Generally, the term human is translated to mean insaan (person), with the assumption that all humans are fundamentally the same, whether from the East or the West. However, this issue is far more complex. Every civilization, or way of life, has its own unique understanding of individuality. This understanding answers the profound question: “Who am I?” (Other questions like the purpose of life, what is good, what is evil, etc., also stem from this fundamental inquiry).
Historically, the commonly accepted answer to “Who am I?” has been: “I am a servant of Allah (Muslim).” For a long time, this understanding of individuality was considered the valid expression of humanity, particularly in religious societies. While there have been other views, most traditional societies, including religious ones, centered on this concept of servitude to God.
However, during the 17th and 18th centuries, European societies influenced by the Enlightenment began to adopt a different response: “I am not a servant; I am free and self-sufficient.” This idea found its roots in Descartes’ famous statement: Cogito, ergo sum (“I think, therefore I am”), which suggests that the self is the only entity justified by its own existence. In Enlightenment thought, this self-sufficient entity is referred to as human, a concept that rejects servitude and claims autonomy.
French philosopher Michel Foucault argued that the concept of human emerged for the first time in the 17th century, not because humans didn’t exist before, but because no earlier civilization had embraced freedom as the basis for individuality. Prior to this, humanity was referred to as mankind (God’s creation and subjects). The concept of humanity was only developed in the 17th century, giving rise to modern humanism, which asserts that being free and self-sufficient is the essence of being human.
Those who say, “A person is just a person,” are simplifying a complex issue. The notion of good and evil, knowledge, truth, and justice change completely depending on how we answer “Who am I?” Just as Muslims and Christians have disagreed for centuries on the nature of Jesus (peace be upon him) one seeing him as the son of God, and the other as the messenger of God so too does the difference between a human and a Muslim reflect fundamentally different views of life.
Some will argue, “First become a human, then a Muslim.” This is a deceptive argument, for human, in this sense, refers to someone who denies servitude to God and claims autonomy. In reality, to be a Muslim is to acknowledge, “I am, first and foremost, a servant of Allah.” Anything else is a distortion of that truth.
Ultimately, to be human means to be a servant of Allah in any form whether as a human, animal, or even an angel.
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