Islamic History and Literature

This article reinterprets the ontological nature of archetypes through the metaphor of an “initial credit”. It advances the thesis that human beings enter the world not only with a biological foundation but also with a psychological and spiritual initial capital, inferred from instinctive behaviors observed in nature. Archetypes are presented as structural components of this capital. The theoretical framework of the study is constructed along three dimensions. First, the historical ontology of the concept of archetype is traced through the works of Plato, Kant, Schopenhauer, Freud, Jung and post-Jungian scholars. Second, parallel concepts in Islamic philosophy - such as Ibn Sina’s “universals (kulliyyāt)”, Suhrawardi’s “Rabb al-Nawʿ” (Lord of the Species) and Ibn Arabi’s and Qunawi’s “aʿyān thābita” (fixed archetypal essences) - are examined as metaphysical foundations of archetypal coding. Third, parallels are drawn with modern quantum theories and the concept of morphic resonance. The original contribution of the article is the “starter-key-engine” model. According to this model, archetypes exist as latent energy packages (starter), are activated through corresponding symbols and situations (key) and are subsequently processed and transformed by consciousness (engine). This framework explains both individual psychological development (individuation) and collective cultural dynamics (myth, ritual and art). The link established with Islamic thought is of particular importance. The concept of “fitrah” is interpreted as the Qur’anic expression of ontological initial capital, while “Lawh al-Mahfuz” is presented as the divine prototype of global memory. Consequently, archetypes are defined as an ontological map of the manifestation of divine knowledge in existence, processed through human psyche via fitrah codes and directed toward a divine purpose (khilafah).