Man is the fluence of the soul of the east and the reason of the west. The denial of any aspect of man's existence renders our understanding of the meaning of his existence flawed and inadequate. On the other hand, collectivism, as against individualism, in fact has been the result of the development of this very concept of the individual. Consequently, both concepts are derived from an identical philosophical source. For this reason, from the standpoint of our spiritual wisdom, we consider the conflict between individualistic liberalism and collective socialism to be merely superficial and accidental.
Muslim gnostics view man as a universe.
His originality is neither due to his individuality nor to his plurality. Man's originality rises from the fact that it is he, and only he, who is addressed by the sacred voice. By thus being addressed, man's soul gains ascent, and with the ascent of his soul, his world becomes a just and humane world. Whoever reflects, even briefly, upon the history of philosophy, will clearly witness the constant movement from one extreme to another. But the root of this word has fifteen centuries of usage behind it.