-
AlGhazalisIhya-Book_of_knowledge, page : 120
The knowledge derived from it was called a spirit, a revelation and a life.
Allah said:
“And We have revealed to you (Prophet Muhammad) a spirit (the revelation of
the Koran) from Our Ordinance…..” Koran 42 verse 52.
And again: “Is he who was dead whom We revived and given a light with which
he walks among people to be compared to him who blunders about in darkness
from, which he will never emerge?…” Koran Ch. 6 verse 122.
Furthermore, whenever Allah mentions light and darkness He means by it
knowledge and ignorance respectively, as is evident is His words: “…He brings
them out from darkness into the light…” Koran Ch.2 verse 257.
It was reported on the authority of Ayesha that she once said: “O Messenger of
Allah! How do people excel each other in this world?” He replied: “In intellect.”
“And in the Hereafter?” she added. “In intellect,” he replied again. Then Ayesha
said: “But are they not rewarded according to their works?” To, which the
Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, replied: “O Ayesha! Have
they ever achieved anything except in proportion to what Allah has given them of
intellect? Their works will always be in proportion to the intellect, which Allah has
given them, and their reward will be in proportion to their works.”
The Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, also said: “Indeed the believer who
is most beloved of Allah is the one who toils in the service of Allah and gives
counsel to his people, whose understanding is complete; who admonishes
himself and consequently sees the truth and acts accordingly all the days of his
life, with the result that he himself prospers and leads others to success.” And
again: “The man who possess the most mature mind among you is he who fears
Allah most, fulfilling best what He enjoined and desisting from what He has
forbidden, although that man may be the least willing to obey.”
The truth, however, is that the word intellect (aql) is a term used interchangeably
for four distinct meanings. In the case of such words, therefore, no one single
definition should be expected to cover the several meanings of the term. On the
contrary, each meaning should have its individual definition.
First is the quality, which distinguishes man from the other animals and prepares
him to understand and grasp the theoretical sciences (nazaiyah), and master the
abstract (fikriyah) disciplines.
Secondly the word „aql is applied to that knowledge, which makes its appearance
even in the infant who discerns the possibility of possible things (ja‟izat) and the
impossibility of impossible things (mustahiiat), such as the knowledge that the
two are greater than the one and that the one individual cannot be in two different
places at the same time. It is what one fo the scholastics meant when he defined
the word „aql as some axiomatic (daruriyah) knowledge, such as the
Allah said:
“And We have revealed to you (Prophet Muhammad) a spirit (the revelation of
the Koran) from Our Ordinance…..” Koran 42 verse 52.
And again: “Is he who was dead whom We revived and given a light with which
he walks among people to be compared to him who blunders about in darkness
from, which he will never emerge?…” Koran Ch. 6 verse 122.
Furthermore, whenever Allah mentions light and darkness He means by it
knowledge and ignorance respectively, as is evident is His words: “…He brings
them out from darkness into the light…” Koran Ch.2 verse 257.
It was reported on the authority of Ayesha that she once said: “O Messenger of
Allah! How do people excel each other in this world?” He replied: “In intellect.”
“And in the Hereafter?” she added. “In intellect,” he replied again. Then Ayesha
said: “But are they not rewarded according to their works?” To, which the
Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, replied: “O Ayesha! Have
they ever achieved anything except in proportion to what Allah has given them of
intellect? Their works will always be in proportion to the intellect, which Allah has
given them, and their reward will be in proportion to their works.”
The Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, also said: “Indeed the believer who
is most beloved of Allah is the one who toils in the service of Allah and gives
counsel to his people, whose understanding is complete; who admonishes
himself and consequently sees the truth and acts accordingly all the days of his
life, with the result that he himself prospers and leads others to success.” And
again: “The man who possess the most mature mind among you is he who fears
Allah most, fulfilling best what He enjoined and desisting from what He has
forbidden, although that man may be the least willing to obey.”
The truth, however, is that the word intellect (aql) is a term used interchangeably
for four distinct meanings. In the case of such words, therefore, no one single
definition should be expected to cover the several meanings of the term. On the
contrary, each meaning should have its individual definition.
First is the quality, which distinguishes man from the other animals and prepares
him to understand and grasp the theoretical sciences (nazaiyah), and master the
abstract (fikriyah) disciplines.
Secondly the word „aql is applied to that knowledge, which makes its appearance
even in the infant who discerns the possibility of possible things (ja‟izat) and the
impossibility of impossible things (mustahiiat), such as the knowledge that the
two are greater than the one and that the one individual cannot be in two different
places at the same time. It is what one fo the scholastics meant when he defined
the word „aql as some axiomatic (daruriyah) knowledge, such as the