Philosophy Of Islam [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

Chapter 3

Deep
and Definitive Knowledge

Deep and Definite
Knowledge

The Qur'an
emphasizes that one should pursue only that aim of which he has a definite and
clear knowledge. "Do not pursue that
(matter) of which you have no knowledge, for ears, eyes, and heart all are
accountable": (Surah Bani Israel, 17:36).

Such a knowledge is
obtained through convincing and clear proof.

Do you possess any authority (Sultan) for making this assertion, or do you say
concerning Allah what you do not know ". (Surah. Yusuf, 10:68).

"These are their own wishful fancies.
Say: Let us have your proof (Burhan) if what you say is true". (Surah al‑Baqarah, 2:111).

Guess and conjecture
do not lead to such a knowledge.

Most of them follow nothing except
conjecture, and conjecture can certainly not take the place of truth. Surely,
Allah is fully aware of what they do" . (SurahYunus, 10:36).

From the point of view of the Qur'an conjecture has no value
at all. In several verses it has been described as a senseless and blind
action. (Vide Surah al‑An'am, 6:148
and Surah Ale Imran, 3:154).

The Qur'an mentions a number of factors which tend to give
rise to conjecture and put it in the place of correct and precise knowledge.

(1) Pursuit of base desires

The base desires, lust, cupidity and self interest obstruct
correct judgment and the finding of truth.

"Who is more
misguided than he who follows his caprice without guidance from Allah?" (Surah
al‑Qasas, 28:50).

(2) Customs of the forefathers

"In fact they
say: We have found our fathers practising a religion, and we are only following in their footsteps. It
has always been the same case. Whenever before you, We sent a warner to a town,
its rich people invariably said: We have found our fathers practising a
religion and we are only following in their footsteps." (Surah al‑Zukhruf,
43 : 22 ‑ 23 ).

(3) Blind submission to the great and the powerful

"They shall say:
Our Lord! We obeyed our chiefs and elders, and they misled us from the right
path". (Surah al‑Ahzab, 33
: 67).

Inferiority complex so bewitches a man and overwhelms his
thinking that he ceases to think for himself and blindly follows the thoughts,
ways and habits of big powers or even the advanced countries. Such a man sees
with the eyes of others, hears with the ears of others and thinks with the
brain of others.

The Qur'an has mentioned some basic organs through which reliable
knowledge is obtained. They are:

Ears for hearing, Eyes for seeing, Heart for understanding

"Allah brought
you out of your mothers' wombs in such a state that you knew nothing. He gave
you ears and hearts, so that you may be thankful". (Surah al‑Nahl,
16:78).

There is another verse which says:

"Then He
fashioned him and breathed His Spirit into him. He has given you ears, eyes and
hearts; yet you show little gratitude ". (Surah al‑Sajdah 32:9).

One of the main sources of our knowledge is hearing, through
which we come to know of the experience, investigations, and the ideas of
others. We hear of many events from other individuals and other reliable
sources.

Another main source of our knowledge is seeing and
observation.

The third source is inner perception and comprehension. The
knowledge which is obtained through seeing, hearing and inner observation still
remains superficial and has little value till it is further studied, evaluated
and analyzed. This raw material must be processed in the region of heart so
that it may become reliable, valuable and fit for being accepted and followed.

According to the Qur'an the maturity of man depends on the
correct use of these faculties. If these faculties are not used properly, man
sinks to the level of animals.

"They have hearts
but do not understand with them, they have eyes but do not see with them and
they have ears, but do not hear with them. They are like beasts or further
astray. They are heedless ". (Surah al‑A'raf, 7:179).

Basic and expanded
role of heart

The Qur'an has variously described the role of heart.

Thinking, pondering and comprehending are some of its
functions. Thinking means arranging the known date for the purpose of analysis,
composition, comparison and evaluation. As the result of this process, general
rules and principles are obtained and then applied to particular cases.

Pondering means going into the hidden aspects of the
apparent phenomena in order to find the way to the real truth. What we can
discover by means of our senses is only a superficial reflection of what is the
present appearance of the things. Our senses can neither discover the inner
truth directly, nor can they find out the ultimate end of any event.

By means of our senses we can know only what is perceptible
and observable, but they do not have enough power to have access to the inner
truth. Only pondering, deep thinking and mental analysis can do that.

Hence scientific knowledge must not be based on
credulousness, guess and conjecture, superficial judgment and short
sightedness. It must be accompanied by correct mental analysis and deep
thinking so that the result may be clear, convincing, reliable and fit to be
followed.

Consideration

The Qur'an at several places urges us to consideration,
which means to look at things carefully and inquisitively and observe them
attentively along with deep thinking. Look at the following verses carefully:

"Say: Look at
what is in the heavens and the earth ". (Surah Yunus, 10: 101).

"Say: Travel
across the land and see how He originated the creation" . (Surahal‑Ankabut, 29:20).

"Consider what the fate of the
miscreants was" : (Surahal‑A'raf,
7:86).

"Do
they not consider how the cannel was created, how the heaven was raised, how
the mountains were set up, and how the earth was spread?"
(Surah al‑Ghashiah, 88:17 ‑ 20).

We see that in all these cases consideration should be so
careful, accurate and effective that it may provide an answer to the questions
which may arise and solve the difficulties which may be faced. It should be to
the accompaniment of deep thinking and careful study.

This consideration, reflection and contemplation is applicable
to all the realities of the world and is not confined to any particular sphere.
The Qur'an counsels to consideration in divergent fields. For example it says:

"Surely in the creation of the heavens and the earth
and the alternation of the night and the day, there are signs for men of
understanding, who remember Allah, standing, sitting and reclining, and
consider the creation of the heavens and the earth. (They say):
Our Lord! You have not created all this in vain. Glory be to You! Save us from
the torment of Fire". (Surah Ale Imran, 3:191 ‑ 192).

There are hundreds of similar verses in the Qur'an which
call man to the fruitful study and investigation of this vast world. In respect
of history the Qur'an says:

"Relate these stories to them so that they may think
over them". (Surah al‑A'raf, 7:176).

There are other verses which consider the ups and downs in
the history of the ancient nations and the causes of their progress and
downfall to be a lesson.

"We will show
them Our signs in all horizons and within themselves until they will clearly
see that He (Allah) really is ". (Surah Fussilat, 41: S
3).

Regarding the knowledge imparted through revelation, the
Qur'an says:

"Do they not meditate on the Qur'an, or are there
locks on their hearts?"(Surah Muhammad, 47:24).

Knowledge and science in modern usage the word, knowledge'
has been limited to experimental knowledge. In fact there are two words. One is
knowledge', which covers all kinds of learning and information, and the other
is science which exclusively means knowledge based on experiment and induction.
With the limitation of knowledge to scientific knowledge, a fallacy has arisen.
It is said that:

(a) Any information not based on knowledge has little value,
and hence it is not convincing.

(b) Knowledge means experimental knowledge, and hence any
knowledge not obtained through experiment is worthless and not fit to be
followed.

You may observe that in the first sentence the word
knowledge has been used in its general and wider sense, and consequently this
sentence gives a meaning about which there can be no doubt. It is true that any
information not based on knowledge, has little value. But in the second
sentence the word, knowledge' has been qualified and used in a limited sense.
The result is that there are people who say that it is only experimental knowledge
which is reliable and has value. They have gone so far that to believe their
own existence they want to light upon human soul through a surgical operation,
and to come across Allah during a space journey!

Another Fallacy

We have observed how the word knowledge has been limited to
a narrow sense. This mistake has given rise to another fallacy.

It is said that only experimental knowledge being reliable,
a truth can be proved only through observation and experiment, and therefore
anything which cannot be subject to observation and mathematical calculation
has no reality. From this it has been deduced that a reality is only that which
may be established by means of an experiment, the nonmaterial things which
cannot be tested in a laboratory, obviously have no reality and are no more
than an idea or a notion conceived by the mind. On this basis it has been
further inferred that realism is a philosophy which regards only matter as a
reality, whereas idealism is that approach to the world which believes in
nonmaterial things also. As the logic of nature requires us to give preference
to realism over idealism, materialistic approach to the world is preferable to
the divine approach . . . . . . . . . . . . What a flight of clearly imaginative
thinking! If we think over the above argument carefully, we can easily observe
how unscientific it is. In fact it is no more than a fallacy. Should we take
realism and idealism in the sense of realistic thinking and imaginative
thinking respectively, there is no doubt that the former has a priority over
the latter. But we must see what is the scope of reality and who can be called
a realist?

Objective reality is that which actually exists. It may be
material or nonmaterial. It is not essential that a thing which exists must
necessarily be material. Similarly it is also not essential that everything
which is based on knowledge must be observable in a laboratory.

Hence divine realism is the belief in realities, whether
material or nonmaterial but not the belief in mere conceptual notions and
imaginary ideas. Those who believe in divine approach to the world, maintain
that they have reached the absolute truth through insight and knowledge. They
have found it and not merely conceived it. This is an indisputable truth which
unfortunately has been misrepresented and wrongly interpreted.

Islam has its own general outlook on the world which should
be correctly understood, for without knowing it, it is not possible to
understand the Islamic teachings in many other fields of doctrine and practice.

From the Islamic point of view the world is a collection of
multifarious but interconnected realities which have and continue to come into
existence through the will of Allah, the One, the Omnipotent and the Omniscient.
The world is constantly changing and moving. It is a motion, based on goodness
and blessing, in the direction of gradual perfection i.e. every being achieving
the degree of perfection for which it is suited. Out of His infinite mercy
Allah has willed that in its evolutionary march everything be preplanned and
based on a series of the laws laid down by Allah. The Qur'an has termed these
laws as the "Divine Practice".

From the point of view of Islam man is an outstanding
phenomenon and a creative being who himself determines his future. For this
purpose he has been endowed with two gifts: (1) Faculty of acquiring vast and
ever increasing knowledge about himself and the universe, and (2) volition.

The Islamic outlook on the world can be summarised thus:

a. Realism

b. Correct thinking

c. Monotheism

d. Future making with conscious effort

e. Gaining knowledge through reflection and experiment

f. Receiving knowledge through revelation

g. Acquiring utmost knowledge through the stable system of
action and reaction including immediate, long term and even permanent
reactions.

Thus Islamic outlook consists of knowledge, freedom and
responsibility. It is an outlook of hope, optimism and possession of a purpose.

To elucidate these points further, we propose to deal with
them at some length.

Realism

As we have pointed out, according to the viewpoint of Islam,
the universe is a collection of multifarious but interconnected realities which
are constantly changing and moving. It has come into being by the will of
Allah. Islam requires man to keep this fact in mind while getting himself
acquainted with himself and the world. He should acknowledge everything as it
really is with all its dimensions and relationships.

At the stage of acknowledgement there is no exception to the
principle of realism. But should man be realistic at the stage of action? At
the stage of action realism has two aspects which should be distinguished from
each other.

Sometimes it is said that man should always be realistic and
practical. What is meant by practical is that one should submit to the present
realities and should never try to resist them.

Islam does not approve of this sort of realism and considers
it to be inconsistent with man's position, his mission and the creative power
with which he has been endowed. Man of Islam has no right to submit so easily
to his physical and social environment under the pretext that a sensible person
should not fall foul of realities.

Another aspect of realism is that man should take into
account the limitations of his intellectual and practical powers while making
efforts to improve himself and his environment. He should find out the best way
of mobilizing his potentialities and removing or overcoming the intervening
difficulties. In doing so he should always be realistic and must not
overestimate his potentialities. This sort of realism at the stage of action is
approved by Islam, and is in fact a part of the realism at the stage of
acknowledgement. Islam has pointed out to man that he can change only a part of
the realities of the world, but not all of them. The power of changing the
realities varies with different persons and with the different periods of the
life of the individuals and the society.

Correct Thinking

Islam lays much stress on the point that man should pay full
attention to the basic role of correct thinking and knowledge in his life and
that he should realize that his salvation depends on them. In this respect the
Qur'an says: "Give good tidings to
our servants who hear advice (and
reflect carefully on it) and follow
the best thereof. Such are those whom Allah has guided. They are the people of
understanding". (Sura al‑Zumar, 39:17 ‑ 18).

In many other verses the Qur'an has repeatedly addressed ‑
the men of understanding', the people who think', the people who understand'
and the people who remember' and it wants the wise, the sensible and the
thoughtful to think correctly and not to fall into the pitfalls situated on the
path of intellect.

Islam requires man to put his ever‑increasing
intellectual and creative power into action, to bring about necessary changes
in his natural and social environments and to create new useful things so that
he may become more equipped to ensure a better and decent life for himself as
well as for other human beings and should not submit straightaway to the
existing realities. Hence, in the eyes of Islam, man is required to incline
towards his goal rather than to the existing realities.

Man of Islam

The most interesting part of the Islamic Outlook on the
world is concerned with man and the Qur'anic view about this eminent being.
From the Qur'anic point of view man is not a natural being, i.e. like other
natural things it does not have to follow a fixed and unalterable course and
career.

Man ‑‑
the self‑maker and the selector

The Qur'an considers man to be a being having the responsibility
of self‑making. In this respect he has a divine role. Partially he is a
material being and partially a divine one. In the words of the Qur'an man has
been made of clay, but divine spirit has been infused in him. In his various
capabilities of being good and bad have been intermingled. He has been endowed
with the power of exercising his will and choosing his way.

The Qur'an says:

"Indeed We have
created man from the union of sperm
and egg to test him. We gave hurt the faculties of bearing and seeing. We have
shown him the right path. Now it is upto hint to be thankful or
thankless". (Surah al‑Dahr, 76:2 ‑ 3).

Man has more intellectual capacity than any other living
being. From the point of view of gaining knowledge, he is far ahead of even
angels. In the beginning of his genesis man learnt things which were unknown to
them.

The Qur'an says:

"He taught Adam
all the names, theta He presented those to the angels and said: Tell Me the
names of these, if what you say is
true. They said: Glory be to You! We have no knowledge except that which you
have given us. You alone are All‑Knowing, Wise. Then He said: O Adam!
Tell them their names, and when be told them their names, Allah said: Did I not
tell you that I know the secrets of the heavens and the earth?" (Surah
al‑Baqarah, 2:31 ‑ 32).

Man has the big advantage of having a vast field in which he
can secure power by gaining knowledge. He has the practical ability of
executing his desires. He is also able to choose his way and direction. Thus
the Creator of the world has made him superior to most of His other creatures. "Surely We have honored the children of Adam. We carry them on
the land and the sea. We have provided them with good things, and have
definitely given there superiority above many of Our creatures". (Surah
al‑Isra, 17:70).

Big trust

The 72nd verse of the Surah al‑Ahzab describes those
powers with which man has been endowed as a big and valuable trust, worthy of
man alone. It is he alone who could hold it. Otherwise in spite of all their
grandeur, the heavens, the earth and the mountains had declined to take such a
responsibility.

The Qur'an says:

"We offered the
trust to the heavens and the earth and the mountains, but they shrank from
bearing it and were afraid of it. But man assumed it".

Human personality

The personality of man depends on his holding this big
divine trust, viz. the ability of choosing his way of conduct. His well‑being
depends on utilizing this power to the best advantage. The human society is
human only so long as in it everybody is free to think for himself and choose
the way of life he deems to be the best. If a man thinks as others want him to
think and does as others want him to do, he is no longer a man. He is only a
thing which lacks human will and independent personality. If his actions are to
be planned by others, he can neither be a planner nor a chooser.

The biggest and the most painful degradation which man of
this century has suffered as a result of the modern mechanized life is that he
has been deprived of his humanity and turned into a mere cog of the elaborate
and huge mechanical devices. In many cases the economic value of his job is far
less than that of the machine beside him. More than anything else it was the
material philosophy which paved the way for such a humiliating situation. But
at last the trust which is held by him has stirred the man of this century who
is now trying to dislodge the yoke of the slavery of machines from his neck.
In the present state of half sleep and half awakening he is on the lookout of
an intellectual and social system which may help him regain his human dignity

Human emancipation

From the Islamic point of view the only way for man to get
out of his present predicament is to get rid of his egoism and should worship
Allah. A man who thinks only of his material desires, whose efforts are
concentrated on having better food, better clothing and better facilities to
enjoy sex or who is day and night after securing pomp and pelf, can never be a
free man. He can easily be enticed and then dominated by those who can put the
means of enjoyment at his disposal. But if a man is God‑loving who seeks
the pleasure of Allah more than anything else, he can keep his passions under
control and satisfy his desires with moderation, without becoming a slave of
them. Such a man can surrender his desires, if necessary, to gain the pleasure
of Allah, whose pleasure is more valuable than everything else. Allah will
recompense him for his sacrifice in a better and purer way in the eternal
world.

The Qur'an says:

Alluring for people
is the love of the joys that come from women, sons, boarded heaps of gold and
silver, horses of mark, cattle and
plantations. All this is the comfort of this worldly life, but with Allah is a
far better abode. Say, shall I tell you something better than that? For those
who practice piety, with their Lord are Gardens underneath which rivers flow.
They shall abide in them forever, and shall have spouses purified and Allah's
grace. Allah watches over His slaves. Those who say: Our Lord! We do

believe. So forgive us
our sins and save us from the punishment of the Fire. Who exercise patience,
speak the truth, who are devoted in prayers, spend their property in the cause
of Allah and pray for pardon in the watches of the night". (Surah Ale
Imran, 3:14 ‑ 17).

A religious man is naturally interested in all the good
things in this as well as in the next world. But for him the pleasure of Allah
is above everything else. The Qur'an says: "Allah
bas promised the believers, both men and women, Gardens underneath which rivers
flow, and in which they shall abide. ale bas promised them nice dwellings in
the Gardens of Eden. What is more,
Allah shall be pleased with them. That is the supreme achievement ". (Surah
al‑Bara'at, 9:72).

In fact a self‑renouncing and devout man loves Allah
more than anything else. "Yet there
are some who take for themselves objects of worship beside Allah, whom they
love as they should love Allah; but those who believe, love Allah more
ardently". (Surah al‑Baqarah, 2:165).

The best sign of the love of Allah is this that for gaining
His pleasure a man should be always ready to sacrifice his life, his wife and
children, his hearth and home and his wealth and assets, for none of them could
take the place of Allah in his heart.

Bond with eternity

Such a man never finds himself lonely, perplexed and without
dignity. He feels to be attached with an everlasting bond to an eternity, a
majesty and a perfection. He feels to be a being who can never be annihilated
and even whose death is the beginning of a new era of life.