The Adornment of Nature is Spiritual: Soul World according to Abū Ya‘qūb al-Sijistānī (fl. 972 CE)

This paper centers one theme in the Ismā‘īlī works of Abū Ya‘qūb al-Sijistānī- Soul World- to pose a question: is it both the allegory and story of individual soul to adorn the natural realm and nature itself with the spiritual (rūhānī)? Engaging in the Neoplatonist and Late Antique philosophical heritages of Sijistānī presents perspectives on Universal Soul in dialogue with Universal Intellect. The doubleness (zawjiyyah) of Intellect and Soul parallels a relationship which exists for all existents in Soul World, between the natural and the spiritual. For the individual human being, God’s creation serves as a dynamic template to obtain and receive pure knowledge (‘ilm-i mahz), and be receptive to spiritual colours (ranghā-ye rūhānī), thereby defining what constitutes Soul World, Soul’s dialogue with Intellect, and the adornment of nature as spiritual, and providing insights into the philosophical terminology Sijistānī's works employ.