Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Tabataba'i (d. 1981) is one of the 
most distinguished Muslim scholars of recent times. Known by 
the epithet "Allama' - which is a title used to denote a person who 
has a profound understanding of many fields of knowledge - he 
is remembered especially for his voluminous commentary on the 
Holy Qur'an, al-Mizan ft Tajsir ai-Our'an. This present book is a 
translation of the Kitab al-Insan of the 'Allama, a mystical and 
theological work in which a concise exposition of the stages of 
human creation is presented in three parts. 
In Part 1, Man before the World, three realms of existence 
are discussed: matter, imaginal form (mithiil), and intellect. 
The existence of the realm of command ('iilam al-amr) and the 
non-spatial and atemporal world of angels and human spirits are 
also discussed. 
In Part 2, Man in the World, real entities and mentally posited 
entities are distinguished and a brief discussion on universal 
guidance is also elucidated.