. Nonetheless, acknowledging a distinction between the two is essential for understanding the nature of metaphysics; for so long as one has not achieved the end to which the spiritual path attains, the multiplicity of the phenomenal world and the duality of self are realities which cannot be ignored. They can, however, be overcome through the discernment of wisdom and the practice of method.