Between Acquired and Revealed Knowledge

Between Acquired and Revealed Knowledge

Since the human individual is made up of both physical body and a spiritual soul, there are two kinds of human knowledge corresponding to each of these components.

On the one hand there is "Acquired Knowledge," which is gained through collecting data that are subject to rational and logical analysis, and based on observation and experiment.

On the other hand there is "Revealed Knowledge" that Allah used to bestow upon His messengers and prophets in the form of "wahi" (revelation) . The physical and mental apparatus to gain and develop various forms of "Acquired Knowledge" was given to the first human being, Adam (pbuh), in the form of what the Qur'an describes as "names of all things."

The history of science is actually the history of the unfolding and actualization of what was given to Adam (pbuh) in potential form. The scientific and technological knowledge has been gradually accumulating throughout history, but the speed of its exfoliation has tremendously increased in the last 200 years or so, leading to what has been called an "explosion" of knowledge.

But science is powerless to solve the metaphysical mysteries of the universe. And even though philosophers have been trying to answer the ultimate questions for thousands of years, they too have failed to reach any definite conclusions.

Similarly, the questions relating to collective human affairs also pose insurmountable difficulties, leading to utter failure on the part of the human beings to design just and balanced social, economic, and political systems. In the domains of philosophy and the social sciences, therefore, we must rely on the guidance that has been provided by Allah in the form of "Revealed Knowledge."

The modern civilization is unbalanced and one-sided, and, in the language of the Hadith, this is a "dajjali" civilization. While the modern civilization has taken gigantic strides in the realm of science and technology and has succeeded in mastering the forces of nature, this has been done at the cost of an almost total disregard for religion and revelation.

This one-sided progress of humanity has resulted is an immense gulf between the "Acquired Knowledge" and the "Revealed Knowledge," creating a deep split in the human psyche. We cannot deal with the modern civilization without first overcoming this gulf by integrating the two types of knowledge into a unified whole.

The profound philosophical truths in the Qur'an usually take the form of indirect allusions. The earliest addresses of the Qur'an were not inclined towards obscure or philosophical debates. Any direct or explicit mention of such truths would only have distracted them from the more practical guidance of the Qur'an.

However, since the Qur'an is to provide both practical and intellectual guidance for all people, including the most discerning philosophical minds, it did not leave these issues untouched.

Those persons who have a natural inclination to ponder over philosophical questions can find profound truths embedded in the ayaat of the Qur'an, while a person of ordinary intelligence will go over the same ayaat without realizing their true import and without getting distracted by an unfamiliar subject.

While the Qur'an is a very easy text for anyone who is searching for practical and everyday guidance, it is an extremely deep and demanding text for a person who wishes to untangle philosophical problems. Both, however, can find guidance in the Book of Allah (SWT) according to their respective capacities and aptitudes.

The existence of the spiritual soul in the human being is implied by a number of ayaat in the Qur'an; the angels were commanded to bow down before Adam, not because of Adam's physical body but because of the spiritual soul, the Divine Spark that was infused into him. Unless we understand the dual nature of the human individual, many ayaat of the Qur'an will remain unintelligible.

The human individual is composed of two distinct, independent and parallel beings, the spiritual soul and the physical body. The focus on the physical being and the corresponding disregard for the spiritual dimension, which is the hallmark of the modern age, has given rise to a civilization that is unbalanced and one-sided.

The real significance of fasting in the month of Ramadan will remain incomprehensible unless we realize that the human individual is made up of two distinct and opposing components, the spiritual soul and the physical body.

While fasting during the day serves to weaken the grip of physical desires, the recitation of the Qur'an during the night nourishes the spiritual soul and rejuvenates our relationship with the Book of Allah (SWT).

The Divine Saying that "Fasting is for me and I will Myself provide its reward" makes sense only when we realize that fasting causes spiritual growth and that our spirits have a close and intimate relationship with Allah (SWT).

Compiled from various sources.

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Note that an English translation of the Qur'an is an interpretation of the Qur'an, and does not have the perfect status as the Qur'an in its original Arabic form.

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