When Allah Ta'ala blew the spirit into Adam, alaihi Salaat Wassalaam, he came to life and awareness. This specific spirit, which Allah ascribed to Himself by calling it "My Spirit" (Q 15:29 and 38:72) was given many names, such as the Ascribed Spirit, the Muhammadan Spirit and the First Intellect.

  The Prophet Muhammad, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, alluded to it with his words : "I was a Prophet when Adam was between water and clay". Thus the Muhammadan spirit or the First Intellect was understood as the prototype for all of creation, not least the moral and spiritual perfections that came to be embodied in the 124,000 Prophets.

 As embodied in the Prophet Muhammad, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, the Spirit provided the guidance that came to be known as the Sunnah, with its twin components of Shari'a and Tariqa. Together these 2 components make up the Straight Path, the aim of which is to re-awaken the spirit in every individual human being. The final goal of both Shari'a and Tariqa was often called the Haqiqa, the Reality, that is, the Supreme Reality that blew the spirit into man in the first place.