A Comparative Ontological Study in Light of the A-B.F-N Model and the Quranic Vision of the Soul and Internal Sovereignty

This work distinguishes animal imagination, tied to survival needs (B), from human imagination, which combines survival needs with ethical awareness and existential development (F). Drawing on the A-B.F-N model and Islamic scripture, it argues that human foundational imagination is an expression of internal sovereignty, corresponding to the divine breath in the Quran. Empirical evidence from dissociative states such as sleep-related eating disorder, sleep paralysis, and distracted driving shows that B and F are functionally separable. The Sovereign Integration Index (SII) and brain network analysis are proposed to measure manifestations of F. When B dominates F, human behavior resembles animal patterns; when F dominates, ethical responsibility emerges. Artificial intelligence is described as a pure B system simulating F outputs but lacking consciousness.

Study at a glance

Abstract

This research proceeds from a well-established scientific premise acknowledging the existence of imaginative and intelligent capacities in living organisms, based on recent studies such as the bonobo Kanzi study (Science, 2026) and research on brain network integration (Wilcox et al., Nature Communications, 2026). However, the core objective is to provide a precise ontological distinction between animal imagination, linked to need and survival (B), and human imagination, which combines need (B) with ethical awareness and existential development (F), within an integrative framework that combines empirical scientific methodology with the Quranic vision of human beings. Drawing on the A-B.F-N model, we demonstrate that human foundational imagination the capacity to envision what has not occurred, create new worlds, and reflect on moral possibilities is an expression of internal sovereignty (F), which corresponds in the Islamic vision to the divine breath mentioned in the Quran: And I breathed into him of My spirit (Al-Hijr 15:29), and the concept of the self-reproaching soul in His saying: And I swear by the self-reproaching soul (Al-Qiyamah 75:2). Animal imagination, by contrast, remains confined to functional processing (B) tied to sensory experience, memory, and past events, even when it appears innovative or social. We present empirical evidence from dissociative states (sleep-related eating disorder, sleep paralysis, distracted driving) demonstrating that B and F are functionally separable, constituting a quadruple proof of the potential dissociation of sovereignty from the body. This aligns with the prophetic tradition: The pen has been lifted from three: from the sleeper until he wakes, from the child until he reaches puberty, and from the insane until he regains his reason" (Abu Dawud, 4403), where moral responsibility is lifted in the absence of F despite the presence of B. Furthermore, we introduce a methodology for measuring the manifestations of F i.e., the force of the wind, not the wind itself, in accordance with the Quranic verse: And they ask you about the soul. Say: The soul is of the affair of my Lord (Al-Isra 17:85) through the Sovereign Integration Index (SII) and brain network analysis, based on the study by Wilcox et al. (2026) in Nature Communications. We discuss states in which B dominates F, making human behavior resemble animal patterns, consistent with the Quranic description of the soul that commands to evil : Indeed, the soul is a persistent enjoiner of evil, except those upon which my Lord has mercy (Yusuf 12:53). Conversely, when F dominates, ethical responsibility, conscience, and sacrifice emerge, as stated in the Quran: But as for he who feared the position of his Lord and prevented the soul from [unlawful] inclination, then indeed, Paradise will be [his] refuge (An-Nazi'at 79:40-41). Finally, we apply the model to artificial intelligence, demonstrating that it is a pure B system (Bₐ) simulating F outputs but lacking consciousness and existential experience, which necessitates maintaining human veto power as an ethical safeguard derived from the Quranic distinction between creation and simulation: Is He who creates like one who does not create? Then will you not be reminded? (An-Nahl 16:17).