It has been
shown in previous articles that Islam has three aspects, namely al-islam, the
religious discipline, al-iman, the faith and al-ihsan, righteousness.
Righteousness is defined as being aware of Allah and, therefore, also of the
source of, and the unity behind, all things. Faith is represented by the seven
articles of faith. The Discipline is represented by the 5 Pillars of Islam. But
there are also three duties - Seeking knowledge, striving, and endurance. These
are aspects of every other thing. They correspond to the divisions above and to
the faculties of thought, action and motivation. Islam is a Unity and all
aspects of it are best understood with respect to each other rather than
separately.
This article
deals with Knowledge. This subject was also dealt with in an article on Truth,
but here it will be dealt with from a different angle.
Human beings are
instruments of Allah, organs of the Universe, having a purpose and function in
the scheme of things. Islam states this as a fact and requires that human
beings realise this and behave accordingly. This function has three
interdependent aspects:- input, transformation and output, which require (1) receptivity, (2) processing and (3) striving.
Input and
receptivity are of three types, physical, mental and spiritual and these
interact and are interdependent to various degrees. It can be nutritious,
catalytic or poisonous. Though Islam is also concerned with physical food and
mental impressions, it is mainly concerned with what is spiritually beneficial
- that which produces understanding, awareness, change of behaviour and the
transformation of being. Receptivity is essential in the search for Truth,
which is an attribute of Allah, and therefore, is an integral part of
Surrender, of Islam. Truth is the order that describes the nature of things and
determines their behaviour and Knowledge is the awareness of Truth.
"O you who believe! Respond unto Allah and
His Messenger when He calls you to that which quickens you; and know that Allah
comes in between a man and his own heart; and that He it is unto Whom you shall
be gathered." 8:24
"Now has insight come unto you from your
Lord, and he who sees therewith it is for his own good; but he who is blind
thereto, it is against his own soul. And I am not your keeper. Thus do We
expound Our Signs in various ways, that they may say: You have studied, and
that We may make clear to those who have knowledge. Follow what is inspired in
you from your Lord; there is no god but He, and shun the idolaters." 6:105-107
"Verily, those who believe and do what is
right, and humble themselves before their Lord, they are the Fellows of the
Garden; they shall dwell therein. The similitude of the two parties is as the
blind and the deaf (on the one hand), and the seeing and the hearing (on the
other); are they equal in similitude? Will you not then take heed?"
11:23-24
"Is he who knows that what is revealed
unto you from your Lord is the Truth like him who is blind? But only men of
understanding heed." 13:19
In order to live
we require three things:- correct knowledge, correct motives and correct
abilities and actions. These are inter-dependent - correct knowledge leads to
correct motives and action and these lead to correct knowledge; correct motives
leads to correct knowledge and actions and these lead to correct motives;
correct actions lead to correct knowledge and motives and these lead to correct
actions. Each has three aspects, so that there are three types of knowledge:-
(a) Of facts (b) of Values and (c) of Techniques. Factual knowledge can be
divided into:- (i) About the external world. (ii) Self-knowledge about one’s
motives (iii) About the society and its interactions.
We are formed by
the materials, forces and laws of the Universe, live in it, interact with it
and must adjust to it, as well as the Community of other human beings like us.
"Correct" means that it is in accord with reality and enables us to
adjust and live in harmony with our own nature, the society on which we are
dependent and the Universe. Since Islam is surrender to Allah, the ultimate
Reality and Source of all things, it requires all three. This may be defined as
the Islamic Principle of Objectivity.
To obtain
objective knowledge requires that there be love of truth rather than some other
motive. But this does not ensure that a person will recognize it when he sees
it. Knowledge, by its very nature, cannot be created. it has to be discovered.
It requires receptivity, which is passive rather than active. It requires
Surrender. Thinking, on the other hand, is an activity and its direction is
determined by motives and these require objective values.
The word
"reality" refers to existence apart from any human observers. It is
the world of Allah that is a unity because no distinctions are made by human
minds. Truth refers to the interaction between things, and therefore, also to
the interaction between man and the real world. Knowledge refers to the
awareness of truth. Learning means to be modified by knowledge.
Knowledge is
always relative because it must first analyze in order to distinguish between
things, and then compare and contrast and relate one thing with another, and
finally put them together again to restore the unity it broke up. It is this
effort which modifies the individual and makes him grow.
Knowledge must,
however, be distinguished from invention. This too is a human capability and
one of his functions. It also consists of taking things apart and rearranging
things. This can take the form of imagination, fantasy, wishful thinking, story
telling, lying, technology, organization and culture.
Invention is an
activity while knowledge requires receptivity and passivity. Both faculties
exist because they are required for living, which is an adjustment to the world
we live in, and ultimately to Reality and Allah. However, the pursuit of
knowledge is also an activity, and invention requires motives and values which
must be objective if we are to adjust to Reality. The acceptance of these also
requires Surrender. It is the motives which determine which of these we do and
how we distinguish between them. If an invention is put forward as truth, or a
truth is put forward as an invention, then this does not constitute knowledge
and leads to maladjustment to Reality. This leads to suffering, degeneration
and destruction. We have inbuilt motives developed over a long period of
adjustment to reality. These are modified by our experiences in contact with
reality.
But these
motives can be perverted by attachments such as greed or associations and channelled
into wrong directions. This produces Secondary motives which lead to illusions,
which lead to maladjustment and malfunctions (disease).
The purpose of
the Universe, according to a Hadith Qudsi of the Prophet (saw) is given as
follows:-
"Allah says: I was a hidden treasure, and
I wished to be known. Therefore I created the universe so that I might be
known"
The Quran tells
us:-
"That is because Allah, he is the Truth,
and that whereon they call instead of Him, it is the False, and because Allah
He is the High, the Great." 22:62 See also 31:30
"We created not the heavens and the earth
and all that is between them save with Truth and for a term appointed."
46:3 See also 15:85, 16:3
The creation of
the Universe and all processes in it take place by the introduction of Truth.
Human beings exist because they are Vicegerents. That is, they are agents
through which these processes take place. The welfare and evolution of man
depends on learning and the application of it. Knowledge is awareness of Truth
and has a cosmic function.
“Allah indeed encompasses all things in
knowledge.” 65:12
“My Lord comprehends all things in His
knowledge.” 6:81
“The believers should not march forth
altogether. If a section from every troop remain behind, then they could devote
themselves to gaining sound knowledge of their religion and teach their people
when they return to them, that haply they may beware of evil.” 9:122
The community
should always have a group of people who devote themselves to advancing
knowledge and they should teach it to the rest of the community.
Muslim
civilizations, unfortunately, have declined owing to the abandonment of the
pursuit of knowledge, becoming satisfied with tradition often partially and
poorly understood.
"Have you not seen that Allah has created
the heavens and the earth with truth? If He will He can remove you and bring in
some new creation." 14:19
“Exalted then be Allah, the King, the Truth!
Hasten not the Quran before its inspiration is completed for thee; but say: O
Lord! increase me in knowledge." 20:114
"And when it is said to them: Come round
to what Allah has revealed unto His Apostle, they say: Enough for us is that
wherein we found our fathers." What! Even though their fathers had no
knowledge whatever and no guidance?" 5:104
We can discern
three levels or degrees of knowledge:- (a) information (b) understanding and
(c) awareness. Or knowing, understanding and being (where a person is modified
by knowledge.
Knowledge
requires:- (a) The capacity for knowledge, which is provided by the degree of
consciousness, conscience and will – i.e. Awareness and the motives that direct
attention and effort, and the degree of control one has over oneself, ones
thoughts and actions. Knowledge will vary in proportion to these. (b) A set of
guidelines or a framework of Reference within which we interpret the data of
experience. This is provided by the Society and is affected by those who affect
it to various degrees. The Prophets and Messengers through their religions,
traditions and Scriptures have a profound affect on this. The Sciences and
Philosophies also have a cumulative affect through many thinkers. (c) The
direction of efforts made determines what data is gathered. This also depends
on the techniques and instrument employed.
Learning means:
-
1. The
search for knowledge: - (a) inner, outer or social (b) of facts, meanings and
values, (c) of universals, particulars and techniques.
2. The
expansion of experience.
3. The
development of the capacity for experience.
4. The
refinement of the faculties for thinking, calculating,
5. The
cultivation of the purity and objective motives and sensitivity of feelings.
6. The
increase in skills and abilities.
7. The
increase in inner integration and control.
The importance
of Knowledge is shown in many verses of the Quran some of which are the
following:-
“And
follow (or pursue) not that of which thou hast no knowledge; verily, the
hearing, the sight, and the heart, of all of these it shall be asked (to give
an account).” 17:36
“If thou followest their lusts (vain desires,
prejudices, fantasies) after the knowledge that has come to thee, then art thou
of the wrongdoers.” 2:145
“And they have no knowledge of it; they do not
follow anything but conjecture, and surely conjecture does not avail against
the truth at all.” 53:28
“They say: Enough for us is that
wherein we found our fathers. What! Even though their fathers had no knowledge
whatever and no guidance?” 5:104
“Then who is more unjust than he who devises a
lie against Allah, to lead men astray without knowledge? Verily, Allah guides
not the unjust people." 6:145 Also 7:33
“And those possessed of knowledge, maintaining
His creation in justice.” 3:18
“We detail Our revelations unto a people that
have knowledge.” 9:11
“And those who are well grounded in knowledge
say: We believe in it (the Quran); it is all from our Lord; but none will grasp
the message save those who possess understanding.” 3:7
“Allah
will exalt those of you who believe and those who are given knowledge, to high
degrees; and Allah is Aware of what you do.” 58:11
(See also the following verses:-
2:32,118,120,230,246, 3:7, 4:162,166, 6:98,106, 11:46-47, 12:22,76, 22:3,
24:15, 28:78, 34:6, 102:1-7)
We
learn that:- (a) There is a difference between Knowledge on the one hand and
opinion based on conjecture, speculation, fantasies, desires, prejudices,
habit, convention and tradition on the other. (b) That understanding, including
that of the Quran, depends on having sufficient and appropriate knowledge. (c)
That knowledge bestows power and excellence.
The importance
of Knowledge is also given in the following sayings of the Prophet:-
"Knowledge in the heart is the beneficial
type; and knowledge on the tongue is Allah's allegation against human
beings."
"Knowledge from which no benefit is
derived is like a treasure from which nothing is expended in Allah's
path."
Thus knowledge
is not a matter of purely intellectual or academic interest. It must inform the
feelings and motives, and it must have application, and should be applied. It
should facilitate the growth of the person and transform him.
It is necessary
to understand that the Quran itself is a revelation and is not understood
merely intellectually, even after a person becomes aware of his ulterior
motives that corrupt his perception and understanding by biased selection and
interpretation, and removes them:-
"Nay, but it (the Quran) is a clear
revelation in the hearts of those who are endowed with knowledge, and none deny
Our revelations save the wrongdoers (or unjust)." 29:24
“Have they not travelled through
the land? And have they not hearts wherewith to feel (understand), and ears
wherewith to hear? For, indeed, it is not their eyes that are blind, but it is
the hearts which are within their breasts that grow blind. “ 22:46
It is
the duty for Muslims to seek Knowledge, not only externally, but also in this
inner sense of the means of purifying and enhancing the capacity for
perception.
"The search for knowledge is an obligation
laid on every Muslim, but he who commits it to those who are unworthy of it, is
like one who puts necklaces of jewels, pearls and gold on swine."
"The superiority of the learned man who
observes the prescribed prayers, then sits and teaches men what is good over
the devout man who fasts by day and prays during the night is like my
superiority over the most contemptible among you."
"The superiority of the learned man over
the devout man is like that of the moon on the night when it is full over the
rest of the stars. The learned are the heirs of the prophet who leave neither
dinar nor dirham, leaving only knowledge, and he who accepts it accepts an
abundant portion."
"Allah does not take away knowledge by
removing it from men, but takes it away by taking away the learned, so that
when He leaves no learned man, men will take ignorant men as leaders. Causes
will be presented to them and they will pass judgment without knowledge, erring
and leading others into error."
"The calamity which affects knowledge is
forgetfulness, and wasting it is to convey it to those who are unworthy of
it."
"He who goes out in search of Knowledge is
in Allah's path till he returns."
"If anyone seeks knowledge, it will be an
atonement for past sins."
"He who is asked about something he knows
and conceals it will have a bridle of fire put on him on the day of
resurrection."
"If anyone seeks knowledge to use it in
vying with the learned, or disputing with the foolish, or to attract men's
attention to himself, God will bring him into hell."
"If anyone acquires knowledge of things by
which Allah's pleasure is sought, but acquires it only to get some worldly
advantage, he will not experience the odour of paradise."
"If the learned were to guard learning and
entrust it to those who are worthy of it, they would thereby rule their contemporaries."
"The worst evil consists in learned men
who are evil, and the best good consists of learned men who are good."
"In every successive century those who are
reliable authorities will preserve this knowledge, rejecting the changes made
by extremists, the plagiarisms of those who make false claims for themselves,
and the interpretations of the ignorant."
It must not be
supposed, however, that knowledge here means only religious knowledge as
opposed to scientific or legal or organizational knowledge. In the past all
knowledge was regarded as part of religion, and so was all other human activity
and interaction. It is accumulation of activity and experience that led to
specialization because there was too much for a single person to deal with.
Religion at first defined all life. Then there was a division into thought,
feeling and action, which produced the difference between thinkers, organizers
and craftsmen. This produced a separation between Philosophy, Politics and
Industry. Philosophy divided into Metaphysics, Logic and the Sciences. And all
these split up into further specialties. This disintegration of life, minds and
people made them more interdependent requiring an artificial imposed
organization based on formal laws. At the same time it caused a loss of
communication and understanding between the sections, a loss of control over
their affairs and the loss of the unitary view on which the concept and
experience of Allah depend. The forest, as it were, could not be seen because
of the numerous trees that obstructed the view. But there appears to be a
growing tendency these days of increasing amalgamation towards a final
re-unification.
Knowledge depends on:- (a) the capacity for
knowing (b) the interest and motivation and (c) the actual efforts made to :-
(i) Search for and collect the data. (ii) Process the data, i.e. analyze,
classify, relate, organize and synthesize. (iii) Assimilate and integrate it
into oneself.
All three
factors vary between people.
What we see,
look for, and how we interpret and organize and use the data of experience
depends on our assumptions, interests and activities. Our actions produce
responses from the environment, which then produce our experiences. Changes in
assumption, interest and action will, therefore, change our knowledge. This, in
turn, will change how we perceive things and what we do. This changes the
environment in which we live and its affects on us. The nature and state of
human beings can, therefore, be seen as the consequences of their own previous
knowledge and actions.
A fact in
isolation does not constitute knowledge. It must be related to other facts and
to the observer. The fact acquires meaning only within a context. This is
because all things exist only in relation to other things. Knowledge exists
also in relation to the knower. It then acquires value. Knowledge is defined as
that which enables us.
A distinction
can be made between a scholar who "knows", a practical man who
"can do" and a saint who "is". One cannot speak about a man
as being good if he does not know what he is doing and why, and has no capacity
to behave otherwise. The word used by the Prophet is "Learned man"
rather than "Scholar". The implication is that he has learnt
something rather than merely having information. To learn is to be modified by
knowledge. Knowledge is power. Truth produces freedom. Groups, individuals and
Governments obtain and maintain their power by controlling information and
using propaganda and mental conditioning techniques. They do this by
suppression, distortion and invention, thus creating a fantasy world,
adjustment to which is maladjustment to reality. This not only establishes the
oppression of the few over the many, but also disables and reduces people
psychologically, socially and physically. Those who use these methods have not
considered that it is also to their own disadvantage on two counts:- They
themselves are victims of the same process, and their power is only as great as
that of the people they control.
Since knowledge
has to be sought and applied, it is not true that the life style created by
Islam is immutable and human being are not allowed to apply their own reason.
What is disallowed is speculation, fantasy and rationalization. This creates
the danger of differences of opinion, and hence sectarianism. Though sects have
also appeared in Islam, sectarianism is strictly forbidden. But it is not
differences that are forbidden, but mistaking opinion, prejudices for truth,
forming fixations and elevating the part to the status of the whole. Opinions can by no means replace the truth,
which exists apart from opinions about it. Opinions are connected with man, but
Truth is connected with Allah. Differences of opinion should never divide Islam
since it is surrender to Allah. What a person understands is private to him and
cannot be transferred.
The Prophet is
reported to have said:-
"Disputation about the Quran is
infidelity."
"If anyone interprets the Quran in the
light of his opinion and is right, he has erred."
"Let him who interprets the Quran without
knowledge come to his abode in Hell."
"No people have gone astray after
following right guidance unless they have been led into disputation."
The following
remarks may be made in connection with such disputes:-
1. Knowledge is
not acquired through emotional or passionate arguments, but requires the cool
search and collection of all relevant data, discussion and exchange of ideas,
thinking and calculation, application of tested methods. It also requires the
capacity for insight and inspiration, and the power to integrate. But knowledge
is not merely an intellectual activity. Correct thought, feeling and action are
equally important in obtaining knowledge.
2. The pursuit
of knowledge requires selfless objectivity, the setting aside of personal
interests, prejudices, illusions and fantasies. Knowledge is not the same thing
as opinion. All opinions must be held tentatively.
3. The results
of speculation are uncertain. That is they are as likely to be wrong as right.
If they are right this is by accident and we cannot know that they are right.
Therefore, speculation is error.
4. Learning is a
progressive thing. At no particular time can it be said that we have all
relevant data or ability. We may find new data, new ways of interpreting
things, and develop new abilities.
5. Humility is
needed. He who thinks he knows already cannot learn. It is necessary to admit
that one may be wrong and that one may not have the ability to recognize a
truth, or that one may have misunderstood.
6. There are
people with different levels and degrees of ability and experience. The less
intelligent cannot understand the more intelligent. The child at one level on
the educational ladder does not have the same knowledge as one at a higher
level. A person who is an expert in one field may be superior to others in that
field but may still be inferior to another who is an expert in another field.
7. The real
thing, the experience of it, and a verbal description of it are three distinct
things. The same statement may be understood differently by different people
according to their different experiences. Agreement or disagreement about words
does not mean real agreement or disagreement. Things may be experienced from
different angles or aspects. Differences or similarities of experience does not
imply differences and similarities in the reality. The acceptance of the same
statement by two different people does not imply that they understand it the
same way. Nor is it true that two different and apparently contradictory
statements cannot be understood in an identical manner.
8. Everything
has meaning within a context or framework of reference. If the framework of
reference is different in quality or size then there will be differences of
understanding. This is like going up a tower or in an aeroplane. The higher we
go the more can we see each item on the ground in relation to a greater field.
The person nearer the ground will not be able to see the whole pattern.
Different towers produce different views. The only point at which all views will
be identical is when they all reach the highest point to which it is possible
to reach. This highest point is where Allah exists, from which He sees
everything. That is the ideal point towards which man should strive.
9. Man is
selective in what he sees. He cannot hold in his mind all the data provided by
the world at the same time. These senses only provide a very small area of the
total spectrum of forces operating in the universe. Selection depends on
assumptions, interests and activities. Differences will arise owing to
differences in selection based on differences of personality as well as
differences in sensitivity and circumstances. One selection does not exclude
another. All assertions are liable to be only partial truths.
10. The
possibility of arriving at correct knowledge, however, depends on a correctly
functioning mind, correct discipline and correct procedures which in turn
depend on the previous acceptance of a correct comprehensive set of concepts, a
correct framework of reference and correct value systems so that we can look
for, interpret and apply the data of experiences correctly.
Three types of
knowledge can be described as follows:-
(1) Type A – Associative Knowledge, as
given to us through the senses. We recognize things as bundles of
characteristics, events as sequences and places or situations as objects
associated together in space and time. One object, place or situation differs
from another by the kind and frequency of various characteristics. Here facts
are important.
(2) Type B – Intellectual or Abstract
Knowledge which depends on the formation of classes and concepts by abstracting
common elements and studying the relationship between them. Here the data of
experience undergoes analysis and synthesis. Here the meaning is important.
Philosophy and science depend on this kind of knowledge. It is evident from a
study of text books in science that the description of the world is quite
different from that given to us in experience and direct observation.
(3) Type C – Transcendental or Symbolic
Knowledge. There are certain experiences given to consciousness, which sees the
over all unity and consistency of things, which cannot be described in words or
concepts but is pointed to by symbolism. This consists of the principles or
dynamic patterns underlying things and deals with their significance to the
person. It may use an actual historical event or relationship or an invented
story, not for itself, but to point to a more general process or condition. It,
therefore, refers to a type. The truth it points to is not the same as that
given to us by the senses or the rational faculty. Here value is of greater
importance.
These correspond
to the faculties for thought, feeling and action. People differ not only in
levels of intelligence, but also in the power of these faculties and in how
much they use and apply them. There are people who have superior intellectual
powers, but owing to weak capacity for feeling have a low social perceptions
and skills. They suffer from various forms of Autism. They can see and think in
terms of the outer characteristics and behaviour of people but cannot interpret
these as signs of a mind behind the physical manifestations. Others who might
be intellectually inferior to various degrees may have superior social perception
and skills. Others have superior motor perception and skills. They can do
things and learn to do things much more easily, skill fully and efficiently. We
learn best through active participation. There is, therefore, a difference
between someone who knows about carpentry, for instance, and has studied the
theory of carpentry from a book, and one who has seen carpentry done and
understands it, and one who is a carpenter. The same consideration apply to
religion and to the knowledge of God. An atheist can be said to be Autistic or
his conception of God is erroneous.
We are parts of
the Universe and the Universe affects us through numerous processes and forces.
(1) But we are
unconscious of most of this because of the limitation of our senses, which have
a range must small than the range of forces in nature. This capacity varies and
can be enhanced.
(2) But even
within the range of our senses the amount of information is too great for our
minds to deal with. That is why we are selective. This capacity too can be
enhanced.
(3) We select
according to assumptions, interests and motives, values and the actions that
elicit reactions from the environment. These direct our attention and limit
what we perceive.
(4) This data is
processed by us in various ways and to different degrees. And this also depends
on our interests, motives and values.
(5) We live in
an environment which has limitations and provides us only a certain limited set
of experiences that are repeated to different degrees and this tends to produce
habits of thought, feeling and action.
(6) But
individual limitations are over come because we also learn from others directly
by observation and through communication by means of language.
(7) Most ideas
are obtained by accident. But deliberate methods have been created to seek,
gather and process information in the form of sciences and this is transmitted
deliberately through the educational system. However, these are not free from
the biases mentioned above caused by assumptions, motives and actions – the 3
Biases.
(8) These Biases
causes a vicious circle that stops development because all new data of
experience is interpreted to reinforce the assumptions, motives and actions of
the past. Changes in assumptions, motives and activities produce changes in
knowledge and their effects. Religions are concerned with establishing changes
in these factors in order to break the prison of this vicious circle and
facilitate development.