{"id":162196,"date":"2022-01-30T04:38:02","date_gmt":"2022-01-30T04:38:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/?p=162196"},"modified":"2022-01-30T04:38:03","modified_gmt":"2022-01-30T04:38:03","slug":"the-meaning-of-true-knowledge-in-islam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/?p=162196","title":{"rendered":"The Meaning of True Knowledge in Islam"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Spahic Omer<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In\nIslam Allah is the ultimate Truth (al-Haqq<\/em>). He is the Creator and His\ncreation stands for the manifestation of His holy attributes. The creation is\nalso a compendium of signs (ayat<\/em>) which advances, as well as\nfacilitates, the reading of the world which, in turn, leads to an understanding\nand appreciation of the Creator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Knowledge,\nit follows, is closely related to the truth. It is about knowing the true and\nactual states of things at any level of the existential reality, be they most\nmagnificent or most inconsequential. What matters is the truth, not the\nquantifiable dimensions of things. Indeed, knowledge and truth are two faces of\nthe same coin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Knowledge\nfurthermore is a familiarity with or an awareness of things, inasmuch as they\nare related to the truth and their Creator. Processes related to knowledge\nsignify the paths that, via progressive degrees of affirmation, eventually lead\nto a union with the truth. Knowledge itself is the best provision for the\njourney. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Knowledge,\ntherefore, is a means, not an end in itself. In its totality, it should be\nplaced in the service of the truth, operating but for a higher order of meaning\nand experience. There is no such thing as knowledge for knowledges sake, or\nknowledge for vain purposes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is for a reason then that the Prophets message is associated with knowledge, following him with obtaining and holding on to that knowledge, and travelling on a road to Paradise is associated with travelling on a road in search of knowledge. No one else but the learned ones are qualified to be successors of the seal of the Prophets and to lead societies, in that upon them the destinies of people and human civilisation depend. Positively, no qualification, skill, or talent can replace the forte of the \u0153heirs of the Prophets\u009d, whose reputation and contributions are celebrated across the tiers of worldly and otherworldly presence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Knowledge\nis sacred<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Knowledge\nin Islam, it goes without saying, is sacred. All knowledge belongs to Allah.\nOpportunities and capacities to learn, and knowledge itself, are divine favours\nconferred on mankind. Knowledge is a means of perennial connection with heaven.\nIt is akin to a rope extended down from above, so that man, if he wants, can\nunchain himself from the fetters of matter and this fleeting world in general,\nand rise. He is thus set to draw ever closer to his heavenly origins, his\nprimordial self, and of course to his Creator and Master.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Ibn Khaldun, there are three intimately interconnected levels of knowledge acquisition and application: that which enables man to obtain his livelihood (self-development and personal fulfilment); that which enables man to cooperate with fellow men towards the goal of obtaining his livelihood and the goals of building social cohesion and civilisation (social actualisation and development); and that which enables man to study and know his Master (Almighty Allah) whom he worships (ontological and spiritual actualisation). For all three levels man needs to capitalise on his intrinsic ability to think and explore, and on the heavenly gift of the revealed knowledge which was delivered to man through the holy prophets, striking a delicate balance between the two types of knowledge and their respective jurisdictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Islam does not recognise division of knowledge along ideological lines. In fact, it regards the world of knowledge as so holistic and universal that any dissection, even for mere educational ends, raises a series of conundrums. There are no, for example, religious and non-religious sciences (knowledge), just as there are no religious and non-religious institutions of learning, nor religious and non-religious scholars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nunity of knowledge <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is only one knowledge, and thats it, just as there is only one existential reality and only one certainty. Regardless of how Muslim scholars divide and categorise Islamic sciences (knowledge) – mainly for the sake of pedagogy and epistemological theorising in the light of the prevalent public interests or benefits (al-masalih al-mursalah<\/em>) and the impression of the objectives (maqasid<\/em>) of Shariah – the most that could be said is that knowledge can be divided and classified solely in accordance with its proximity, together with intensity, as far as the spiritual objectives of life are concerned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is true that all knowledge is important, but, admittedly, some forms are more important, and hence more sought after, than others, because the former is more indispensable for ones self-realisation and for the fulfilment of mankinds earthly mission in general, than the latter. Hence, an ordering of knowledge (sciences) based on significance and impact is commonly resorted to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By\nway of example, there is theoretical and practical knowledge, fard \u02dcayn<\/em>\n(individual duty) and fard kifayah<\/em> (collective duty) knowledge, (pure)\nreligious and (supplementary) intellectual knowledge, (pure) religious and\n(supplementary) worldly knowledge. Ibn Khaldun even spoke about the sciences\n(knowledge) of human beings, the sciences (knowledge) of the angels, and the\nsciences (knowledge) of the holy prophets, all adding to each other and\nconstituting a sanctified whole.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\nis why the Prophet (pbuh) said that seeking knowledge is obligatory upon every\nMuslim (Sunan Ibn Majah, Vol. 1, Book 1, Hadith No. 224). It is held that\nknowledge in this instance means the knowledge of Shariah. However, the word\nShariah ought not to be understood narrowly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In\nits broadest sense Shariah means Islam in its entirety, which, in turn,\ndenotes an aggregate lifestyle. No wonder that, literally, Shariah portends a\npath (model or paradigm) which leads to life-giving water. Shariah accordingly\ngoverns not only the religious practices and ceremonies of Muslims, but also\ntheir day-to-day life activities. In other words, Shariah leads to, gives, administers\nand sustains life. Allah declares thus in the Quran: \u0153O you who have believed,\nrespond to Allah and to the Messenger when he calls you to that which gives you\nlife\u009d (al-Anfal, 24).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Knowledge\nand life<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

So,\ntherefore, when the Prophet (pbuh) instructed Muslims to seek knowledge, he\nmeant to instruct them to seek ways and opportunities to live their lives not\naccording to their own or somebody elses wishes and plans, but according to\nthe wishes and plans of the Creator and Sustainer of life. Life is what life\nis, not what people would like it to be. This is because there is no true or\nauthentic life except with Islam and its cause which encompasses both the\ninterests of heaven and of the earth. Likewise, there is no genuine contentment,\nnor happiness, except with the Islamic guidance which only can navigate the\nthorny challenges of life and secure the pleasure of God and the bliss of\nParadise for man. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Islam\nis life and knowledge its life-support. Conversely, non-Islam is a manner of\nsteady passing away, for which the lack of true knowledge is most responsible.\nEven though they are not fully equal, but a good Muslim must be knowledgeable,\nand a knowledgeable Muslim must be pious and good. If a Muslim is ignorant,\nthere is then something seriously wrong with his Islam. By the same token, if a\nknowledgeable Muslim is not sufficiently pious and good, there is something\nseriously wrong with his knowledge. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For that reason did the Prophet (pbuh) warn against the reciters of the Quran whose reciting will not go any further than their throats (implying thereby superficial and insincere Islamic belief as well as practice). The Prophet (pbuh) also sought Allahs refuge against the forms of knowledge as bring no benefit to their possessors with regard to their life mission. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moreover,\nSufyan al-Thawri said that the compulsory knowledge is that knowledge for which\na person will not have any excuse for not knowing (i.e. knowledge of the\nessential parts of Islam and also life). Similarly, Abu al-Darda is reported\nto have said that nobody can be pious unless he is knowledgeable, and nobody\ncan enjoy (and appreciate) knowledge unless he applies it practically (for the\ndetermined honourable goals).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\ncase of modern jahiliyyah<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally,\nif knowledge pursuits be confined only to matter (the physical world),\ndisregarding the conditions and stipulations of the metaphysical world, man is\nthen bound to gradually dig himself into an \u0153ontological hole\u009d. What he would\nnormally regard as knowledge under the circumstances will be a form of\n\u0153quicksand\u009d from which there will be no escape. The more he tried to get out of\nit, the deeper he will sink. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In\nthis case – more often than not – the truth will be bartered for falsehood and\nknowledge for ignorance. Absurdities and trivialities will be advocated and\npromoted in the name of enlightenment and refined culture, and scepticism,\npessimism and disbelief in the name of ostensible quest for the truth. Put\ndifferently, knowledge and everything that goes with it will be a great\ndeception. It will be suicidal. Since of late the ever-expanding orb of secular\nscience has been taking on the mantle of a creed or a religious faith,\nknowledge is destined to prove a false messiah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Needless to say that Muslim educational systems are duty-bound to promote and facilitate only the Islamic understanding of knowledge. There should be a clearly demarcated line between it and the other kinds of knowledge, which are either questionable, due to diverse degrees of contamination, or are outright types of ignorance (modern jahiliyyah). The latter could be studied to some extent, but only for comparative purposes and for the sake of optimising the case of the Islamic knowledge.***<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Assoc. Prof. Dr. Spahic Omer is an academic in the Department of History and Civilisation, AHAS KIRKHS. The views expressed here are those of the author\/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of IIUMToday.<\/em>)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Spahic Omer In Islam Allah is the ultimate Truth (al-Haqq). He is the Creator and His creation stands for the manifestation of His holy… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22,8,19,21],"tags":[],"nelio_content":{"isAutoShareEnabled":true,"autoShareEndMode":"never","automationSources":{"useCustomSentences":false,"customSentences":[]},"followers":[12,156,5],"suggestedReferences":[],"efiUrl":"","efiAlt":"","highlights":[],"permalinkQueryArgs":[]},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162196"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=162196"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162196\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":162242,"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162196\/revisions\/162242"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=162196"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=162196"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=162196"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}