Aql: The Primordial Beloved Intellect

“Allah created Al-‘Aql (Intellect) first and said to it: “Come forward” and it came forward, then Allah told it:” Go backwards” and it went backwards” said the Prophet, peace be upon him. In other versions: “Allah told it (Aql): Sit and so it sat, speak and so it spoke and told it : “Silence”! And  it became silent”.

Further, Allah swears by Hu’s (His) own Might and Glory: “I have not created any creation more loved by Me other than you (Aql)”.

Further, Allah confirms the instrumentation of the ‘Aql: “With you I will praise! And with you I will endow! With you I will take and with you I will give!”

Note: The above Hadith (Prophetic Narration) may have missing persons in the chain of narration, however it was narrated from many companions and from the Prophet’s wife ‘Aisha and is commonly referred to by both Shiites and Sunnis scholars and of course by the Sufis.  

It is clear from the above prophetic lections that ‘Aql (Intellect) is the beloved of Allah, a primeval Wujud (Being) as following:

1.    Very close to Allah, as was said by the Prophet: “When people draw near to Allah via their righteousness, you draw close (instead) with your ‘Aql (Intellect)”.

2.    Compliant with Allah’s orders
3.    Self-aware; it knows it has been addressed and it complies
4.    Endowed with speech and silence
5.    Alive with some peculiar form of spiritual life
6.    Endowed with physical attributes of motion i.e. forward and backward motion, stillness
7.    An instrument/agent of some kind as said by the Prophet (reported by Ibn Abbas): “For every object there is equipment and instrumentation and the instrumentation for the believer is ‘Aql (Intellect)”.

8. The gifts of cognizance and creativity are endowed through the ‘Aql .