The philosophical thought analysis on human concept in the alchemist

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LEGALIZATION

The thesis entitled “The Philosophical Thought Analysis on Human Concept In

The Alchemist” has been defended by the Letters and Humanities Faculty’s Examination Committee on March, 2010. The thesis has already been accepted as a partial fulfillment of the requirement for acquiring the Strata One Degree (S1) in English Letters Department.

Jakarta, March, 2010

Examining Committee

Chief, Secretary,

Dr. H. M. Farkhan, M. Pd Drs. A. Saefuddin, M. Pd

NIP. 150 299 480 NIP. 150 261 902

Members;

Examiner I, Examiner II,

Dr. H. M. Farkhan, M. Pd Drs. A. Saefuddin, M. Pd

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DECLARATION

I hereby declare that this submission is my own work and that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, it contains no material previously published or written by another person nor material which to a substantial extent has been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma of the university or other institute of higher learning, except where due acknowledgement has been made in the text.

Jakarta, 22nd of March 2010

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CHAPTER IV

CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION

A. Conclusion

The Alchemist delivers a lot of messages inspiring the readers around the world. Almost the messages can be accepted by people without any border of religion, ethnicity, state, culture, and geography. The messages are related to basic life matters that all people have experienced them. Within those messages, 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 to 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; such mineral, plant, animal. 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

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Alchemist 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 limitation, a 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 only a creature but also 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 to universal man. 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 three 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 will 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

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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 someone 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” that 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

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relating with himself after the life, the soul of universe, the soul of world, the universal man, the universal language, and man’s freedom and other non-physical issues.

The last for suggestion in this thesis, the writer suggests all readers to follow what Santiago did in the novel, to do not ever give up reaching something that you believe it. As a human who bestowed intelligence and power to pick up the destiny, he followed, analyzed and convinced his fate and destiny, Even though it was beginning from his dream (some people sometimes think that a dream is only a common thing) but he believed and convinced that it was an omens of God.

The writer suggests as well the reader who is bestowed a chance to discuss about the philosophical thoughts of human concept to follow the rule of academic research. Therefore, there are a lot of interesting issues need to be explored by other researchers that the time and space grant them to analyze the issues.

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CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION

A. Background of the Study

A man has a power to bring his destiny into reality, but they always encounter two difficult choices. 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 fulfill, that is a dream, desires, destiny, which must reached with sacrifice.

The Alchemist also introduces the third instrument to get knowledge that is intuition. Some civilizations and western scientists do not accept 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 interconnected, because it’s been written by God.

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 the Creator. 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

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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.1

This novel explores – unless gives the good information- 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 is alive and has a soul.

Based on the explanation above, the writer thinks that a theme of human essence, which becomes the core of the message showed in the novel, 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. Through the philosophical thought, the writer will identify man’s free will, man as microcosm, and theomorphic creature.

C. Research Questions

1. How is a man as a microcosmdescribedin The Alchemist?

2. How is a man in term of theomorphic,described in The Alchemist?

3. As a creature, how a man was blessed freedom not free will or pre-destination in The Alchemist?

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D. Significance of The Research

The writer expects the result of the research will uncover the true meaning and give the right understanding of human concept with both its simplicity and its complexity.

E. Methodology of The Research 1. The Objectives of the Research

1) Knowing human concept as a microcosm

2) Knowing the essence of human with their theomorphic 3) Knowing human’s concept of freedom

2. The 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 in detail to know the objective of content analysis that is especially connecting with philosophical values and religious values. So that, the researcher can applies the content analysis when he is going to reveal the content of particular values of literary works.2

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

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aspect of the content analysis is how the achievement of analysis can benefited by whoever needs the meanings, messages and values. The messages of literary works ought to be associated with any community who practice and use the result of the research.3

3. The Technique of Data Analysis

1) Reading the novel accurately

2) Noting the contents or messages dealing with “Man as Microcosm”, “Man as Theomorphic Creature” and “Man and His Freedom”

3) Concerning to the philosophical messages inside the novel that become core of the data

4) Analyzing the data by correlating them with the relevant theories, namely the descriptive-qualitative method.

4. Instrument of the Research

Research instrument is the writer himself by marking and classifying data from several sources related to the novel.

5. The Unit of Analysis

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CHAPTER II

THEORITICAL DESCRIPTION

A. Philosophical Thought on Human Concept

As the physical creature, man is the foremost and complex viewed from his biological function. He is the ultimate of the evolution of universe. He is proved as the creature which can do what entire creatures do because of his ability to grow, eat, and reproduce. In other side, he owes a rational soul which only owned by mankind. This rational soul enables him to perceive the meaning both from sensual data and mental concept that function not only for knowing the truth and systemizing knowledge, but also for managing the lower soul than his whom we call it as a desire. Thereby, human briefly is believed as “the core of universe” and “the ultimate aim of God’s creation”.

Regarding to the previous point, Mulyadi Karthanegara formulated the theory of man in his book Gerbang Kearifan,4 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 is regarded as more comprehensive than what modern science offers.

Mulyadi formulates human prominent thought into three principal issues; “first, the man as microcosm that he is a representation of all creatures

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in this universe. Second, human as theomorphic creature and the last is human with their freedom”. 5

B. Man as Microcosm

The Muslim thinkers – philosophers and mysticists – 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 has symbolical meaning for the universe. What poses in human describes what poses in the universe, due to that human as Muslim philosophers and mysticists, call as microcosm, which significantly represent the macrocosm.6

Ibid. p. 111 6

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Human is considered as microcosms, despite he is small, he 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.7

C. 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. 8 Since that, it is not amazed when some intellectuals declared that human is “the last purpose of creation” as a representation and reflection of God.

Due to this uniqueness, he is created by God as the ultimate destination of creation and His vice-gerent (khalifah) on earth. According to Sufis, man is the ultimate destination of creation. It is as the same as the fruit, although he appears in the last after the root, stem, branch, and twig, the tree itself grows for the sake of fruit. The fruit – through its seed – contains all aspects of the tree, so, man like the fruit is considered as microcosm containing all aspect of the universe (macrocosm).9

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

Mulyadi, Gerbang. Op Cit. p. 117 9

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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).10

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.”11

D. Man and His Freedom

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 which means man has to be free from any psychological pressure to do everything or vise versa.12 The third of three prominent thought of human essence is man and his freedom. The most important question of human is, are human blessed with free will, or has everything they act predestined before (pre-destination)? 13

Ibid. p.119 11

Ibid. p. 120 12

Louise Leahy, Siapakah Manusia (Yogyakarta: Kanisius, 2001), p. 182 13

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Destiny and free will continuously have been debating subject, 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.14 This school believes that God creates human and his actions as well.

The second group is Qodariyyah, notified in contrary that people are the creator for their actions, and must be 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.15

Human are creator of their actions and should be responsible for 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.16

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

Ibid. 35 16

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CHAPTER III RESEARCH FINDING

A. The Analysis of Man as Microcosm

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”17 Rumi believed the persistence of evolution is going beyond the man stage. This faith states the existence of soul and here-after life.

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creator. Love believed as the universal force is becoming the power moving the universe.18

B. The Analysis of Man as Theomorphic Creature

Man is basically a theomorphic that means, behind his weakness and limitation, a man has a “thing” inside himself then we know it as the divine attributes. This case does not mean that a man is same with God physically,19 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.20

The man who has the divine attribute is called in Islamic thought as the universal man (insan kamil).21 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

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

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

Sayyed Hossein Nasr, Islam Dalam Cita dan Fakta,(Jakarta: Lappenas, 1981) p. 4 21

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

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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).22

If we get back to our discussion about the man concept that he consist of all aspect of the universe, this is easily to comprehend that he can reflect and manifest all God attributes in contrast with other creature that enable only reflecting some few of God’s attributes.23 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 relating 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, the more perfect level man can obtain. This ability of reflecting and manifesting God’s attribute makes man being called as the theomorphic.

The next question arises for the previous facts are, what is the main goal of God creating man is the ultimate creation? Al-Qur’an pronounces the creation of man is to be vice-gerent (khalifah) of God on earth. 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

Mulyadi, Menembus….Op Cit. p. 53 23

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the second to grasp in the ideal and conceptual world (non-physical) and the last is intelligence (qalb) is to grasp the presentational knowledge.

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.

C. The Analysis of Man and His Freedom

The message on this quotation is along with Asy’arian’s concept of force called kasb.24 Man does a deed that it does not mean that man creates that deed. The creator of the deed essentially is God Himself.25 Conclusively the force of man in this case is not effective, because somehow the force does not affect anything.

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 human being in the universe. Freedom is a key for opening chances of the world dreamed of by all human being and wished by God. The importance of freedom resembles the importance of creating man as the mirror of God and microcosm.

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 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

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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 heat of fire used for burning, or the cold of ice used for breezing.26

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

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CHAPTER IV

CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION

A. Conclusion

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Alchemist that man is the representation of universe whose ingredients of his creation made of the elements of the universe and its contents.

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B. Suggestion

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relating with himself after the life, the soul of universe, the soul of world, the universal man, the universal language, and man’s freedom and other non-physical issues.

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ABSTRACT

SYARIF HIDAYATULLAH. The philosophical thoughts analysis on human concept In The Alchemist. Thesis; English letters Department, Faculty of Adab and Humanities. Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University. Strata I Degree 2009.

This thesis aims to analyze the descriptions and messages of the human essence which appeals in The Alchemist through the philosophical thoughts analysis on human concept. 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 well known, because it contains thoughts and wisdoms inspiring people of any country.

The research applies the descriptive-qualitative method. In this research, the writer uses the content analysis, which includes the understanding of the novel from the extrinsic aspects perspective. The aspects of the outside are discussed and explored in detail to know the objective of content analysis that is especially connecting with philosophical values and religious values.

From the research the writer gets the answers that; 1) A man as a microcosm is a representation of the universe. He has all aspects inside of him, like a wind, plant, animal etc. He is becoming the highest level of natural evolution, starting from the lowest stage; the mineral, plant and animal stage, to the highest stage; man. 2) A man regarded as theomorphic creature because he bestowed a divine attributes by God inside himself. Actually winds, dusts, deserts, plants and stones and all of stuff in the universe reflecting to God, but they have no capability and potency to be closer to the God, because it needs a brain and intelligence for analyzing where God is. Only a man who can come closer and closer to the God, Nevertheless, not all men are able to reflect and manifest all God attributes properly. Only a man who his heart is no dirty by sin able to analyze and listen to sound of God from his heart, on the other name that man is universal man (insan kamil). 3) A man as a creature blessed freedom to choose his life not free will or pre-destination. Through this freedom, a man not only traded on God’s forces such as jabariyah or the absolute free will like qadariyah, but a man uses two powers, beginning from the force which is bestowed to him by God, and another one is the man’s power itself used to run and act his deed.

Based on the explanation above, finally the writer thinks that a theme of human essence, which becomes the core of the message, showed in the novel, have taught the readers that we are a very powerful creature in this universe, and as a creature that bestowed the intelligence, divine attributes and force by God, we have potency for making our dreams become true.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

In The Name of Allah, The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful

All praises to be Allah the all mighty, who has given the writer many mercies and blessings in the process of finishing this thesis and salutation be upon the most honorable prophet messenger Muhammad SAW, his relatives and

followers.

On the occasion, the writer would like to express his sincerest thanks to his advisor Mrs. Danti Pujianti S.Pd, M.Hum for her advice and valuable guidance in order to complete this thesis.

The writer would like to express as well his deepest gratitude and honor to those who have helped completing this thesis:

1. Dr. H. Abdul Choir, M.A, as the Dean of Faculty of Humanities. 2. Dr. M. Farkhan, M. Pd, as the Head of English Department.

3. Drs. Asep Saefuddin, M. Pd, as the secretary of English Department.

4. All lectures of English Department for teaching and guiding precious knowledge and sharing wonderful experiences to the writer at the class.

5. His gratitude and honor also to his beloved parents, wife (Hairunnisa, S. Pd. I), son (Rif’at Ali Syahid) who always become a light in his life, brothers and sisters, and all families.

6. All staff officers at English Department and Libraries of UIN Jakarta.

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Indra, Deny, Uyoh, elvi, witri, bisri and all friends at the class. Keep in touch bro!

Finally, the writer realized that this thesis is not perfect yet. Therefore, he would like to accept any constructive suggestion and advices to improve this thesis.

Bekasi, July 2010

The Writer

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TABLE OF CONTENTS APPROVAL SHEET OF ADVISOR

ABSTRACT ……… i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ………. ii

TABLE OF CONTENTS ………... iv

Chapter I INTRODUCTION

A. Background of the Study ……… 1

B. Focus of the Research ……….. 5

C. Research Questions ………. 5

D. Significance of the Research ……… 6

E. Methodology of the Research ……….. 6

1. The Objectives of Research ……… 6

2. The Method ………. 6

3. The Technique of Data Analysis ………. 7

4. The Instrument of Research ……… 7

5. The Unit of Analysis ………. 8

Chapter II THEORITICAL DESCRIPTION

A. The Philosophical Thought on Human Concept …... 9

B. Man as Microcosm ………. 12

C. Man as Theomorphic Creature ……….. 15

D. Man and His Freedom ……… 17

Chapter III REASERCH FINDING

A. The Analysis of Man as Microcosm ... 20 B. The Analysis of Man as Theomorphic Creature ... 22 C. The Analysis of Man and His Freedom ... 30

Chapter IV CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION

A. Conclusion ………... 37

B. Suggestion ……… 39

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APPENDIX

1. The Summary of The Alchemist 2. The Biography of The Author

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APPENDIX

1. Brief of Summary of The Alchemist

The story stared from an anonymous boy works as a shepherd. Upon a time, the boy dreams twice about a child who is playing with his sheep. He does not like people teasing his sheep, but he becomes amazed, when he realizes that child playing with sheep without frightening them. That child suddenly takes the boy by his both hand and transports him into the Egyptian Pyramids and the child said "if you come here, you will find a hidden treasure"

Based on the Gypsy's prophecy, the hunt of hidden treasure begun, the boy meets Melchizedek, a king of Salem that assures him to do so. From this king he learns firstly about wisdom of life that says “when want something, all universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” The king continuous guiding the boy by remarking “there is a force that wants you to realize your destiny, it whets your appetite with a taste of success” he tells the boy that to find the treasure, you should follow the omens. God has prepared a path for everyone to follow. You just have to read the omens that he left for you.

When the boy reaches Tangier Africa, he is deceived and all his money is stolen. Fortunately he founds a kind crystal merchant who allows him to work in his shop. He has been working there for 12 months and then feels to have enough goods and fund to enroll the hunt. He learns a lot of thing and comes into conclusion that is he can learn without-word language; he is going to understand the word.

The boy follows the caravan to across the desert; he meets an Englishman who obsesses to find out what the alchemist is. From him, the boy learns about the alchemist and his miracle ability. When he stays in oasis as the neutral place when the tribesmen are fighting each other, he finds out his true love, Fatima, who teaches him about loyalty and honor. Here also he meets the alchemist who guided him until the end of the story.

The boy learns from the alchemist, he has inside him winds, deserts, oceans, stars, and everything created in the universe. He realizes that all men made by the same hand, and they have the same soul. He knows eventually

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that he is a part of soul of the world, the universe, even he acquaintances himself as a part of the hand writes everything-God.

The hunt of treasure is only a way by which the boy hunts knowledge of the reality of the creation, the real treasure that all beings want to have it. “Because, wherever you heart is that where you’ll find your treasure” through this trail or path, the boy finds out the language without words, his true love, and the most important is the secret behind existences. Those achievements are concluded as the real treasure he hunts, although he finally finds the hidden treasure in the form of gold coins and other precious goods.

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2. Brief of Biography The Author

Paulo Coelho was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. His father, Pedro, was an engineer, and his mother Lydia was a home-maker. He attended a Jesuit school. As a teenager, Coelho wanted to become a writer. Upon telling his mother this, she responded with "My dear, your father is an engineer. He's a logical, reasonable man with a very clear vision of the world. Do you actually know what it means to be a writer?" After researching, Coelho concluded that a writer "always wears glasses and never combs his hair" and has a "duty and an obligation never to be understood by his own generation," amongst other things.

At 17, Coelho's introversion and opposition to follow a traditional path led to his parents committing him to a mental institution from which he escaped three times before being released at the age of 20.

At his parents' wishes, Coelho enrolled in law school and abandoned his dream to become a writer. One year later, he dropped out and lived life as a hippy, traveling through South America, North Africa, Mexico, and Europe and becoming immersed in the drug culture of the 1960s. Upon his return to Brazil, Coelho worked as a songwriter, composing lyrics for Elis Regina, Rita Lee, and Brazilian icon Raul Seixas. In 1974, Coelho was arrested and tortured for "subversive" activities by the ruling militia, who viewed his lyrics as left-wing and dangerous.

In 1986, Coelho walked the 500-plus mile Road of Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain, a turning point in his life. On the path, Coelho had a spiritual awakening, which he described autobiographically in

The Pilgrimage. In an interview, Coelho stated "[In 1986], I was very happy in the things I was doing. I was doing something that gave me food and water -- to use the metaphor in The Alchemist, I was working, I had a person who I loved, I had money, but I was not fulfilling my dream. My dream was, and still is, to be a writer."

The Alchemist is an allegorical novel by Paulo Coelho first published in 1988. It follows Santiago, a young Spanish shepherd, on a journey to fulfil his Personal Legend. It has been hailed as a modern classic. According to

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sales in 2003. Eleven Minutes topped all lists in the world, except for England, where it was in second place.

The Alchemist was one of the most important literary phenomena of the 20th century. It reaches the first place in bestselling lists in 74 countries, and so far has sold 35 million copies. This book also brought the author in 2008 the Guinness World Record for most translated book in the world (67 languages).

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APPROVAL SHEET OF ADVISOR

THE PHILOSOPHICAL THOUGHTS ANALYSIS ON HUMAN CONCEPT IN THE ALCHEMIST

A Thesis

Submitted to Letters and Humanities Faculty in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to the Strata Degree (S1)

SYARIF HIDAYTULLAH NIM. 101026021555

Approved By

Danti Pudjianti, S.Pd. M. Hum NIP. 132 233 516

ENGLISH LETTERS DEPARTMENT

FACULTY OF ADAB AND HUMANITIES

STATE ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY SYARIF HIDAYATULLAH

JAKARTA 2010

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THE PHILOSOPHICAL THOUGHT ANALYSIS ON HUMAN CONCEPT IN THE ALCHEMIST

Submitted to the Faculty of Adab and Humanities in Partial Accomplishment of the Requirement for the 1 degree

SYARIF HIDAYATULLAH

101026021555

ENGLISH LETTERS DEPARTMENT

FACULTY OF ADAB AND HUMANITIES

STATE ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY SYARIF HIDAYATULLAH

JAKARTA

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CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION

A. Background of the Study

Literature is always becoming a fertile mind to be studied and analyzed, because a literary work is a mirror of human life, society, morality, culture etc. With literature, a culture of the nation could be discovered, but on the other hand, a literature also can be studied from the daily and habitual activities of society. Both of them cannot be separated each other. Thus, as long as this world is still running on and the people breath, a literature work will always exist, and develop dependent on the situation and condition wherever it is.

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.

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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 is divided into several genres: Poem, drama and Prose. Novel - which is becomes 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

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

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

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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 chronicle of life, 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 than 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 is 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 lies, because they are who unable to reach 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 people when they are young, knows what their destinies are. So, the only one that should be done is

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

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not only sitting and doing nothing but creating the destiny. Because, if someone become 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. 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 fulfill, that is a dream, desires, destiny, which must reached with sacrifice.

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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

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. through the philosophical thought, the writer will identify man’s free will, man as microcosm, and theomorphic creature. Accordingly, the other thoughts or messages only become supporter for the main theme.

C. Research Questions

The writer focuses on the content of the novel dealing with the philosophical thought of man essence and construct it into the three following question:

1. How is a man as a microcosmdescribedin The Alchemist?

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2. How is a man in term of theomorphic,described in The Alchemist?

3. As a creature, how a man was blessed freedom not free will or pre-destination in The Alchemist?

D. Significance of The Research

The writer expects the result of the research will uncover the true meaning and give the right understanding of human concept with both its simplicity and its complexity.

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

E. Methodology of The Research 1. The 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. The Method of the Research

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applies the content analysis when he is going to reveal the content of particular values of literary works.7

Although, the content analysis is running with the substance, it does not mean the aspects of literature should 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 benefited by whoever needs the meanings, messages and values. The messages of literary works ought to be associated with any community who practice and use the result of the research.8

3. The Technique of Data Analysis

The writer attempts to describe The Alchemist with the following steps; 1) Reading the novel accurately 2) noting the contents or messages dealing with “Man as Microcosm”, “Man as Theomorphic Creature” and “Man and His Freedom” 3) concerning to the philosophical messages inside the novel that become core of the data 4) Analyzing the data by correlating them with the relevant theories, namely the descriptive-qualitative method.

4. Instrument of the Research

Research instrument is the writer himself by marking and classifying data from several sources related to the novel.

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

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5. The Unit of Analysis

The unit analysis of the research is The Alchemis written by Paolo Coelho, a Brazilian novelist who has written many best sellers novels that are full of inspirations. First published in English language by Editora Rocco Ltd, in 1988 with 177 pages. This book also brought the author in 2008 the Guinness World Record for most translated book in the world (67 languages). The writer copied this novel from Ahmed Imtiyaz a friend from

Kashmir that met in “A Young Adult conference for Peace 2004” in Puncak, Bogor, West Java.

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CHAPTER II

THEORITICAL DESCRIPTION

A. Philosophical Thought on Human 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 other animals. But many differences distinguish man from animal and grant him a special virtue, an elevation that leaves him unrivaled or perfect creature (Insan Kamil). 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. It grants man a special virtue and elevation and separates him from the rest of the animals.2

The mythology in Greek stated that this universe is a battlefield among gods and man. Man is always in the opposite and competing to gods. Gods are

Leslie Stevenson, The Study of Human Nature (Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press, 2000), p. 70

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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.

Biologically, man is the most perfect creature compared with other creatures. He is an ultimate result of creation that is commonly well-known as the evolution. Man is two dimensions creature, in one hand he is extracted from the mud making him as the physical being; he is also spiritual one, because, according to Qur’an, the soul of God was blown up into him in other hand. Hence, a man occupies the unique position between God and universe which grants him to communicate both of them.

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

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

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Regarding to the previous point, Mulyadi Karthanegara formulated the theory of man 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 is regarded as more comprehensive than what modern science offers.

Mulyadi formulates human prominent thought into three principal issues; “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”. 6

B. 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

Mulyadi Karthanegara, Gerbang Kearifan (Jakarta: Lentera Hati, 2006) p. 110 6

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earth we live in is considered a small point in the Milky Way Galaxy, moreover if we see it from other Galaxy. Human is like an ant who crawl in the giant ball called earth. And we can compare how long human can live and how long this universe’s age. Human form is only considered as a small thing and his age is only a point of time within a 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 mysticists – 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 has symbolical meaning for the universe. What poses in human describes what poses in the universe, due to that human as Muslim philosophers and mysticists, call as microcosm, which significantly represent the macrocosm.8

This universe is divided into two parts, the physical and the spiritual part. As microcosm, man contains those two parts in himself. As the physical

Ibid. p. 112 8

Ibid. p. 112 9

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

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creature, he contains all things in the universe that is considered physic; even he can do what those physical creatures are able to do. As the spiritual being, man contains what is considered spiritual, according to Ibn Khaldun, man with the spiritual worlds owes the potency to acquaint metaphysical things. Besides the physical objects which are known by the senses, man can know the rest two objects: imaginal and spiritual.10

The imaginal objects, according to philosopher and mysticism, are entities occupy in the world which poses between the physical and spiritual world. This world is also called as barzakh world which becomes a partition between those two worlds. We can experience the imaginal world through our imagination force. This force enable us to grasp the imaginal objects such we undergo in our daily life in the form of dream, or in the Sufis’ experiences that undergo this world, not only when they are dreaming but also when the are in consciousness. The spiritual object such gins or angels take the peculiar image, by which the man can communicate interactively with them, especially the prophets and sages.11

Besides being bestowed the imagination, man is bestowed intelligence or reason. With intelligence man can break up the physical and sensual borders, for then by the syllogism method, he can non-matter objects, which is known as ma’qulat, namely the entities that is cannot be grasped but by the intelligence such as numbers, ideas, concepts, etc. the ma’qulat opposes the

mahsuhsat that is objects of the physical and sensual world.12

Ibn Khaldun, al-Muqaddimah, Trans. Franz Rosenthal (Princeton: Princeton Univ. Press, 1967) p. 371

Ibid. p. 372 12

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Man also bestowed by intellect (qolb) which is considered the most prominent compared to the previous two bestows, imagination and intelligence. This one is like intelligence that can grasp the immaterial objects, yet that differs from intelligence grasping that object indirectly by reasoning and syllogistic from known objects (inference). The intellect grasps the objects through knowledge by presence, those objects are present in the soul of man, and hereby the process of knowing by intellect is called presential. The revelation and divine presentation (ilham) is grasped by man by the intellect. And these revelation and divine presentationis the highest modus that among others, meanwhile the highest modus that can be grasped by intelligence that is science.13

C. 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. 14 Since that, it is not amazed when some intellectuals declared that human is “the last purpose of creation” as a representation and reflection of God.

Because of his exclusive position among the creature, man is bestowed a spiritual aspect, making him not only as physical creature but also the spiritual one. As the spiritual creature, he can conduct everything that the

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other creatures cannot, such as reasoning, communicating abstract ideas, communicating with spiritual entities, receiving divine inspiration and revelation, and contemplating, as well as understanding ma’qulat that means non-sensual entities which can be grasped only by reason (‘aql) and intellect

(qalb), but it cannot be comprehended by senses which are able to understand and perceive the physical matter.15

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

Mulyadi, Gerbang. Op Cit. p. 117 15

Mulyadi, Menembus…Op Cit. p. 138 16

Ibid. p. 139 17

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God’s actions and will. The Qur’an said “not thee (Muhammad) when ye throw, but God throw.”18

D. Man and His Freedom

The third of three prominent thought of human essence is man and his freedom. The most important question of human is, are human blessed with free will, or has everything they act predestined before (pre-destination)? 20 Destiny and free will continuously have been debating subject, 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.21 This school believes that God creates human and his actions as well.

This concept is based on the koran verses: “when Allah hath created you and what ye make”22 and “yet ye will not, unless Allah willeth.”23

Ibid. p. 120 19

Louise Leahy, Siapakah Manusia (Yogyakarta: Kanisius, 2001), p. 182 20

Ibid. h. 120 21

Harun Nasution, Teologi Islam, (Jakarta: UI Press, 2002) 33 22

Al-Saffat: 96 23

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Jabariyyah interprets these verses that human have no will on everything but God will ask human to do everything. So man cannot go to the university, except God will ask human goes to 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.24

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…”26 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 is 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.”27 This verse means – according to Abd al-Jabbar28 – that God with His all action is kind, and it is impossible if human

Harun Nasution, Op. Cit. p. 108 25

Ibid. 35 26

Al-Kahf: 29 27

Al-Sajadah: 7 28

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.

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actions are created by God, because human actions are categorized into kind action and unkind action.

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CHAPTER III

THE PHILOSOPHICAL THOUGHT ON HUMAN CONCEPT IN THE ALCHEMIST

The study about man is considered the dialectic which is claimed something endless, the man is the most mysterious creature, because the discussion 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 Koran indicating the man identity; for instance, Koran talks about man origin which 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

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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. It could be said Coelho implies his thoughts trough some characters in the Alchemist, especially three categories that are related deeply with the novel main massages. What makes it interesting in the context that these thoughts are well known, the answer is the writer himself who is Christian making The Alchemist colored by Muslim thoughts about the true identity of man. Hence,

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the writer classifies the analysis of messages of the novel based on the three previous categories.

A. Description of 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, the shepherd 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 to this knowledge, the man can be what he wants as long as he knows 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)

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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 shepherd does not understand what love is. Coelho agrees with what remarked that creature can evolve into higher creature to come closer to God. If they are

Ibid. vol. iii, p. 219 5

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

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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 God 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 God’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, when love colors somebody, the changes will happen in them self 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

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The boy in this message 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 of 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 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 to choose or decide 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 message on this quotation is along with Asyarian’s concept of force called kasb.23 The force above has a meaning thing is bestowed to man to realize what he wants. Man does a deed that it does not mean that man

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creates that deed. The creator of the deed essentially is God Himself.24 Conclusively the force of man in this case is not effective, because somehow the force does not affect anything. Coelho means in the sentence above is man does not have any force to choose his own will. To make clear understanding clearly 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 messages; this force is negative and ineffective, because there is no even small space or 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 best for “his mission on earth”. This again will be 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.

Ibid p. 88

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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 which are 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 Khalifah 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;

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About 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.

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

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

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Bagus, Lorens, Kamus Filsafat, Jakarta: Gramedia, 2005.

Carrel, Alexis, Misteri Manusia, Bandung: Remadja Karya, 1987. Coelho, Paolo, The Alchemist, Rocco ltd, 1988……….

Endraswara, Suwardi, Metodologi Penelitian Sastra: Epistemologi, Model, Teori dan aplikasi, Yokyakarta: Pustaka Widyatama, 2003.

Gesset, Jose Ortega Y., “Man Has no Nature” in Walter Kaufman, Existentialism from Dostoevsky to Sartre, London: New American Library, 1975.

Karthanegara, Mulyadi, Gerbang Kearifan Jakarta: Lentera Hati, 2006. ………...…., Jalaluddin Rumi’s Theory of Evolution, paper Jakarta, 2007 ……….……, Menembus Batas Waktu, Bandung: Mizan, 2002.

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Leahy, Louise, Siapakah Manusia, Yokyakarta: Kanisius, 2001.

Muthahhari, Murtadla, Man and Universe, Qum: Insanian Publications, 1997.

Nasution, Harun, Teologi Islam: Aliran-Aliran, Sejarah Analisa dan Perbandingan, Jakarta: UI Press, 2002

Nasution, Hasyimsyah, Filsafat Islam, Jakarta: Gaya Media Pratama, 2002. Nasr, Sayyed Hossein, Islam Dalam Cita dan Fakta, Jakarta: Lappenas, 1981.

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Pickthall, Marmaduke, The Meaning of The Glorious Qur’an: Text and Explanatory Translation, Karachi: Taj Company Ltd, no Year.

Rahardjo, Dawam, Insan Kamil: Konsepsi Manusia Menurut Islam, Jakarta: Grafiti Press, 1987.

Rajabi, Mahmud, Horizon Manusia, Jakarta: Al-Huda, 2006.

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Shari’ati, Ali, Marxism and Other Western Fallacies, Berkeley: UB Press, 1980. Stevenson, Leslie, The Study of Human Nature, Oxford: Oxford University Press,

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The philosophical thought analysis on human concept in the alchemist

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The philosophical thought analysis on human concept in the alchemist

ENGLISH LETTERS DEPARTMENT

FACULTY OF ADAB AND HUMANITIES

STATE ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY SYARIF HIDAYATULLAH

JAKARTA 2010

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101026021555

ENGLISH LETTERS DEPARTMENT

FACULTY OF ADAB AND HUMANITIES

STATE ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY SYARIF HIDAYATULLAH

JAKARTA

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