 In line with Aristotle, al-Farabi leaves no doubt whatsoever that there is one kind of happiness which constitutes the telos of every human being. Occasionally, he distinguishes between “earthly” and “ultimate felicity” (Attainment i, 1: 13), however, from the majority of his writings it is clear that happiness in the strict sense of the word, that is, as the concomitant of the highest human perfection, is ultimate  felicity.[3]  Yet, in contrast to Aristotle’s notion of eudaimonia, al-Farabi’s ultimate happiness is a state associated with the afterlife, when, according to his theory of the soul, the soul has separated from the body (see the entry on  al-Farabi’s psychology).  The achievement of this state is contingent upon a number of  preconditions.[4]  However, before these preconditions can be broached (see  section 2.2),  further scrutiny of al-Farabi’s concepts of human perfection and the afterlife is required.