ANALISIS PESAN-PESAN FILOSOFIS TENTANG KONSEP MANUSIA DALAM NOVEL THE ALCHEMIST KARYA PAOLO COELHO

CONTENTS

APPROVAL SHEET OF ADVISOR

CONTENTS

Chapter I INTRODUCTION

A. Background of the Research 1

B. Focus of the Research 6

C. Research Questions 6

D. Significant of the Research 6

F. Methodology of the Research7

1. The Objectives of Research 7

2. The Method 7

3. The Technique of Data Analysis 8

4. The unit of analysis 8

Chapter II THE PHILOSOPHICAL THOUGHT ON HUMAN CONCEPT

A. Man as Microcosm 11

B. Man as Theomorphic Creature 14

C. Man and His Freedom 16

Chapter III THE PHILOSOPHICAL THOUGHT ON HUMAN CONCEPT IN THE ALCHEMIST

A. Man as Microcosm 21

B. Man as Theomorphic Creature24

C. Man and His Freedom 32

Chapter IV CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION40

BIBLIOGRAPHY

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

A. BACKGROUND OF THE RESEARCH

Literature is always becoming a fertile field to be studied and analyzed, because a literary work is a mirror of human life, social, moral, culture, knowledge, principle, ideology, life philosophy, creating essence, religion etc. By the literature, a culture of the nation can be discovered, but on the other hand, a literature also can be studied from the daily and habitual activities of society. Both of them are cannot be separated each other. Thus, as long as this world is still running on and the people breathing, a literature work will always exist, live and develop in accordance to both the situation and the condition wherever it are.

The terminology of literature etymologically taken from Latin; Litera means the writing or the alphabets. Literature itself arose in Europe in 18th century, where firstly was applied as a writing language. Then it developed by the basis of paradigms that a literature was the use of esthetical language in literary work. Mostly, some novelists agreed with the opinion about the impossibility to construct a definition of literature universally.[1] What is literature depends on culture, environment, and situation where the literature acknowledged.

A literature could appreciate with tree elements; First, Expression that is, feeling which described through words that are in orderly arranged. Second, feeling which is describing the material or theme of the literature, such as the feeling of love, hatred, enjoyment, sad etc. Third, rule of the literature itself, it means a literature has to be a literary work that accepted by mostly people in society (convention).[2]

Such as William Shakespeare in his era, his work was not easily accepted as a literary work at that time, it was only considered as a punk fiction.[3] Then after this work passed several periods in Britain’s poetry afterwards, it begun to be considered as a literary work and William Shakespeare achieved as the biggest poet who ever born in that country. Literature is a fiction work in the imaginative form or using the esthetical language that symbolizes either the outside world or its own world.

Generally, literary work divided into several genres: Poem, drama and Prose. Novel - which is becoming the object of this research – is sub-genre of prose. Novel appeared in the world literature later on than heroism poem, epic, and drama, and it all becomes the last at once. Nevertheless, novel is a literary works which more flexible and has a bit rules in the literature critics. The simplicity of novel brings it so fast to be the foremost literary work of this age.

Novel does not only need a character and plot, but also it needs also an artistic language with an absolute present. A novelist able to arrange the incidents according to the plot by locating all actors in the certain place at once that reader feels like in the real life where they have a strong feeling with the actors.[4]

According to Virginia Wolf such as quoted by Henry Guntur Tarigan, Novel is an exploration or chronic of life, thinking and describing in the special form, influence, unity, achievement, destruction, and description of human activities.[5]

A novel with its freedom and unbounded to the specific rule come to the modern era faster then others. These things push the novelist to create literary works more creative and productive. Finally, many novels launch and flood literary world, and become the biggest literary work in quantity and the most favorite literary work to the readers around the world.

One of the novels, which mostly read around the world, is The Alchemist written by Paolo Coelho, a Brazilian novelist who has written many best sellers novels that are full of inspiration. The alchemist is one of his novels that most wellknown, because it contains thoughts and wisdoms inspiring people of any country.

The theme that extremely appeals in this novel is descriptions and messages of the human essence. The Alchemist explained that destiny is the big liar, because they are who unable to pick up their own destinies, they always avoid and said to themselves and others that when we could not make it real what we dream of, that is our fate. Moreover, according to this novel, a destiny is what we always wanted to accomplish, and everyone when they are young, knows what their destinies are. So, the only one that should be done is not only sitting and doing nothing but also creating the destiny. Because, if someone becomes closer and closer to create their destinies, it would become a great reason what for they live.

Actually, a man has a power to bring his destiny into reality, but they always encounter two difficult choices, which in the end will trap him to the incorrect choice or in the other word is fail. The two difficult choices are first, choosing to live where he is to be, means a life that he undergoes as usual with all achievements and privileges they reached. Second, something that he wants to yearn, that is a dream, desires, destiny, which must be reached with sacrifice.

The Alchemist also introduces the third instrument to get knowledge that is intuition. Some civilizations and western scientists do not accepted it as an epistemological instrument besides brain and five senses. However, The Alchemist emphasizes that intuition has function that is more essential than other instruments in the epistemological realm. This novel describes that intuition is a sudden immersion of the soul in the universal current of life, where the history of all people connected, because it has been written there.

Man is the culmination of evolution from things do not live, move, reproduce, and which end in the rational man who lives, moves and reproduces. In addition, in the same time he becomes the closest creature to “hand who writes every single of thing”. Furthermore, this novel explores about the essence of man. The man is the wind, the desert, the ocean, the stars and everything created in the universe. The human is the representation of creating microcosm, in the human’s inside, it can be found all aspect of the dead thing and the living thing created by God, such as the material aspect, the plant aspect, the animal aspect, and the most essential is the human aspect, that is to say that human is microcosm.[6]

Western scientists mostly prior rationalism and empiricism. The both view that human are only animal which has a specification such as ability of think without viewing its supra-rational aspects.[7] Modern sciences also view that stones, plants, sun, water, wind, fire, and land as the objects that have not soul.

This novel explores – unless gives the good information- that every part of creature in this world has a soul, like a stone, animal, sun, land, water, and so on. However, every single of the object in this universe always transform, because universe including this earth are alive and have a soul.

It is based on the explanation above, the writer thinks that a theme of human essence, which becomes the core of the messages pointed in the novel, it is going to be very interesting to be analyzed, discussed, and studied in the midst of human metaphysic bareness in the west literary world.

B. FOCUS OF THE RESEARCH

In accordance to the previous exploration, the writer only focuses on the philosophical thought of the essence of human concept. Via the philosophical thought, the writer will identify man’s free will, man as microcosm and theomorphic creature. Accordingly, the other thoughts or messages are only become proponent for supporting the main theme.

C. RESEARCH QUESTIONS

To make more convenient ad simply in analyzing the novel, the writer focuses on the content of the novel which dealing with the philosophical thought of man essence and construct it into the following question:

1. How does The Alchemist describe a man as a microcosm?

2. How does The Alchemist describe a man comparing to the theomorphic?

3. As a creature, is man blessed free will or pre-destination?

D. SIGNIFICANT OF THE RESEARCH

The writer expects achievements of the research will uncover the true meaning and give the right understanding of human concept with both its simplicity and its complexity. Because, human are the most perfect creature of God that all mat aspect of creature, even God includes in him.

The writer also wants to present knowledge for those who interested in discussing literature and philosophy, especially human philosophy that encompasses all evolution types of God’s creature.

E. METHODOLOGY OF THE RESEARCH

1. Objectives of the Research

The research is conducted to achieve purposes as the following:

1) Knowing human concept as a microcosm

2) Knowing the essence of human with their theomorphic

3) Knowing human’s concept of freedom (vis a vis God’s will)

2. Method of the Research

The research applies the descriptive-qualitative method. In this research The writer uses the content analysis. In literature field, it includes the understanding of works from the extrinsic aspects perspective. The aspects of the outside are discussed and explored deeply to know the objective of content analysis that is especially connecting with religious values and historical values. So that, the researcher can applies the content analysis when he is going to reveal the content of particular values of literary works.[8] It due to the several views of that brilliant literary work is a work ought to reflect positive messages to its readers. Even though the dialectic of literary work often lifts up the black sides of the lives as a comparison, so the researcher will not be trapped in the troubles of black or white values. At the substantial, the messages that consisted are understood throughout. The substances of literary work have the magnificent meaning which in the form of symbols. The duty of the content analysis is to neutralize and uncover the symbols hidden in the literary work. It means, the more genius author on plying symbols of esthetic, the more challenging research will be conducted.[9]

Although, the content analysis is running with the substance, it does not mean the aspects of literature should be neglected. The content analysis remains in good treatment of the literary work as the art, in spite of quoting the values to reinforce the message revelation. The essential aspect of the content analysis is how the achievement of analysis can be benefited by whoever needs the meanings, messages and values. The messages of literary works ought to be associated with any community that practice and use the result of the research.[10]

3. Technique of Data Analysis

The writer attempts describing The Alchemist with the following steps; 1) the writer read the novel accurately 2) noting the contents or messages that deal with the research data 3) concerning to the philosophical messages inside the novel that become core of the data 4) the dealt data are analyzed by correlating it with the contexts and the relevant theories.

4. Unit of Analysis

The unit analysis of the research is The Alchemist, a novel which is written by Paolo Coelho.



[1] Yosep Yapi Taum, Pengantar Teori Sastra, (Flores: Nusa Indah, 1997) p.11

[2] Rene Wellek & Austin Warner, Theory of Literature, (USA: Harcourt, Brace & World. Inc, 1965) p. 34

[3] Andrew sanders, The Oxford History of English Literature, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000) p. 28

[4] Stevick, Philip, the Theory of the Novel, (New York: the Free Press, 1967) p. 371

[5] Henry Guntur Tarigan, Prinsip-Prinsip Dasar Sastra, (Bandung: Angkasa, 1993), p. 164

[6] Murtadla Muthahhari, Man and Universe, (Qum: Insanian Publications, 1997) p. 4

[7] Alexis Carrel, Misteri Manusia, (Bandung: Remadja Karya, 1987) p. 173

[8] Suwardi Endraswara, Metodologi Penelitian Sastra: Epistemologi, Model, Teori dan aplikasi, (Yokyakarta: Pustaka Widyatama, 2003) p. 160

[9] Ibid. p. 161

[10] Ibid. p. 162


Chapter II

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

A. Philosophical Thought on the Man Concept

Talking about human essence like talking about a river that never stops flowing. Man is like another animal, which has differences among his species. The thing differs from other animal is ability to think which gives him freedom to choose.

Man is a species of animal and thus shares many features with order animals. But many differences distinguish man from animal and grant him a special virtue, an elevation that leaves him unrivaled. The basic difference between man and the other animals, the touchstone of his humanity, the source of what have come to be known as human civilization and culture, is the presence of insights and beliefs.[1] Animal in general can perceive themselves and the external world and strive to attain their desires and objects in the light of their awareness and cognition. The same holds true of man, but he differs from the rest of the animals in the scope, extent, and breadth of his awareness and cognitions and in the level to which his desires and objects rise. This grants man a special virtue and elevation and separates him from the rest of the animals.[2]

The mythology in Greek world state that this universe is a battlefield among gods and man. Man is always in the opposite and competing to gods. Gods is the anti-human that through their power always attempts to shackle the human freedom, independent, and unity. For showing his superiority, a man purposes to conquer, subjugate the universe, and then with power he has, he can be master of the universe.[3] This opinion later in the future will bear out materialism prefer for secular life.

In Marxism, a man has to be free in thinking, exploring science research, intellectual activities and economic production without being controlled by the religious things that repeatedly purposed as a reason for suppression and slavery.[4] If we look at it more concisely, this western opinion has formed the human freedom comprehensively and considered them only such a chemico-physiological creature as well.

Analyzing this human essence concept in The Alchemist, the writer will use the theory of man magnificently formulated by Mulyadi Karthanegara in his book Gerbang Kearifan,[5]which is containing philosophy and Islamic mysticism. It is very different from modern science;philosophy and Islamic mysticism consider human as a dimensional creature that has physic and non-physic aspect. Consequently, human regarded more comprehensive than what modern science offers.

Mulyadi formulates human prominent thought into three principal issues; [6] first, the man as microcosm that he is a representation of all creatures in this universe. Second, human as theomorphic creature and the last is human with their freedom.

1. Man as Microcosm

If we discern human as what modern science discern them, we will state how meaningless human’s life within the great cosmic. How come, the earth we live is considered small point in the Milky Way Galaxy, moreover if we see it from other galaxies. Human like an ant who crawl in the giant ball called earth. And whether we compare how long human can live and how long this universe’s age. Human form is only considered as small thing and their ages are only a point of time within very long sequence of this universe time. So if we see human from their physiological view, human is only the dust in the wind.[7]

Fortunately, the Muslim thinkers – philosophers and misticists – mostly do not only view human from their physiological aspect, but also view from their non-physical aspect. Therefore, they give the marvelous meaning to human than merely as chemical and physiological creature. For instance, human is regarded as the best creature (insan al-taqwim) and having symbolical meaning for the universe. What poses in human describes what poses in the universe, due to that huma,n as Muslim philosophers and mysticists, call as microcosm, which significantly represent the macrocosm.[8]

Human is considered as microcosms, despite they are small, they have consisted of every ingredient of cosmic aspects; from mineral aspect, plant aspect, and animal aspect. Human contain even the angelic and divine aspect that in the form of spirit which is blown by God, consequently He creates human as two dimensional creatures: physical and spiritual creature.[9]

2. Man as Theomorphic Creature

The Second of the tree prominent thought of human essence formulated is man as theomorphic. It differs from modern sciences which consider human as only a physical creature, in the Islamic thought (especially Islamic philosophy and mysticism), human is on the precious position in the both relationship between universe and God. [10] Since that, it does not amaze when some intellectuals declared that human is “the last purpose of creation” as a representation and reflection of God.

As logical consequences of human as theomorphic creature, human considered as a mirror of its reality itself. In fact, this universe considered as reflections of God. However they only are able to reflect half of God’s attributes that are unlimited. Man has a great potentiality to be able to reflect all God’s attributes. That potentiality could be performed only when human get his perfection level (insan kamil).[11]

The insan kamil regarded as the mirror of God, because he can pose in which God manifest His all attributes, actions, names, and His essence (dzat) as well. So that whatever is done by human considered as the reflection of God’s actions and will. The Qur’an said “not thee (Muhammad) when ye throw, but God throw.”[12]

3. Man and His Freedom

The freedom is ordinarily defined as “the unforced”. Louse Leahy divided freedom into three major points: first, the freedom of physics which means man can do everything with his physical aspect. Second the freedom of morality means the unforced of man’s action to do with his right and obligation, and the last is the freedom of psychology means man has to be free from any psychological pressure to do everything or vise versa.[13]

The third of three prominent thought of human essence is man and his freedom. One more important question of human is, are human blessed with free will or has everything they act predestined before (pre-destination)? [14] Destiny and free will has been continuously being debating object, especially in the Muslim theology. This case conveyed the Muslim intellectuals separated into two groups; the first group is Jabariyyah who declared that everything happened in this world has been predestined by God in the early time – and it called as destiny.[15] This school believes that God creates human and his actions as well.

This concept is based on the Qu’ran verses: “when Allah hath created you and what ye make”[16] and “yet ye will not, unless Allah willeth.”[17] Jabariyyah interprets these verses that human have no will on everything but God will human do that everything. So man can go to the university, except God will human goes that place. About the force or power to do and make thing real, Jabariyyah remarks human power to act and do is not human’s property, but that power is owned by merely God.[18]

The Second group is Qodariyyah, notified in contrary that people are the creator for their actions, and must responsible for whatever they do. In this point, they stated that however all the power or capacity they have created by god, but they have a liberty using their capacity in order to achieve what they want to do.[19]

This view is in accordance to Quranic verses: “…it is the truth from the Lord of you (all). Then whosoever will, let him believe, and whosoever will, let him disbelieve…”[20] This verse means God give human a freedom to believe and disbelieve. If the human’s action is not truly human’s, this verse will be unworthy. This school believed that all human action and will are owned by human themselves not God. So, human are the creator of their own actions.

The next verse which used as evidence of human’s freedom is “who made all things good(ahsanaa kulla syai’in) which He created, and He begun the creation of man from clay.”[21] This verse means – according to Abd al-Jabbar[22] – that God with His all action is kind, and it is impossible if human actions are created by God, because human actions are categorized into kind action and unkind action.

Human are creator of their actions and should responsible to what they act. This school believes that the force or the power of human are created by God, but human has their own freedom to choose whether it is bad or good thing. According to Louise Leahy, human is essential creature who inheritably blessed by their freedom to choose the best for their lives. In human’s action of will, the I-ness present in their selves and staggers the selves, human does not will but essentially will.[23]

B. The Content Analysis

Suwardi Endraswara states three aspects essentially should be in the contents analysis,[24] in order to make the methodology maximally reach the core of the problem and reveal the hidden facts into a surface:

a. The Rationality of the Content Analysis

The content analysis is the new model of literary study. The newness can be viewed from an object and a focus which will be explored. Thereby, the researcher to reveal, understand, and catch the message of literary work applies the content analysis. The understanding priors a rigid interpretation of literary work, in other word the researcher has constructed a concept which will be revealed and then practiced it into literary work.

Basically, the content analysis of literature field includes the understanding of works from the extrinsic aspects perspective. The aspects of the outside are discussed and explored deeply to know the objective of content analysis which is especially connecting with religious values and historical values. So that, the researcher can applies the content analysis when he is going to reveal the content of particular values of literary works.[25]

It due to the several views of that brilliant literary work is a work ought to reflect positive messages to its readers. Even though the dialectic of literary work often lifts up the black sides of the lives as a comparison, so the researcher will not be trapped in the troubles of black or white values. At the substantial, the messages that consisted are understood throughout. The substances of literary work have the magnificent meaning which in the form of symbols. The duty of the content analysis is to neutralize and uncover the symbols hidden in the literary work. It means, the more genius author on plying symbols of esthetic, the more challenging research will be held.[26]

Although, the content analysis is running with the substance, it does not mean the aspects of literature should be left behind. The content analysis remains in good treatment of the literary work as the art, in spite of quoting the values to reinforce the message revelation. The essential aspect of the content analysis is how the achievement of analysis can be applied by whoever needs the meanings, messages and values. The messages of literary works ought to be associated with any community that practice and use the result of the research.

b. The Characteristic of the Content Analysis

The content analysis is a strategy of catching the messages of literary works. The content analysis’ orientation is to achieve an inference. It is achieved through the both interpretation and identification which based on the contexts around the literary works, to lead the researcher having a concrete target, for instance he wants to know the values of recent literature. However, he is to construct a concept of the values of recent literature. The concept gains next apparent steps, taking a data, an analysis and an inference.

The content analysis research of literature’s domain is started from an axiom that the author will deliver the message concealed to the audience. The message is recognized as the meanings or contents of literary work which can be estimated. This research is the strategic way to reveal and understand the phenomena of literature, primarily to break down barriers of literature constituted as the symbols that are used to apply in the plays of language.[27]

The content analysis of literature is dependent on three significance assumptions: the literary works is a phenomenon of communicating a hidden message which inside contains valuable substance for audiences. The kind of this study epistemologically, constitutes mostly the positivism research. The analysis is applied on principles; objectivity, systematic, and generalization. Realizing the objectivity through a building of theory or construct of a sharp analysis systematically means the apparent steps, and the generalization through contexts of literature massively to gain the inference.[28]

Almost the content analysis contains the qualitative data which consulates with a particular theory. So that, the requirements of literary works have to comprise about values and moral, religious message for developing the lives. The procedures of content analysis are to include the following stages: a) a literary work is analyzed systematically and combines with the relevant theory; b) the text is diagnosed and categorized to be units of analysis; c) the work ought to dedicate a message of lives; d) the process of analysis is dependent on the description, and; e) it is analyzed qualitatively.[29]

c. The Domain of the Content Analysis

One of content analysis’ goals is catching the meaning of literary works. Among the functions of literary works are to build right and wide understanding, increase the human’s standards of lives. It due to an attached assumption that literary works is to uncover and reveal the moral messages and values. The item of delivering moral messages and values is used to be explicitly, because the author never be similar with the politician who have a work agitating his ambitions.

The content analysis can be applied elastically, the researcher might use the other approaches such the philosophical, the historical and the religious approach. Through the religious approach, the researcher will be able to shoot the spiritual aspects of the works at deeper. The religiosity and the literary work are formed in smooth expressions which stressed by the researcher as a focus.

The materials of content analysis study are often imposed in literary works dealing with public’s interest, prophetic and doctrinal issues. The kind of works voices the nobility of moral values. These works are written the religious literary work, the philosophical literary work, and the advised literary work.



[1] Leslie Stevenson, The Study of Human Nature (OxfordOxford UniversityPress, 2000), p. 70

[2] Ibid,p. 71

[3] Ali Shari’ati, Marxism and Other Western Fallacies, (Berkeley: UB Press, 1980) p. 15-31

[4] Jose Ortega Y. Gesset, “Man Has no Nature” in Walter Kaufman, Existentialism from Dostoevsky to Sartre, (London: New American Library, 1975) p. 157

[5] Karthanegara Mulyadi, Gerbang Kearifan (Jakarta: Lentera Hati, 2006) p. 110

[6] Ibid. p. 111

[7] Ibid. p. 112

[8] Ibid. p. 112

[9] Mulyadi Karthanegara, Jalaluddin Rumi’s Theory of Evolution, paper (Jakarta, 2007) p. 5

[10] Mulyadi, GerbangOp Cit. p. 117

[11] Ibid. p.119

[12] Ibid. p. 120

[13] Louise Leahy, Siapakah Manusia? (Yokyakarta: Kanisius, 2001), p. 182

[14] Ibid. h. 120

[15] Harun Nasution, Teologi Islam, (Jakarta: UI Press, 2002) 33

[16] Al-Saffat: 96

[17] Al-Dahr: 30

[18] Harun Nasution, Op. Cit. p. 108

[19] Ibid. 35

[20] Al-Kahf: 29

[21] Al-Sajadah: 7

[22] He is the Great Author of al-Qadariyah and also considered as imam of Mu’tazilah which is a school of Islamic theology pronouncing the rational view on Islamic doctrines.

[23] Louise Leahy, Op Cit. p. 175

[24] Suwardi Endraswara, Metodologi Penelitian Sastra: Epistemologi, Model, Teori dan aplikasi, (Yokyakarta: Pustaka Widyatama, 2003), .p. 160-165

[25] Ibid. p. 160

[26] Ibid. p. 161

[27] Nyoman Kutha Ratna, Teori, Metode, dan Teknik Penelitian Sastra, Yokyakarta: Pustaka Pelajar, 2004. p. 64

[28] Loc Cit.

[29] Jabrohim ed. Metodologi Penelitian Sastra, (Yokyakarta: Graha Widia, 2001), p. 156


CHAPTER III

THE PHILOSOPHICAL THOUGHT ON HUMAN CONCEPT IN

THE ALCHEMIST

The study about who man is considered the dialectic which is claimed something endless, the man is the most mysterious creature, because the chattering about it is believed will be no end. Man has been questioning about himself, in which amount of question emerge to discover the truth of man. Because, this way is the only one open possibility to other ways unveil the true identity of man. Questioning grants man to criticize and understand origin, process, handicap, and goal of his creation. By applying this method, the study of man will be preserved to know everything about man which is still hidden.

The discussion of man identity is preserved from the Greek scholar who was groups of man talking firstly about man and his true identity until the era of Muslim scholar who had developed much broader to unveil that matter. The discussion of man in Islam is based on some holy verses of al-Qur’an which indicate the man identity; for instance, al-Qur’an talks about man origin voicing that man is created from mud and his process of production created from sperm as well as to his physical element, God blew spirit to make that dead thing live.[1]

This physical aspect of man, due to it can be grasped by senses, it is easily made as object of research; such object of medicine research that Islam history noted Ibn Sina and other doctors ever did it. Consequently, the spiritual aspect is the most mysterious in which man can never stop asking, although al-Qur’an itself states “they Question you (Muhammad) about the spirit, declare; the spirit is my God’s sake, and it is not gave to you knowledge (about spirit) but little.”[2] That little knowledge is reached by the selected people of Muslim who talked, thought, and understood about it; they might be Ibn Sina, al-Ghazali, al-Jili, and Ibn A’rabi. The Muslim philosophers not only concern to the study of man relating to his two aspects: physics and spirit, but also concern to the soul (nafs) which can explain the motives and tendencies of man to behave and to act.

To understand and simplify the complexity of concept of the man according to Muslim philosophers, the writer adopts the formulation of Prof. Mulyadi Karthanegra who categorized the concept of man in Islam into three categories. Man as microcosm, man as theormorphism and man’s will. The writer believed that the category covers all thoughts of man that ever rise in Muslim world.

Regarding to the Paolo Coelho’s The Alchemist, is the contents of the novel include thoughts of man that is ever delivered and being delivered by Muslim Scholar, especially three categories that are related deeply with the novel main massages. What makes it interesting in the context that these thoughts are wellknown, the answer is the writer himself who is Christian making The Alchemist coloured by Muslim thoughts about the true identity of man. Hence, the writer classifies the analysis of massages of the novel based on the three previous categories.

A. MAN AS MICROCOSM

The term “micro cosmos” is derived from the term “cosmos” means the universe with its contents; including earth, solar system, and all galaxies.[3] Hence, the microcosm means the subject that represents all existence of cosmos. This terminology used for man is to indicate and assure that he is created to be the representation of the universe, Coelho states:

I have inside me the winds, the desserts, the ocean, the stars, and everything created in the universe. We were made all made by the same hand, and we have the same soul…. (p.154)

The shepherd remarks about himself to the wind as a response of its state that he couldn’t be a wind. He states that he has a potency of being everything in the universe, because he knew from the al-chemist, man is the representation of universe whose ingredients of his creation made from the elements of the universe and its contents. Respecting with this knowledge, the man can be what he want as long as he know the way to be; therefore he asks the wind about that.

“…and even men can turn themselves into the wind, as long as the wind helps, of course” (p. 155)

Man is microcosm because he contains all aspects of universe, like a fruit which contains all aspect of a tree; its root, stem, branch, twig, and leave. Man resembles fruit in the case that contains all aspects of universe; such mineral, plant, animal, and even angelic and divine aspect. The idea of microcosm-man is deeply related with the fact that man is the ultimate stage of evolution. This idea is pioneered by Jalalluddin Rumi considered by Muslim scholars as the modern phenomenon. Six centuries before Darwin, Rumi released his theory of evolution believed as the most interesting and comprehensive compared with other scholars’. The universe evolved slowly from the lowest stage; the mineral, plant and animal stage, to the highest stage; man. Rumi told “I died as mineral and became plant, I died as plant and resurrected as animal, I died as animal and resurrected as man”[4] Rumi believed the persistence of evolution is going beyond the man stage. This faith states the existence of soul and here-after life.

Rumi stated the evolution begun from “the universe’s love” (it in that time is merely a potency) to the God as the true reality. Due to the God’s motive of creating universe is love, the love infiltrates into all width and breadth of the universe, therefore, the universe is fulfilled by a love to the creator. Love believed as the universal force is becoming the power moving the universe.[5] Coelho is along with the idea of the love as the moving force of the universe:

“Yes, that what’s love is. It is what makes the game become falcon, the falcon become man, and man, in his turn, the dessert. It’s what turns lead into gold, and makes the gold return to the earth” (p. 152)

Coelho implies trough the shepherd’s conversation with the wind that does not understand what love is. Coelho agrees with what remarked that creature can evolve into higher creature to come closer to The Beloved. If they are still so far away they will come closer, closer, and closer. Stones pose in the material world will add their capacity of selfness to come closer to the Beloved until becoming trees that pose in plant world. Because they are far away in stand, they multiply their capacity; in result they reach the animal world as inhabitant. The animal feel dissatisfaction of being so tiny from the Beloved’s place, they develop their capacity in order to achieve the higher level that then called as the human world. Human being recognized as the highest level of natural evolution is along with his capacity and possibility to be the closest creature to the Beloved, due to their representation of the universe (microcosm). And everything happens as consequence of the love’s power effect in the universe. Coelho states again about the power of love in the creation context.

“This is what we call love”…”when you are loved, you can do anything in creation. When you are loved, you can do anything in creation. When you are loved, there’s no need at all to understand what’s happening, because everything happens within you …” (p. 155)

Coelho implies the potency and possibility of being everything, if there is a love as its cause. When love colors somebody, the changes will happen in himself not in the other. Love is God’s main cause of creating universe, so the man with his own power pointed as the microcosm can do anything as well.

“And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it” (p. 23)

In The Alchemist, the King Salem told the shepherd to follow what he wants, because the entire universe will help him to make it true. The reason the universe will help what man wants is the fact that man is the ultimate goal of the evolution. Man also is regarded as the little brother of the universe, because he is born in the very latest compared with other objects. The universe knows man as the representation of him, because he behold inside man there are all aspect by universe built and created. Through this novel Coelho will convince the reader that everything in the universe has a soul means that everything is living, there is none of the God’s creature is death, because the term “death’ used to indicate the process of shifting the world. Furthermore it is impossible for sun to give the life force to all things on earth, if the sun itself is died.[6] It is the same as the stone is died becoming impossible to multiply quality of itself in order to reach the higher level where it poses now regarding the process of evolution stated above. Coelho states:

…that everything on the face of the earth had a soul, whether mineral, vegetable, or animal – or just a simple thought. (p. 82)

If everything is life, it will justify what the process of evolution that Coelho and Rumi offer. The ingredients of all things in the universe belong to man will be the truth, if there is no inanimate being. Animate beings grant the process of creating man as the microcosm.

B. MAN AS THEOMORPHIC CREATURE

Man is basically a theomorphic that means, behind his weakness and limit, man has a “thing” inside himself then we know it as the divine attributes. This case does not mean the anthropomorphism of God,[7] because His essence is eternal and constant. It is different from man’s that is mortal and changing. According to Sayyed Hossein Nasr, in the tradition of God creating Adam, that first man became the mirror reflecting names and attribute of God consciously. There is something sacred (malakuti) inside man, which that man’s condition permits him to be holier than angels. Even, reaching the particular borders of having the divine attributes in high amount.[8]

The man who has the divine attribute is called in Islamic thought as the universal man(insan kamil).[9] The universal man level indicates the position of this species in the universe that is as the mirror of God. According to Sufis, the universe is not but the manifestation of God’s attributes, therefore every aspect of this universe is to manifest and reflect the God’s attributes that is along with each level of creature existence. The higher level the more God’s attributes are reflected and manifested. The mineral things such stones are also reflecting God’s attribute, but it matches with its level. A dust contains millions of atom, and every atom consists of incredible nuclear force reflecting the greatness of God(jalal).[10]

If get our discussion back to the man concept that he consist of all aspect of the universe, this is easily comprehended that he can reflect and manifest all God attributes in contrast with other creature enable only reflecting some few of God’s attributes.[11]This is not all man can be in that level, only what is called as the universal man can do it. The concept of universal man, according to al-Jilli, is a theme that relates to God who is absolute. The Absolute is believed to have the perfect and kind characteristics. This perfectness has to be copied properly by man. The more man resembles God’s perfectness, more perfect level man can obtain. This ability of reflecting and manifesting God’s attribute makes man being called as the theomorphic. Regarding to this universal man, Coelho states as “a Master Work”:

…because the Hand understood that it was larger design that had moved the universe to the point at which six days of creation had evolved into a Master Work. (p. 160)

The Hand means the God who creates everything, but the highest creature among all created by Him is only man. The shepherd as representation of the universal man described in the Alchemist can hold conversation to anything on the face of the earth, even everything in the universe. He can talk with sheep, he can talk with the dessert, he can talk with the wind, and he can talk with the sun even with the soul of universe (p. 150-160). This boy, in Islamic thought’s term, is called as the universal man or in the Coelho’s word as the master work. Coelho also describes that only the man enable mastering all languages in the word even the language does not need the word which he calls it as the universal language.

There is universal language, understood by everybody… (p. 72-73)

There must be a language that doesn’t depend on words, the boy thought, I’ve already had that experience with my sheep, and now it’s happening with people (p. 46)

The language, according to Coelho, includes the language of enthusiasm mean that language owned by those who succeeded to obtain happiness and real life. The universal language is the language of omens (p. 32) that voiced by all being in the universe to inform the shepherd about everything.

The universal man is he encounters God, the creator, in the same time as the creature. The man is a core or and axis (qutb) of everything around him. Therefore all being become existence, so He is the One for ever. He has all forms and emerges the various faces. This concept is to confirm the unity of all things which Coelho remarks below:

“All things are one” (p. 46)

…. all things are the manifestation of one thing only (p.83)

The quotation implies that the diversity in the universe is none except one existence, because all things in the universe are the manifestation of the One (tajalli). Coelho pronounces through his The Alchemist that the real existence in this universe only one that the religious people call it as God. This idea is along with a concept in Islamic thought called aswahdatul wujud means the unity of existences. The unity of existences means the universe is merely a mirror of the One or shadows of God. The image of God appears in different nature, forms and shapes, but the real is only one-God. So this is to say that the universe is only as the shadow play.[12]

Regarding to the concept of the universal man, the shadow has perfectness and all qualities to approach the Real One’s is the universal man, because he can realize that inside him, he can find the names and natures of the One. Coelho states:

The boy reached through to the soul of the World, and saw that it was a part of the soul of God. And he saw that the soul of God was his own soul, and that he, a boy, could perform miracles (p. 160)

The quotation declares that the universal man is the most perfect locus for reflecting God’s natures and names. Locus here means place or object where God reflect His natures and names, because locus that can reflect those is the locus resemble what it is reflected.[13] The Qur’an states “We shall show then our portents on the horizons and within themselves until it will be manifest unto them that it is the truth…(al-Fushilat: 53). In other word, in all stages of existence creating the universe, therefore, everything is the portents or signs of God. And a portent or a sign, of course, indicate clue to a signified – God. Thereby, it is not amazing if scholars see the universe as the universal reflection or the mirror of the God’s natures, in this context Coelho declares:

“Remember what I told you: the world only the visible aspect of God…” (p. 150)

Coelho tries to explain to us that the world is only relative object that in the end will come to its origins, because the universe is the visible part of something invisible. The most important of visible parts here is still the creature called the universal man who resembles the God’s natures and names.

The massage is along with what Kautsar Azhari Noer remarks that the perfectness of the universal man occupies in what called as “a synthesis”, “a unification” and “a combination”. The unification means man covers all names and natures of God as well as all realities of the universe.[14] The shepherd in the Alchemist declares that he finds out his soul as a part of the World’s soul, and it is also a part of the God’s soul. Then when he looks back to his soul, he discovers that his soul is a part of God’s as well.

The boy turned to the hand that wrote all. As did so, he sensed that the universe had fallen silent, and he decided not to speak. (p.159)

The universe fallen silent because he discerned the One and his most perfect shadow met. So he decided not to speak and so did the boy. The boy becomes silent because he astonishes that he is a part of the Hand and find himself as his ultimate creature on the face of the universe.

The real nature of man is becoming the theomorphic creature whose potency to receive manifestations of God, the Prophet Muhammad said “Allah did created Adam corresponding to His image.”[15] Adam in this prophet tradition is not historical Adam or the father of mankind, but Adam in the universal meaning or the real nature of man. Because of his theomorphic, man can show limitless variety of God’s names and natures; it means any nature and attribute of God can be reflected in man.

The fact of man created in very latest time and becoming the ultimate goal of God’s creation is permitting him to have all forces that the previous creatures have. This is also a reason for all creatures created before is to serve the man interest, and in the following tightening a concept of man as the principle and ultimate goal of life.

The next question arises for the previous facts is, what is the min goal of God creating man is the ultimate creation? Al-Qur’an pronounces the creation of man is to be vice-gerent of God on earth (khalifah). God expects man to conduct His will on earth as His representation. To make man success runs his role as the khalifah, God bestows man the epistemological instruments; these instruments are to obtain knowledge of everything. Senses are the first instrument to grasp object in the physical word, intellect (aql) is the second to grasp in the ideal and conceptual world (non-physical) and the last is intelligence(qalb) is to grasp the presentational knowledge. Especially for intelligence, Coelho reveals some concepts about it in the Alchemist, in this novel he does not use a term “intelligence” but he uses a term “heart” as follow:

“Listen to your heart. It knows all things, because it came from the Soul of the World, and it will one day return there” (p. 134)

Coelho explains the heart of man know everything because it is a part of the Soul of the World. It means this soul is aql fa’al[16] or active intellect that give forms to man’s intellect.[17] The intelligence or heart is the most important instrument to get knowledge, because he is never mistaken. The knowledge that intelligence grasp is the unit of knowledge not partial knowledge, so when it receives knowledge, it does not need the other interpretation to explain what that knowledge is, because it is considered as the presentational knowledge.[18] Coelho states again:

“Because, wherever your heart is that where you’ll find your treasure” (p. 135)

The Alchemist teaches us that the heart is the most important thing bestowed to man. It the instrument that is never being deceived, the instrument always tells the truth and the instrument that will lead us to the eternal life. About the heart Coelho keeps remarking with broad massages:

“Everyone on earth has a treasure that awaits him” his heart said. “We, people’s hearts, seldom say much about those treasures, because people no longer want to go in search of them. We speak of them only to children. Later, we simply let life proceed, in its own direction, toward its own fate. But, unfortunately, very few follow the path laid out for them – the path to their destinies, and to happiness. Most people se the world as a threatening place, and, because they do, the world turns out, indeed, to be a threatening place. (p. 138)

All men have a potency to use the intelligence or listen to the heart in order to get the never-wrong knowledge. But most of people dismiss this potency and then never being actualized. So the heart enables only to speak to the pure people that his heart is not dirty by sin, because the dirty-hearted man can not communicate with his heart. The Alchemistassumes the pure-hearted man like children that can communicate with the heart easily. The paragraph tells man sometimes is trapped by his prejudice, because his bad wish will drive the wished thing comes to the reality. So if we want to wish just wish a good thing.

“You will never able to escape from your heart. So it’s better to listen to what it has to say. That way, you’ll never have to fear an unanticipated blow” (p. 136) …..

From then on, the boy understood his heart. He asked it, please, never stop speaking to him. He asked that, when he wandered far from his dreams, his heart press him and sound the alarm. The boy swore that. Every time he heard the alarm would heed its message. (P. 139)

As stated above, that only the selected man can communicate with his heart or use his intelligence. The man is who his heart is clean and pure from sin, the man whose characters and way of life like children who never disturb other life and are always happy to everything being bestowed, the man who has the perfect ness to be the representation of God. That man is the universal man represented as the boy or shepherd in the novel who can talk to his heart or use his intelligence.

Those potencies and blessings bestowed by God to man is to emphasize the theomorphic of man. The ontological consequence of man being theomorphic who reflect the names and natures of God is he covers all realities of the universe. Man is the totality of universe whom Ibn ‘Arabi calls as the miniature of the universe or microcosm. The unity inside man mean also as the unity of the opposites; such man is new viewed from his physical aspect and also ancient viewed from his divine aspect –his theomorphic aspect.[19]

C. MAN AND HIS FREEDOM

The man’s freedom is becoming limitless study, from the ancient thought represented by Greek to the modern thought represented by the West. The discussion in this mini thesis here is to explore what Paolo Coelho delivers about the man’s freedom in The Alchemist. As we discussed broadly before, Coelho’s thought on man’s freedom is along with his thought on previous man concepts. It means Coelho’s view about this matter is related to what emerges in Islamic thought.

The problem of determinism and free will in respect to the man’s freedom has the long history. It might be said that there is more longer discussion after the here after life talked by human being; scholars, layman, all element of society are very concerned to talk and understand about. This problem, form long time, is tightly coloured by its theological, philosophical, and religious dimension rather than other dimension. Yet along with the development of humanity and empirical science, the field of the discussion of determinism(jabr) and free will (ikhtiar) belongs to these two sciences.[20] For the sake of being focus, the study will only discuss about what is along with Coelho’s thought on man’s freedom, namely the Islamic thought.

There are two mainstreams discussing this problem is first determinism; this school view that all human do had set up by God thoroughly, there is no possibility and chance to have a freedom even a little. So the man’s deed, effort, and ihktiar are nothing but God’s will Himself. This school or ism believed that man’s fate and deed are set from the ancient age(azali).[21]The second is free will (ihktiari) states man’s deed and effort absolutely belong to man, so there is no God’s involvement to whom will choose whether bad or good. But in the recent discussion, we find the school that poses in between, the school is following know as the Ahl-Bait,[22] although there lots of Islamic scholar’s view outside the school resembles that moderate view. This school view man’s freedom is gift from God, it means God Himself bestows force to man being a potency and power to run his responsibility as vice-gerent of God on earth, but the decision of choosing either badness or goodness is in the hand of man. Regarding Coelho’s view in The Alchemist; does Coelho agree and follow one of those or choose to have all?

“Maktub” …”….but in your language it would be something like ‘it’s written” (p.60-61)

The word “maktub” means everything in this universe is determined and written by the hand. This view agrees to determinism, in Islamic tradition, it called as Jabariyah whose view is man has no freedom on his will and deed, because the God’s authority is limitless. They believe that His authority is absolute to all things in the universe including man’s authority and freedom. Determinism views every single of move, moment, even a dust flies are under God’s will and authority, if it is said there is another authority and will outside God’s, that means God’s will and authority is limitless.

To assure about this view, Coelho writes the term “maktub” seven times in the novel and in various moments and contexts as well. Coelho also uses the word “hand” to symbolize absolute authority and will belong to God, He states”

“Speak to the hand that wrote all” said the sun….the boy turned to the hand that wrote all. (p. 159)

The quotation states that everything in this universe is written by the hand. The word “hand” in common senses always means the absolute authority and power. Compare to tem “iron hand”, has sense that the leader labeled by this is who has absolute power to reign his kingdom or state. The universe is the kingdom of God is absolutely under God’s will and authority-The Magnificent King. The literal massage about this is pronounced by Coelho below:

“I’m the leader of the caravan” said a dark-eyed, bearded man. “I hold the power of life and death for every person I take with me…..” (p. 74)

It implies that every single member of the caravan does not have any power and authority about his life, because the authority and power belong to the leader of caravan. All members of caravan are the universe in broader understanding and its leader is God whose authority is absolute.

Term “all” used for encompassing all things without omission, it means there is no rest of thing left from His authority and power. All are only leather puppet played by puppeteer. So, the world is only a stage and setting where the actor and actress acting as directed by the director-God.

He had to choose between something he had become accustomed to and something he wanted to have. (p.28)

The boy in this massage is put between two choices, the life has already owned and the life will be own. The will here explained is as the boy’s authority to have the better thing in his life; whether choosing the present or future life is better for him or even vise versa. Coelho does not truly agree the mainstream stating the absolute man authority and will(qadariyah), he remark:

…when someone makes a decision, he is really diving into a strong current that will carry him to places he had never dreamed of when he first made a decision. (p. 70)

Coelho might be agree with the third mainstream discussing man’s freedom. This third school states when someone will do something, in the same time, God creates the capability or force for man to make it real. So the view opens the spaces of man’s authority on himself choosing or deciding something, although he does not know what will happen in the process of making it true. In Coelho’s language “a strong current” is the possibilities that must be undergone by man in the middle of making the decision real. About this force, Coelho states again:

“Because there is a force that wants you to realize your destiny; it whets your appetite with a taste of success” (p. 30)

The massage on this quotation is along with Asyarians concept of force calledkasb.[23] The force above means thing is bestowed to man to realize what he wants. The force is none but appearing together with the deed. Man does a deed that does not mean create that deed. The creator of the deed essentially is God Himself.[24]Conclusively the force of man this case is not effective, because somehow the force does not affect anything. Coelho means in the sentence above, man does not have any force to choose his own will. To make clear understanding about this force, Coelho defines it below:

…”the mysterious force”… it’s force that appears to be negative, but actually shows you how to realize your destiny. It prepares your spirit and your will, because there is one great truth on this planet: whoever you are, or whatever it is that you do, when you really want something, it’s because that desire originated in the soul of the universe. It’s your mission of earth” (p. 22-23)

The force here might mean the freedom that is bestowed by God, because if we review what the previous quotation’s massages; this force if negative and ineffective, because there is no even small space fro man’s authority to choose the better for his life. The view that the force is freedom is to indicate the position of man in the universe namely to be vice-gerent of God (khalifah) because without it, the universe and all beings in the universe is only games of God’s creation.

There is possibility for God to give man commands and prohibitions, if man has none of his freedom to control his deeds. Being given commands and prohibitions, man is expected to choose the better for “his mission on earth”. This again will impossible for the Qur’an becoming Holy Scripture and guidance, if his contents of command and prohibition are just set for whom does have any authority and will to follow command and dodge the prohibition.

So the freedom is necessary for man in order to run his mission on earth. He is ordered to rule the world in order to bring peace and God’s nature to all being in the universe. Freedom is a key for opening chances of the world dreamed of by all being and wished by God. The importance of freedom resembles the importance of creating man as the mirror of God and microcosm.

In other way, Coelho interprets the force as the destiny as below:

“destiny”…”it’s what you have always wanted to accomplish. Everyone, when they are young, knows what their destiny” (p. 22)

The force that allows everyone to realize what he wants is destiny, so destiny is not things and deeds determined before. The destiny here is what Muslim calls as the law of life; the law pronounces: if we do this or that, we will achieve this or that. So destiny is a logical consequence that is persistence for ever.[25]

As delivered by Coelho, the force – destiny – is interrelated with the soul of universe that we have discussed as the active intellect (aql fa’al) granting man to accomplish what he really wants. This force is interrelated with man’s gift bestowed by God – freedom. This relation allows man to behave and act as the truly master of the world because he is the real vice-gerent of God.

Moreover we should know something that restricts man’s freedom; this is called the law of nature (sunnatullah). It is impossible to man to chance and redesign what God has already set, for instance, fire is hot or ice is cold; the heat of fire and cold of ice can be changed and redesigned into something else. The man’s freedom occupies in choosing which law of nature will be followed, whether the fire’s heat used for burning, or the ice’s cold used for breezing.[26]

About t none of freedom belongs to man, Coelho states:

“It describes people’s inability to choose their own destinies. And it ends up saying that everyone believes the world’s greatest lie” …”what’s the world’s greatest lie?”…”it’s this: that at a certain point in our lives, we lose control of what’s happening to us, and our lives become controlled by fate…” (p. 18)

Coelho rejects the concept of inability of man realizing his of destiny. Coelho calls it as the world’s greatest lie that never been any possibility to be correct. The man who loses control on his deed and effort is who has already lost his epistemological instruments; senses, imagination, intellect and intelligence. That man is not called as a man anymore; the appropriate term for him is “an animal” lives with the instinct solely.



[1] Al-Mu’minun: 12-14 and al-Hijr: 29

[2] Al-Isra’: 85

[3] Lorens Bagus, Kamus Filsafat, Jakarta: Gramedia, 2005) p. 502

[4] Ibid. vol. iii, p. 219

[5] Jalaluddin Rumi, The Mathnawi of Jalaluddin Rumi, vol. v, trans. Nicholson, (London: Luzac & Co Ltd, 1977) p. 231

[6] Mulyadi Karthanegara, Menembus Batas Waktu, (Bandung: Mizan, 2002) p. 22

[7] The ideology that creates God resembling man’s attributes in order to make God more easy understood and conceived. This ism describe God like man such having hand, face, leg, anger, head, wife, family and other. In other word the ism treats God as man alike. See. Lorens Bagus, Op. Cit. p. 59

[8] Sayyed Hossein Nasr, Islam Dalam Cita dan Fakta, (Jakarta: Lappenas, 1981) p. 4

[9] …………………….., Suffi Essays, (London: George Allen and Unwin Ltd. 1973) p. 43

[10]Mulyadi, Menembus….Op Cit. p. 53

[11] Ibid. p. 54

[12] A. Afifi, A Mystical Philosophy of Muhyiddin Ibn ‘Arabi, (Jakarta: Gaya Media Utama, 1979) P. 32

[13] Kautsar Azhari Noor, Tasawuf Perenial, ( Jakarta: Serambi, 2002) p. 153

[14] Ibid. p. 122

[15] Inna Allah Khalaqa Adama ‘Ala Shuratihi (al-Hadith)

[16] Active intellect if the tenth intellect of the theory of emanation that is introduce by al-Farabi. Active intellect is the intellect owned by earth to give forms of man’s intellect. See. Hasyimsyah Nasution, Filsafat Islam, (JakartaGaya Media Pratama, 2002) p. 34

[17] Mulyadi, Gerbang….Op Cit., p. 36-37

[18] The presentational knowledge is the object or knowledge that present in the subject (man) without any medium as happens in inferential knowledge which means knowledge or object that understood through medium. See. Mulyadi, Ibid. p. 59-60

[19] Kautsar, Op Cit. p. 123

[20] Mahmud Rajabi, Horizon Manusia, (Jakarta: al-Huda, 2006) p. 177

[21] The azali age is the before-creation which there is no nothing but God so, in this age god set and designed what to be and not be for all things including humankind. The term is used for simplifying man understanding to what called the pre-determined creature, because God Himself is unrelated with concept of space and time.

[22] Ahl Bait is the school in Islamic theology that prefer guidance and syariatfrom the family and root of Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h). rather than from other Islamic sources.

[23] The theory of kasb is the coincidence between the God’s deed and the man’s; it means if somebody will do something is at that time God creates “a force” in man to realize what he wants. See. Harun Nasution, Teologi Islam, (Jakarta: UI Press, 2002) p. 87

[24] Ibid p. 88

[25] Mulyadi, Gerbang..Op Cit. p. 128

[26] Dawam Rahardjo, Insan Kamil: Konsepsi Manusia Menurut Islam,(Jakarta: Grafiti Press, 1987) p. 36

CHAPTER IV

CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION

A. CONCLUSION

The Alchemist delivers a lot of massages that inspire the readers around the world. Almost the massages can be accepted by people without any border of religion, ethnicity, state, culture, and geography. The massages are related to basic life matters that all people are experiencing. Within those massages, the writer finds out that many wisdom of the author’s resemble thought and wisdom emerge in Islamic tradition and thought. Yet, the writer only focuses to the philosophical thought of man.

Man is considered one of three prominent aspects of metaphysics which scholars attribute it as trilogy of metaphysics; God, universe and man. The three beings are the bases of the existences exist, although we can easily say that God as the most prominent factor of everything exist. In discussion of Coelho’s view on man, the writer selects only three themes that most of people in Muslim world concern about. They are man as microcosm, man as the theomorphic, and man and his freedom.

First, man is as microcosm because he contains all aspects of universe, like a fruit which contains all aspect of a tree; its root, stem, branch, twig, and leave. Man resembles fruit in the case that contains all aspects of universe; such mineral, plant, animal, and even angelic and divine aspects. The idea of microcosm-man is deeply related with the fact that man is the ultimate stage of evolution. Coelho describes man as microcosm through the shepherd: in The Alchemist, the shepherd states that he has a potency of being everything in the universe, because he knows from the al-chemist that man is the representation of universe whose ingredients of his creation made of the elements of the universe and its contents.

Second is man as theomorphic creature. Man is basically a theomorphic that means, behind his weakness and limit, man has a “thing” inside himself then we know it as the divine attributes. This case does not mean the anthropomorphism of God, because His essence is eternal and constant. It is different from man’s that is mortal and changing.

The man who has the divine attribute is called in Islamic thought as the universal man(insan kamil). The universal man level indicates the position of this species in the universe that is as the mirror of God. According to Sufis that is along with Coelho’s view, the universe is not but the manifestation of God’s attributes, therefore every aspect of this universe is to manifest and reflect the God’s attributes that is along with each level of creature existence. The higher level the more God’s attributes are reflected and manifested. The mineral things such stones are also reflecting God’s attribute, but it matches with its level. A dust contains millions of atom, and every atom consists of incredible nuclear force reflecting the greatness of God (jalal).

Third is about man and his freedom. There are two mainstreams discussing this problem is first determinism; this school view that all human do had set up by God thoroughly, there is no possibility and chance to have a freedom even a little. So the man’s deed, effort, and ihktiar are nothing but God’s will Himself. This school or ism believed that man’s fate and deed are set from the ancient age (azali). The second is free will (ihktiari) states man’s deed and effort absolutely belong to man, so there is no God’s involvement to whom will choose whether bad or good. But in the recent discussion, we find the school that poses in between, the school is following know as the Ahl-Bait, although there lots of Islamic scholar’s view outside the school resembles that moderate view. This school view man’s freedom is gift from God, it means God Himself bestows force to man being a potency and power to run his responsibility as vice-gerent of God on earth, but the decision of choosing either badness or goodness is in the hand of man.

From the three mainstreams Coelho adopts the first through some statements in the novel by using various contexts. And also he accepts the third that states man is bestowed “the force” to realize what he wants. About the second mainstream, Coelho rejects the concept of inability of man realizing his of destiny. Coelho calls it as the world’s greatest lie that never been any possibility to be correct. The man who loses control on his deed and effort is who has already lost his epistemological instruments; senses, imagination, intellect and intelligence. That man is not called as a man anymore; the appropriate term for him is “an animal” lives with the instinct solely.

B. SUGGESTION

The alchemist is considered one of the most inspired novels that ever wrote by human being. The novel teaches many wisdoms of life and drives our consciousness to what our life should be brought to. The novel reaches the issues that are rarely found in Western literature; the issues talk much about the man relating with his after life, the soul of universe, the soul of world, the universal man, the universal language, and man’s freedom and other non-physical issues.

In this mini thesis, the writer, following the rule of academic research, is bestowed a chance to discuss about the philosophical concept of man. Therefore, there lots of interesting issues need to be explored by other researchers that the time and space grant them to realize that.

As the ethic code of academic atmosphere, this report might have many weaknesses and incompleteness drive other critics to make it better. The negation or antithesis to what the writer states have to be pronounced in order to complete what he has already undergone. By this way the science is developed and the most essential, the truth is ongoing to be searched eternally, because there is no truth but The Truth Himself.

Related Posts by Categories



Comments (0)