AMAMIHE Journal of Applied Philosophy

This paper examines the theological foundations of human anthropology in the Judeo-Christian and Islamic traditions, focusing on how the biblical concept of the imago Dei and the Quranic affirmations of aḥsan taqwīm and karāmah establish the origins, inherent human dignity, moral agency, and elevated status among creation, and investigates whether both traditions teach that humans share or reflect divine moral attributes. The paper employs a qualitative, comparative hermeneutical and thematic theological analysis. Both traditions affirm that human dignity is divinely conferred at creation, universal to all “children of Adam,” independent of merit or status, and grounded in deliberate, excellent formation that includes intellect, moral awareness, and stewardship. Both affirm direct divine intervention (impartation of divine breath/rūḥ/neshamah) and assign humanity an elevated rank with moral accountability. The Bible roots this dignity in ontological participation in God’s image and the impartation of divine breath, licensing analogical sharing of communicable attributes. The Quran grounds it in positional honor, bestowal of the best mould, and the role of khalīfah, while strictly preserving Allah’s absolute otherness and rejecting ontological likeness. The Judeo-Christian paradigm establishes the imago Dei, asserting that humans carry a relational mirror of God's communicable attributes (e.g., love, justice, wisdom). In contrast, Islamic theology maintains strict radical transcendence (tanzīh and tawḥīd). While the Quran grants humans high physical, rational, and positional honor (karāmah and aḥsan taqwīm), it explicitly avoids describing humans as bearing God's image or ontologically sharing in Allah’s divine attributes. Virtues in Islam are emulated through obedience (takhalluq) as created human faculties rather than shared divine essence. While Judeo-Christian and Islamic anthropologies arrive at an overlapping ethical consensus regarding universal human worth, moral agency, and stewardship, their theological architectures remain distinct. The Bible grounds human dignity in an image-based sharing of divine communicable attributes, whereas the Quran establishes human dignity through divine grace, preferential honor, and functional vicegerency (khalīfah) while preserving absolute distinction between Creator and creation (Siddiqui, 2015).

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