KNOWLEDGE AND CIVILIZATION IN ISLAM (FOR STRICTLY PERSONAL USE) PDF

UNGS 2290 KNOWLEDGE AND CIVILIZATION IN ISLAM (FOR STRICTLY PERSONAL USE) Disclaimer:All content in these slides is for teaching purposes only. These notes should not be considered complete, up to date, and...

UNGS 2290 KNOWLEDGE AND CIVILIZATION IN ISLAM (FOR STRICTLY PERSONAL USE) Disclaimer:All content in these slides is for teaching purposes only. These notes should not be considered complete, up to date, and are by no means intended to replace official standard content notes.  God’s Divine Essence ‘ilm, propriety in God’s Divine seeking knowledge Attributes Rabb Universe, cosmos, ‘alam Ilah Prophet His (pbuh) family Muhammad (pbuh) and companions Risalah and His (pbuh) Nubuwwah timelessness model par excellent  ‫ي‬ ‫ِح‬ ‫ال‬ ‫ٰـ‬ ‫ْح‬ ‫ال‬ ‫ِه‬ ‫ـ‬‫َّل‬‫ِبْس ِم ال‬ ‫َّر َم ِن َّر ِم‬ ‫… ب‬ a grammatical particle of implication ‫… اسم‬ the word ‘ism’ is derived from ‘sumuw’ loftiness and ‘simah’ “sign or characteristic” ‫الله‬ lafz al-Jalalah, ism al-a’dham, ism al-dhat al-qudsiyyah … the name for God’s divine essence  Why “In the name of God” rather than “In God”? A way of seeking blessing through the mention of His Name to distinguish from oaths because the name (ism) is the thing that is named (musamma) to seek the purification of hearts from attachments and to free the innermost selves from obstacles  ‫الَّر ْح َمٰـِن الَّر ِح يِم‬ Both are derived from rahmah Al-Rahman….more complete expression; a specific term with general meaning Nothing other than the Real can be called Rahman without any restriction Al-Rahim…a general term with specific meaning ; Rahim can be used to describe others  ‫الحمد‬ The particle al in alhamdulillah indicates an all-comprehensive category Four categories of praise…all of them ultimately due to God Qadim to Qadim Qadim to hadith Hadith to Qadim Hadith to hadith Rabb and Ilah Rabb…Lord ( Khaliq and Malik ) to be master, lord, to have possession, have command or authority over… To raise, to bring up ( a child), to breed (poultry, cattle), to tend plants or animals… to cultivate (tarbiyah), care taker (murabbi) to improve (islah) Ilah…. He needs nothing (al-Istighna’ ) We are in need of Him for everything (al-Iftiqar )  ‘Alam /’Alamin ‘alam everything other than God --- khalq/makhluq/kawn Revealed Book of Signs…. Revelation (wahy/Qur’an) Created Book of Signs (nature, tab’…’alam tabi’I ) Prophet Muhammad (saw) Risalah/Rasul…Message/Messenger Nubuwwah / Nabi / naba’ …news, tidings, prophecy Prophet is not a postman! He is the perfect embodiment of the Message of Islam His mission…li ‘utammima makarima al-akhlaq  The Worldview of Islam ISLAM The vision of truth and reality projected through Revelation (Wahy) Qur’anic Arabic language (Kalamullah) Speech of God (Kalamullah) Qur’anic Arabic language  The linguistic structure is established upon a FIRM SYSTEM OF ROOT Distinguishing Features of  The semantic structure is governed by a Arabic CLEARLY DEFINED SYSTEM OF SEMANTIC Language FIELDS  The words, meanings, grammar and prosody have been SCIENTIFICALLY RECORDED AND ESTABLISHED so as to maintain semantic permanence (Asham ahmad, 2019)  library’ maktabah’ Example: Arabic word for book, kitab Established The root has three radicals, ka, ta and system of roots Katib’ writer’ ba and field of Everything having to do with books must meanings follow this… katib…the writer of a book book’ maktab…the place where books are Kitab’ kept to write’ kaf ta’ ba’ No matter how it develops, it must have some relevance with the roots The epistemic superiority of man over other creatures ‫َأ‬ ‫ۡم َع ى ۡلَم ٰٓـِٕٮ ِة‬Z‫وَعَّلَم َءاَدَم ۡل ۡسَمٓاَء َها َّم َعَر َض‬ ‫َك‬ ‫َل‬ ‫َل‬ ‫ُث‬ ‫َّل‬ ‫ُك‬ ‫ي‬ ‫ٰـ‬ ‫ۡم‬ ‫ن‬‫ُك‬ ‫ن‬ ‫ِء‬ ‫ٓاَل‬‫ُؤ‬‫ٰٓـ‬ ‫ٓاِء‬ ‫ۡس‬‫َفَقاَل َأۢن ُٔـو ى َأ‬ ‫ُت َص ِدِق َن‬ ‫ِإ‬ ‫ِب ِن ِب َم َه‬ ‫ن‬‫َقاُلوْا ۡب ٰـ َك اَل ِع ۡل َل ٓا اَّل ا َعَّلۡم ٓاۖ‌ َك َأ‬ ‫َت‬ ‫َتَن ِإَّن‬ ‫َم َن ِإ َم‬ ‫ُس َح َن‬ ‫ۡلَعِليُم ۡلَح ِكيُم‬ And He taught Adam the names of all things; then He placed them before the angels and said: "Tell Me the names of these if ye are right." They said: "Glory to Thee: of knowledge we have none, save that Thou hast taught us: in truth it is Thou who art perfect in knowledge and wisdom." (Al-Baqarah: 31-32)  scientific = definitive Arabic language, by design, is protected from deviation, i.e from straight path, from the right meanings, and from distortions. ‫ُقۡرَءاًنا َعَر ِبًّيا َغۡيَر ِذى ِع َوٍ۬ج َّلَعَّلُهۡم َيَّتُقوَن‬ (It is) a Qur'an in Arabic, without any crookedness (therein): in order that they may guard against Evil. (al-Zumar: 28)  Arabic letters Lullen, lolati,  ‫َوَس اِرُعٓوْا ِإَلٰى َمۡغِفَر ٍ۬ة ِّمن َّر ِّبُڪۡم َوَج َّنٍة‬ ‫ُأ‬ ‫َأ‬ ‫َوُت َوۡل ۡرُض ِع َّدۡت‬ ‫ُضَها ٱلَّس َمٰـۡر‬‫َعۡر‬ ‫ِلۡلُمَّتِقيَن‬ ‫ٱَّلِذيَن ُينِفُقوَن ِفى ٱلَّس َّر ٓاِء َوٱلَّضَّر ٓاِء‬ ‌ۗ‫َڪٰـِظِميَن ۡلَغۡلَظ َوۡيَعاِفيَن َعِن ۡللَّناِس‬ ‫َوٱۡل‬ Vie with headlong ‫ي‬‫ِن‬ ‫ِس‬‫ح‬ ‫ل‬speed ‫ُّب‬ ‫ِح‬ ‫ُي‬ ‫َّل‬ to ‫ َن‬your‫ُم‬Lord and‫ ُه‬a tremendous‫ٱل‬ a mighty ‫َو‬ forgiveness from lush-shaded grove paradise whose breadth is the heavens and earth, prepared for the godfearing:(133) Those who expend in good times and in bad, and who constrain their rage, and who wholly pardon other people; and Allah loves those who ever excel in good (134) (Ali ‘Imran)  ‫َأ‬ ‫َفَمن ُيِرِد ٱلَّلُه ن َيۡهِدَيُه َيۡشَر ۡح َصۡدَر ُه‬ ‫َّل‬ ‫َأ‬ ‌ۖ ‫ِلۡلِإۡسَلٰـ‬ ‫ِم َوَمن ُيِرۡد ن ُيِض ُه َيۡجَعۡل َصۡدَر ُه‬ ‫َأ‬ ‌ۚ‫َضِّيًقا َح َر ً۬ج ا َڪ َّنَما َيَّصَّعُد ِفى ٱلَّس َمٓاِء‬ ‫ۡجُل ٱلَّلُه ٱلِّر ۡجَس َعَلىۡجَّلِذيَن اَل‬ ‫َڪَذٲِلَك َي َع‬ ‫ُيۡؤِمُنوَن‬ So whomsoever Allah wills to guide, He opens his breast wide in relief to Islam. And whomsoever Allah wills to let her stray, He narrows his breast troubled impenetrable tight as if he were struggling breathless upwards into the sky: Thus does Allah put odious filth on those who will not believe. (al- An’am: 125)  PROBLEMS WITH TRANSLATION dyn Religion al-’ilm Knowledge akhlaq Ethics ikhtiyar Freedom tamaddun civilization “Every term translated is a term distorted”  worldvie MISSION 1301 w ISLAMISATION OF KNOWLEDGE knowled 2290 ge GOAL Insan Sejahtera; the holistic human person; Akhlaq & 2380 homo islamicus Fiqh  Islamisation of Knowledge Clash of worldviews…esp. due to confrontation with/challenges from modern secular Western worldviews understanding/beliefs (knowledge) Islamisat Language ion Key words/terms Redefining (islamising) our concept of ‘world view’ Western: weltanschauung welt + an + schauen (world + on/at + to look/gaze/watch) Islam : “ru’yat al-islam li al-wujud” ru’yah: vision of truth and reality ru’yat al-Islam: Islamic vision of… wujud: the world of existence in its totality CONCEPT x CONCEPT  Important ‫حق‬ ‫معرف‬ ‫اليقين‬ keywords ‫ة‬ Haqq al- ‫أدب‬ Ma’rifa yaqin ADAB ‫حكم‬ h ‫ظن‬ ‫ة‬ ‫علوم‬ zann ‘ulum hikma ‫عين‬ ‫العل‬ h ‫اليقين‬ ‘ayn ‫شك‬ ‫ظلم‬ ‫جهل‬ ‫يقين‬ al- shakk zulm jahl ‫م‬ yaqi ‫عدل‬ ‘adl yaqin Al-’il n m ‫وهم‬ ‫علم‬ ‫اليقين‬ wahm ‘ilm al- ‫تأديب‬ yaqin Ta’dib ‫نفس‬ ‫روح‬ ‫عقل‬ ‫قلب‬ nafs ruh ‘aql qalb  I M P O RTA N T HUMANK SOUL EYWORDS AS AN ABODE OR SEAT OF KNOWLEDGE ‫روح‬ ruh ‫قلب‬ ‫عقل‬ qalb ‘aql OPPOSITES OF KNOWLEDGE ‫ظن‬ zann ‫شك‬ ‫ظلم‬ zulm shakk ‫وهم‬ wahm ‫جهل‬ jahl Important keywords DEGREES OF KNOWLEDGE ‫حق اليقين‬ Haqq al- yaqin ‫عين‬ ‫يقين‬ ‫اليقين‬ yaqin ‘ayn al- yaqin ‫علم‬ ‫اليقين‬ ‘ilm al- yaqin Important keywords “Knowledge exists potentially in the human soul like the seed in the soil; by learning the potential becomes actual.” (Imam Al-Ghazali) “Do not be fooled by the one who recites the Qur’ān. His recitation is but speech, but look to those who act according to it.” What is KNOWLEDGE??? Why is it crucial to to understand the true meaning of KNOWLEDGE? CRISIS OF KNOWLEDGE IS THE UNDERLYING PROBLEM OF ALL MAJOR CRISES IN THE ISLAMIC WORLD ! Further Reading: chapter on “The Muslim Dilemma” in Islam and Secularism, p. 97 - 132 “I venture to maintain that the greatest challenge that has surreptitiously arisen in our age is the challenge of knowledge…” (S.M.N. AL-ATTAS) Islam and Secularism, p. 133 CRISIS OF KNOWLEDGE Ignorance??? CORRUPTION of knowledge/ CONFUSION and ERROR in knowledge/FALSE “Confusion arises only as a result of inadequate knowledge of Islam and of the worldview projected by it, as well as ignorance of the nature of the confronting intellectual, religious and ideological challenges, and of the implications inherit in the statements and general conclusions of modern secular philosophy and science.” SMN al-Attas, Prolegomena to the Metaphysics of Islam, 37 TRUE VS FALSE KNOWLEDGE  ‘KNOWLEDGE’ is inside human ? MIND/SOUL, ? NOT outside !!!  knowledge’ is not neutral ‘false knowledge’is NOT knowledge! ‘false knowledge’ is knowledge in disguise! What are the causes leading to the present predicament of the Ummah???  CAUSES external internal CONFRONTATION WITH WESTERN LOSS OF CULTURE & ADAB CIVILIZATION CRISIS  (External) CONFRONTATION WITH WESTERN CULTURE AND CIVILIZATION The breakdown The intellectual of Muslim unity superiority of the Muslims The Reconquista: a series of campaigns by Christian states to recapture Rapid Muslims’ territory from the Muslims territorial expansion The Western Counter Doctrinal challenge attack: Colonization INTERNAL LOSS OF ADAB WHAT IS THE MEANING OF ‘ADAB’? ‫أدب‬ (ADAB) ‫( أدب‬adaba ) - invited; invite to a plentiful and marvellous things ِ adb or idb - used to mean “the marvellous” (‫)العجب‬ adib –the active participle of the past tense “adaba”, means the host, or any one who invites for a banquet ‫( مادبة‬ma’dabah) - ----- banquet / paradise / the Speech of Allah ADAB refers to: recognition and acknowledgement of the right and proper place, station, and condition in life and; to self discipline in positive and willing participation in enacting one’s role in accordance with that recognition and acknowledgement” The occurrence of ADAB reflects the condition of justice The absence of ADAB implies loss of justice and confusion in knowledge. Re-cognition??? ‫ُذ‬ ‫ُظ‬ ‫ِمْن َبِني آَدَم ِمْن ُه وِرِهْم ِّر َّيَتُهْم‬ ‫َك‬ ‫َر ُّب‬ ‫َذ‬ ‫ َوِإْذ َخ‬ ‫َأ‬ ‫َل‬ ‫ُل‬ ‫َق‬ ‫ُك‬ ‫َأ‬ ‫َل‬ ‫َأ‬ ‫َل‬ ‫َهَدُهْم َع ىٰـ ْنُفِس ِهْم ْس ُت ٰـِب َر ِّب ْم ا وا َب ى‬ ‫ْش‬‫َأ‬ ‫َو‬ ‫َغ‬ ‫ُك‬ ‫ْل‬ ‫ُل‬ ‫َأ‬ ‫َش ِهْدَنا ْن َتُقو وا َيْوَم ا ِقَياَم ِة ِإَّنا َّنا َعْن َه ا اِفِليَن‬ ‫َذ‬ )١٧٢( When your Lord drew forth from the children of Adam from their loins—their descendants, and made them testify concerning themselves, (saying) “Am I not your Lord (Who cherishes and sustains you)? –they said: “Yea! We do testify! (This), lest you should say on the Day of judgement: “Of this we were never mindful” (al-A’raf:172) ADAB implies the knowledge about ‘the right and proper place, station, and condition in life’ = the valid hierarchy (darajat, martabat)  hierarchy of life and existence  hierarchy of knowledge  hierarchy of authority EXAMPLES OF ADAB  Adab towards the self  Adab towards the family and society  Adab towards language  Adab towards the environment  Adab towards sounds and colours: arts  Adab towards KNOWLEDGE  Loss of Adab WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES???. Vicious (C) Rise of False Leader Circle (B) Massive (A) Loss of Adab Confusion and Error in Knowledge  The devastating result: The DEISLAMIZATION of Muslim minds ISLAMIZATION DEISLAMIZATION The The condition of condition of justice injustice ADAB LOSS OF ADAB True knowledge Confusion in knowledge/false knowledge  KNOWLEDGE GENERAL WESTERN PERSPECTIVE  knowledge The word ‘knowledge’ in any standard dictionary:  Acquaintance with facts  Familiarity with a particular subject  Acquaintance or familiarity gained by sight, experience, report or investigation  The body of truths or facts accumulated by mankind in the course of time  generally means and includes learning, scholarship, education, acquaintance, familiarity, awareness, cognition, perception and conception. STANDARD ANALYSIS OF KNOWLEDGE Knowledge is justified true belief Certain understanding, as opposed to opinion Knowledge = justified true belief Justificati on True condition condition Belief If X knows something (p) then: condition p must be true, and X must believe p, and X must have a good reason to believe p. ANALYSIS OF KNOWLEDGE Truth??? corresp ondenc  Major theories of e truth… conse coher ence nsus pragm etc atic ANALYSIS OF KNOWLEDGE idealis Justification??? m  subject to vacillating Ideals/paradigm …. mate rialis m secularis m rationalis empiri m cism  ‫العلم‬ ‫العلم‬ KNOWLEDGE ‫العلم‬ IN ISLAM AL-’ILM (‘‫)’العلم‬ Linguistically, the term ‘ilm ‫ علم‬is derived from ‘alamah ‫ عالمة‬, meaning: “ a mark, sign, or token, by which a thing or person is known; a cognizance, or a badge; a characteristic; and indication, a symptom”  ‘ma’lam ‫(معلم‬plural: ma’alim‫ ) معالم‬means ‘sign of the way’ or ‘that by which one guides oneself or by which oneself is guided”  ‘alam ‫عالم‬also signifies “a way mark for guidance” (Further Reading: Prof. Wan Mohd Nor Wan Daud, The Educational Philosophy and Practice of Syed Muhammad Naquib Al-Attas)  ‘ilm: ‘alamah (sign, mark, symbol) …’alam (universe)…ayatullah nowher e every ‘signpost’ has an arrow (direction) pointing not to itself, but to something else Characteristics of (true) knowledge  knowledge leads to a proper recognition of Allah as the true object of worship (fearing God, taqwa)  knowledge is certainty (yaqin, I’tiqad, jazm, qat’ ) that conforms to reality and truth  knowledge is light (nur) light vs darkness /‘adl vs. zalim  knowledge brings about justice (‘adl)  knowledge ‘ gives benefit ( ‘ilm al-nafi’) Knowledge light, order, peace, harmony, tranquility, security (justice)  ignorance darkness, chaos, disorder, discord, insecurity (injustice) Conceptual KNOWLEDGE IN ISLAM analysis of the ‫الل‬ term ‘ilm Al-’ALIIM Everything other than God PROPHET which points to him (saw) and his Way of Life ‫ه‬ ng m AL-’ILM ea ni ni ea UNIVERSE/COSMOS/THE ng WORLD OF NATURE m WAHY/REVELATION ‘ALAM education education AL-QUR’AN ‘AQAL AYAT AYAT ‘alamah KHALQ sign, symbol, way sign The arrival of meaning in the soul and the soul’s arrival SCOPE OF ‘ILM IN ISLAM AL-’ALIIM ‫ العليم‬is one of The Beautiful Names/Divine Attributes of God Muslims throughout the ages have regarded knowledge, ‘ilm, to mean: The Holy Qur’an, the Revealed Law (shari’ah); the Sunnah; Islam; Faith (iman); spiritual knowledge (‘ilm ladunniyy), wisdom (hikmah), and gnosis (ma’rifah) also generally referred to as Light; Thought; Science (‘ilm, ‘ulum), Education.  Scope: God, creation, dunya, akhirah, religious, spiritual, intellectual, social, cultural, individual, etc  Universal character of ‘ilm THE OPPOSITES/ANTONYMS OF ‫‘ العلم‬  Muslim scholars are unanimous in their agreement that:  ignorance (jahl) (simple and compound),  doubt (shakk),  conjecture (zann) and  baseless speculation—nazar, which is an extension of subjective desire (hawa), and could develop into a contentious activity (mira’)—together with:  negligence, forgetfulness, sleep and death are the OPPOSITES of knowledge CORRUPTORS OF KNOWLEDGE The saying of the Holy Prophet (saw): “ this knowledge [of religion] will be inherited by later people who are upright who will reject from it the interpretation of the ignorants (ta’wil al- jahilin), the plagiarism of the falsifiers (intihal al- mubtilin) and the distorted interpretation of the extremists (tahrif al-ghalin)” THE IGNORANTS —destroy knowledge by perpetuating guesswork, conjectures and baseless opinions, mainly because of their profound ignorance, they are unable to recognize and correct their errors. THE PLAGIARISTS —are falsifiers who may be quite knowledgeable at least in recognizing the potential importance of ideas, but they are envious and insincere: they suppress the true and right original sources in order to derive worldly benefits for themselves THE EXTREMISTS —corrupt knowledge by either falling short of, or exceeding the right understanding of the objects or purpose of knowledge DEFINING KNOWLEDGE Two types of definitions: Definition by hadd (limit:definitive)— when the object can be clearly comprehended and its distinctive characteristics can be specifically and concisely defined Definition by rasm (descriptive)— when a particular object cannot be so conveyed but its salient characteristics can be described SOME (DESCRIPTIVE) DEFINITIONS OF KNOWLEDGE Al-Baqillani: “Knowledge is the cognition of the object known as it really is (‘ala ma huwa bihi) Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr: “Knowledge is that which one knows for certain and understands clearly Ibn Sab’in: “Knowledge is finding in the heart and firm conviction (thubut) without allowing for change” Imam al-Ghazali: “Knowledge is the acquisition of that information through which one can successfully attain the true goal of life AN EPISTEMOLOGICAL DEFINITION OF KNOWLEDGE Starting from the fact that God is its Original Source, knowledge is defined as: “the arrival (husul) of the meaning (ma’na) of a thing or an object of knowledge in the soul of the subject; and simultaneously, the soul’s arrival (wusul) at the meaning of that thing or the object of knowledge” IN THIS DEFINITION, TWO THINGS ARE EMPHASIZED: Divine origin of knowledge Dual process: God’s blessing (pure gift)….arrival in God’s blessing + men’s efforts….arrival at ARRIVAL OF MEANING IN THE SOUL (GOD AS THE GIVER OF KNOWLEDGE) Illumination from God meaning Seeker of knowledge/ knower/soul  ARRIVAL OF THE SOUL AT MEANING Illumination (MAN AS THE SEEKER OF from God KNOWLEDGE) meaning Object Seeker of of knowledge/ knowledge knower/ soul Knowledge thus is the union between the knower with the meaning, and not with the thing known o ‘meaning’ exists independent of the subject/object of knowledge o meaning/knowledge is the SOLE PREROGATIVE OF GOD o a soul’s movement towards meaning, is a spiritual process requiring Mental Intellectual SPIRITUAL PREPARATION The human soul can be compared to a mirror. If we wish to see something beautiful reflected in a mirror, we must first clean the mirror, so that dust and dirt do not disfigure the reflection. Any attempt to attain true knowledge would be fruitful and successful only when one has purified himself of evil  AL-GHAZALI’S ALLEGORY OF A MIRROR FIVE HINDRANCES TO THE REFLECTION OF THE EXTERNAL OBJECT FIVE HINDRANCES TO THE ULTIMATE END AND PRIME KNOWLEDGE (MIRROR) (REALITIES OF THINGS) (HUMAN SOUL) The bad quality of the matter from which the mirror The soul’s inadequate formation and incomplete is made natural development as well as the latter’s improper shape; Dirt on the surface of the mirror; Its impurity and sins on account of its being preoccupied with animal desires and sensory dictates One’s directing the mirror to other angles, though Its preoccupation with other matters while he is knowing the conscious of the direction of that object; direction of the object An opaque cover put between the mirror and the Inherited prejudices and blind following (taqlid) object; One’s not knowing the direction of the object, thus Its ignorance of the logical processes or methods  PURPOSE OF KNOWLEDGE  to recognize God as the Lord, the true object of worship Knowledge: “the arrival of meaning or units of meaning” = “the recognition of the proper places of things in the order of creation, such that it leads to the recognition of the proper place of God in the order of being and existence” KNOWLEDGE AND EDUCATION  Education is a process requiring: Active mental and spiritual preparation on the part of the seeker The pleasure and grace of God as the Giver EDUCATION AS ‘TA’DIB’ KNOWLEDGE does not become an EDUCATION unless the recognition of proper places is actualized by acknowledgement—that is, by confirmation and affirmation in the self—of the reality and truth of what is recognized Education is thus “the instilling and inculcation of adab in the self” (ta’dib) Education = recognition + acknowledgment/ knowing + action PURPOSE OF EDUCATION To produce a good man  “the purpose of seeking knowledge is to inculcate goodness or justice in man as man and individual self, and not merely in man as citizen or integral part of society; it is man’s value as real man, as the dweller in his self’s city, as citizen in his own microcosmic kingdom, as spirit that is stressed, rather than his value as a physical entity measured in terms of the pragmatic or utilitarian sense of his usefulness to state and society and the world” (SMN Al-Attas, The Concept of Education in Islam)  WHO IS A ‘GOOD MAN’? A good man is : a man of adab whose knowledge has transformed his spiritual degree from that of animalistic to the level of angelic inclination or tranquil soul (al-nafs al- mutma’innah) this transformation is manifested in his good manners, behaviour and character (husn al-khulq). The Tranquil Soul ‫النفس المطمئّنة‬ The Blaming Soul ‫النفس اللّوامة‬ The Instigating Soul ‫النفس األّمارة بالّس وء‬ THE KNOWLEDGE THROUGH EDUCATION SHOULD THEREFORE enable man to recall the contract (mithaq) he has made with God, his nature of existence, his role and the Creator make him a ‘good man’ in the sense of both a good servant and a good vicegerent modeling the ‘perfect man’ (al-insan al-kamil), the Prophet s.a.w (68:4) who is the standard or benchmark of ‘goodness’ for all mankind  The process of instilling the adab (ta’dib) is the perfect and most comprehensive form of education that man should undergo.  WHAT IS FALSE KNOWLEDGE? ‘knowledge’ that has lost its true purpose ‘knowledge’ that is productive of confusion and skepticisms ‘knowledge’ that has brought chaos to the three kingdoms of nature; the animal, vegetal and WESTERN ‘KNOWLEDGE’ Even though true knowledge is found at the base of Western thought, it is opinion (zann), subjective desire (hawa) and conclusion developed in contentious manner (mira’, jadal) to deny the truth of a thing resulting in doubt (shakk) that are more understood and propagated as knowledge WESTERN THEORY OF KNOWLEDGE  Is not based upon the spiritual conception of man and the universe (secular and devoid of the sense of Sacred)  Relies upon thinking which emerges from the rational and secular traditions of the Greeks and Romans;  and also from the metaphysical speculations of thinkers who subscribe to the :  evolutionary view of life  the psychoanalytical account of human nature