Divine Communication to Humanity

Allah S.W.T communicate with humanity through two types of

communication:

1. Verbal Communication; by sending down Divine

Revelation (wahy) in human language common to both God and
human beings.

2. Non-verbal communication; by creating the entire universe

and all that exist in it.

Both Divine Revelation and the entire world of creation are

considered as ayatullah (the signs of Allah) that men of
knowledge are able to study, explore and reflect the divine
message of God to humanity.

To further understand how Divine communication of God to

humanity is established, the significant of the meanings of the
following Quranic verses are required to be studied:

1. The Qur'an, Surah al-Nisa' 4:1

2. The Qur'an, surah al-Nisa' 4:163

3. The Qur'an, surah al-Rum 30:22

4. The Qur'an, surah Fussilat 41:53

Way (Divine Revelation): Literal and Terminological

Meaning in the Qurn

Literal Meaning of way:

1. Surah quick, prompt, fast and swift

2. Khifa secret, confidential, and concealed from other

The meanings of Way as used in the different context of the

Qurnic verses:
1. Ilhm al-fir li al-insn (Divine inspiration to human beings)
- a way to selected human beings disregarding whether
they were Prophets or not. This kind of way is more
likely a divine inspiration rather than Divine Revelation
in the true sense of the word. For example, in the
Qurn, we are told that Allh had inspired the mother of
Ms A.S with the message to breast feed her baby
(Ms), placed him in a chest and then float the chest
with inside the baby into the Nile River. It must be
noted that way of this nature was predominantly
inspired to the Friends of Allh (awliyullh), especially
the faithful and obedient servants of Allh who have
achieved profoundly sound mn (faith), taqw (piety),
isn (god-consciousness) and being constant in their
performance of righteous deeds (aml al-liah).
2. Ilhm al-gharz li al-hayawn (Divine inspiration to natural
animals)
- Sometimes the word way is also used in the Qurn to
denote specific instinct that Allh has bestowed on
various animal species. It is this instinct that determined
specific mode of behavior or mode of life that the
animals have to comply with in order to sustain their
survival. Each animal species is bestowed with special
instinct that makes it different to the rest of animal
species. For example, Salmon is a fish that lives in salt
water, but once in a year it will find its way, thousands
of miles in distance, to its previous origin in a remote
stream from which it came from in order to breed new
lives and to die. Salmon will repeat this peculiar mode of
behavior every year by instinct or by way as
bestowed by Allh the almighty.
3. Ishrah (quick signal or symbolic signs)
- The Qurn has also used the word way to denote a
quick signal that is applied to convey a specific ideas or
messages that only can be comprehensible to its
intended recipients. For example, in the Qurn, Prophet
Zakaryy A.S is stated to have conveyed specific
instruction upon his people to glorify the name of Allh
 in the morning and evening through quick signal
(ishrah), which is referred to in the Qurn as way.
4. Wasws al-shayn (satanic suggestions or evil
temptations)
- The Qurn has also used the word way in its literal
sense in reference to all forms of quick suggestion of
Shayn (Satan). In this case, it has referred a quick
suggestion to do evil deeds that Satan inspired into the
heart of human being as way. It is stated in the Qurn
that Satan from both Jinns and human beings are
capable of conspiring evil plots to mislead people from
the right conduct exemplified by the Prophets of Allh by
popping in quick suggestion to do evil deeds (waswsah)
into their hearts.
5. Allhs command to Angels
- The Qurn has also used way in reference to the
command of Allh that He inspired to the Angels in order
to carry out certain duties and taks. Angels are the only
creatures close to Allh and they received His command
through direct verbal communication or inspiration
(way). For example, the Angels were commanded by
Allh through way in order to convey certain message
to the believers who were fighting a battle against the
enemies in the battle field not to fear anything, but to
stand firm in the fight as Allh was always with them.
Due to this message, the Muslims had regained their
self-confidence and were able to overcome their fear
and to defeat the forces of unbelief with victory even
though their number was inferior compared to the
superiority of the unbelievers.
6. Divine Revelation to Prophets
- The Qurn has also used way in reference to Divine
inspiration of Allh sent down to His Prophets and
Messengers. The majority of the word way in the
Qurn is used to denote Divine Revelation. It is
sometime referred to as kalmullh (the speech of God)
for reason being that Allh had constantly from time to
time communicated His message to humanity through
 the language spoken by the people to whom the
message was addressed.

To further understand the meaning of way as used in different

contexts in the Qurn these following Qurnic verses must be
studied:

1. The Qurn, al-Qaa 28: 7

2. The Qurn, al-Midah 5:111
3. The Qurn, al-Nal 16: 68-69
4. The Qurn, Maryam 19: 10-11
5. The Qurn, Al-Anm 6:112
6. The Qurn, Al-Baqarah 2: 168-169
7. The Qurn, al-Anfl 8:12
8. The Qurn, al-Nis 4:163

Main features of divine revelation: An Islamic perspective

1. It must be transcendental (Rabbn)

- the wording (laf) and meaning (man) of religious
texts/scriptures must be originated from God the
Creator and Lord of the universe, not of a human, satanic
or angelic invention, production or composition. The
transcendent origin of religious text/scripture is clearly
reflected in the uniformity and conformity of its message
and teachings with the truth (aqq) and the true nature of
reality (aqqah). Consequently, the message and
teachings of any religious text/scripture, which is claimed
to be a Divine Revelation, must be therefore absolutely
free from any form of contradictions (ikhtilf). They must
be also free from illogical and irrational facts about reality
(bil), and superstitious conception of God, man and the
universe (khuraft). The transcendental (rabbn)
character of Divine Revelation is also due to the fact
that the revelation sent down to human Messengers had
one thing in common, that is, its teachings are
centered around the universal message of Tawd
that is, recognizing and acknowledging the Absolute
Oneness of Allh S.W.T as the Rabb (the Creator and Lord
 of the universe) and the Ilh (God worthy of worship,
obedience and devotion).
2. It is a divine prerogative of God
- Divine Revelation that usually proclaims noble message
and ideas is not a product of human invention, or
something that was ultimately attained by men through a
lengthy process of learning, contemplation or rigorous
meditation. Divine Revelation, which is part of
prophethood (nubwwah) in Islam, is Allhs guidance and
command upon His servants. No one, including Allhs
Prophets, has ever anticipated or expected to receive
revelation from Allh.
3. Revealed through the medium of the angel Jibrl (as)
- Divine Revelation was sent down to human messengers in
a manner that is gradual and through the medium of the
archangel Jibrl . It was gradual in order to ensure the
Prophets who received it were able to grasp its
message and meaning, and were able to adopt certain
measures for realizing its instructions within a specific
period of time, space and condition.
4. Its Message and Teachings are the truths and conform to
truths
- also serve as a Book of Guidance in order to lead people
to the Right Path (sir al-mustaqm), truth (aqq) and
piety (taqw), and to safeguard them from falsehood
(bil), evil (munkar) and superstitious belief (khuraft).
The aim of Divine Revelation in this regard is not merely
to deliver people from the shackle of falsehood and utter
ignorance (jhilyyah), which steer them to the worship of
non-divine objects (shirk), but also to establish the truth
as a foundation of reform (isl) and civilization. the
message and teachings of Divine Revelation must be
practical and relevant to the existing sociopolitical
conditions of the people that have been subjects of its
reform.

To further understand the significant characteristics of Divine

Revelation (Way) according to Islamic perspective, these
following Qurnic are required to be studied:
 1. The Qurn, al-Nal 16:36
2. The Qurn, al-aff 61: 7
3. The Qurn, al-Anm 6: 124
4. The Qurn, al-Anm 6: 124
5. The Qurn, al-Qaa 28: 85-86
6. The Qurn, Ynus 10:15
7. The Qurn, al-Baqarah 2:97-98
8. The Qurn, al-Nis 4:171
To verify that the message and teachings of the divine way in
Holy Books/Scriptures are free from contradictions or
discrepancies (ikhtilf):

1. Self-conflicting statements, such as one verse contradicts

another verses on certain issue, e.g., the lordship of Jesus
Christ, how can he be a son of god, if he subjects to the same
laws that God imposed on nature (foot consumptions,
suffering of illness and death)

2. Contradictions against scientific and historical facts, for

instance, the Bible in Mathew 1:16-21, in which Joseph the
son of Jacob is said to be the husband of Marry, and her
custodian in looking after her welfares until the birth of Jesus.
The Qurn has made a correction to this factual discrepancy.

3. To verify the message and teachings of the holy Books in

comparison with the scientific works and findings of scholars
who are experts and well-versed in them. Objective scholars
will never ignore the truth, or speak falsely against the truth.
As the Qurn says, And those to whom knowledge has
come, (those are endued with knowledge), will see that the
(Revelation) sent down to thee from thy Lord is that, it is the
Truth, and that it guides to the Path of the Exalted (in might),
Worthy of all praise (Saba 34:6)
The Quran Its Definition and Characteristics
Definition: [T]he miraculous speech or word of Allah (al-
kalm al-mujiz) sent down or revealed to Prophet
Muammad , and transcribed or committed into writing in
a form of manuscripts (maif), and its transmission from the
Prophet was made possible through sufficient numbers of
reliable and trusted authorities whose number had reached the
level of tawtur, and its recitation is considered as part of
worship (ibdah) in Islam
Summary of the Definition:

1. Miraculous speeches of Allh

- There is no doubt that the Qurn is an authentic

collection of the miraculous speech or word of Allh . In
fact, it is the greatest miracle that Muammad had in the
course of his struggle to overcome the charm of falsehood
(bil) and to establish the truth (al-aqq), that is, to
ensure that whatever that is false completely eliminated
and subdued, and whatever that is in conformity with the
truth prevails and triumphs. In order to appreciate the
uniqueness of the Qurn, one has to elucidate the
meaning of its inimitability in terms of two interrelated
contexts; first, in the context of the Qurn being the sole
source of authority to ascertain the validity of
Muammads claim of prophethood, and second, in the
context of the Qurn being a book of guidance whose
universal message and teachings are addressed not only
to the pre-Islamic Arabs, but also to humanity at large.
The Qurn is proven to be the greatest miracle when it
did well to overcome the popularity and reputation of the
jhil Arabic literary traditions. The Arabs during the pre-
Islamic history were utterly intoxicated by the powerful
spell of poetry (shir) composed by renowned jhil
poets.
- The second aspect of the unique phenomenon of the
Qurn (ijz al-Qurn) is reflected in its universal
 message and teachings that conform to the truth. Its
metaphysical discourses on the conception of God, man
and the universe as a whole are expounded with
intelligible methods compatible to human reason and
science. The methods are not philosophically
complicated, but easily comprehensible to people who
have common sense and genuine sincerity in search
of truth. It is therefore normal to Qurnic styles that
when it presented certain issue, such as the unity and
absolute oneness of Allh, it would usually end the given
argument with an appeal to common sense and human
reason. For instance, the Qurn has denounced the
polytheistic idea about the existence of many gods
as erroneous on logical premise that if there were
many gods in the heavens and the earth, certainly there
would be unprecedented scale of corruption and
destruction (fasd) taking place throughout the entire
universe. On this the Qurn says; If there were therein
gods beside Allah, then verily both (the heavens and the
earth) had been disordered. Glorified be Allah, the Lord of
the Throne, from all that they ascribe (unto Him)

2. Revealed to Muammad (s.a.w)

- The Qurn is a heavenly divine revelation sent down

gradually to the Prophet Muammad throughout the last
twenty-three years of his life, that is, thirteen years in
Makkah and another ten years in Madnah. The Arabic
description of this definition is al-munzal ala al-naby to
describe that the Qurn was sent down to the Prophet
from the heaven. It excludes from the definition of the
Qurn other things related to the Prophet but not
revealed from the heaven, such as speeches of other
human beings in their communication with him and his
own speeches that later narrated as part of his prophetic
traditions (adth al-nabaw).

3. Written down in muaf

 - In order to preserve its holiness and sacredness (quds) of
the Qurn, it must be written down in manuscripts
(muif). It is due to the nature of the Qurn as a
sacred and holy Scripture that Muslims are required to
have a wu (ablution) and been in a state of
cleanliness and purity in the Sharah sense of ahrah
(purity and clean) before they could touch and carry it
along its recitation. Modern technology has made it
possible to copy the entire Qurn in diskettes or CD,
but this method of Qurnic documentation does not
enjoy similar nature of sacredness and holiness equal
to one that is written down in muaf (manuscript). Apart
from that there is also attempt at writing down certain
Qurnic verses on a piece of paper, animal skin or wood
as a calligraphically work of arts. This kind of
Qurnic objet d'art does not enjoy the equal nature of
holiness and sacredness similar to the Qurn documented
or recorded in the muaf (manuscript). Nevertheless as
Muslims we are requested and strongly urged to respect
Qurnic verses written down on any forms of material.

4. Transmitted and compiled as a muaf by sufficient numbers

of trusted and reliable authorities that reached the level
of tawtur

- The Qurn is the only divine scripture that is able to

preserve its authenticity and originality in both wording
(laf) and meaning (man) without any change,
replacement or modification. This was possible due to the
strict approach adopted by early Muslim authorities, the
abah in particular, in their commitment to safeguard
the authenticity and originality of the Qurn. 30 During
the early days of Revelation, the abah did not write
anything except the Qurn on the command of the
Prophet. This policy was practically instituted in times
when Muslims were not yet acquainted with the
distinction between revelations and non-revelations,
between the Divine words of God and the human words
of Muammad . Due to the scarcity of writing
materials, the abah were then encouraged to
 memorize the Qurn by hearts. Some were able to write
down part of the revelations or the whole chapters of the
Qurn on their own initiatives. Of course, despite
minor variation in recitations, all this was done under
careful supervision of the Prophet and other
leading Qurn readers (qurr) among the abah.
Apart from this, the Prophet had for his safekeeping
manuscripts, which contained chapters of the Qurn
dictated for him upon its revelation by authorized
scribers, like Al bin Ab lib, Uthmn bin Affn, Zayd
bin Thbit, Ibn Abbs and others.

5. Its recitation (tilwah), study and learning (qirah) is part

of ibdah

- Its recitation is considered as part of worship (ibdah) in

Islam even though one may not understand its meaning.
Due to that reason, the Sharah has made it obligatory
for Muslims to recite only Qurnic verses in their
prayers, and the recitation of nonQurnic verses will
definitely invalidate the prayers. The recitation will be
part of ibdah when Muslims approach, treat and deal
with the Qurn according the Sunnah adopted the
abah generation.

Arguments to substantiate that Muhammad (saw) was not

the author of the Qur'an:

1. Muhammad (saw) was illiterate (ummi); did not know how to

read and write, did not follow any formal or informal
education for him to master any religious teachings or
philosophy

2. If the Qur'an was authored by Muhammad (saw), surely

other human beings who has literary talent would be able to
composed a similar Qur'an. The Qur'an has posed a challenge
to its skeptics to create a similar literary product comparable
to the Qur'an in beauty and quality
 3. If the Qur'an was authored by Muhammad (saw), a human
being, surely one would find much discrepancy (ikhtilaf)
throughout the passages of the Qur'an

Reading and studying the Qur'an is an act of worship

(ibadah).
How did the Sahabah approach the Qur'an?
They would read five to ten verses of the Qur'an, and will not read
the next verses unless they completed the following practices in
dealing with the five to ten verses they had now been reading:

1. Reading in compliant with the recital-rules

of tajwd instructed by the Prophet (saw)
2. Understanding the meaning and implications of those verses
as instructed by the Prophet (saw)
3. Applying and implementing the teachings of those verses in
their living activities without a delay
4. Memorizing those by heart

The hadith and its authentication:

The meaning of adth.
1. Hadith: The word adth in Arabic implies narration, news
or report of certain events, occurrences or happenings,
current issues, messages or discourses that have been
topical subject of discussion by people. Terminologically, the
term is technically used by Muslim scholars to imply
whatever that is attributed to the Prophet S.A.W whether it
be a saying or statement (qawl), a doing or action (fil), a
tacit approval (taqrr) or personal or moral attribute (ifat).

The methods applied to authenticate the Prophets adth:

1. Evaluation based on chain of narrators (sanad): According to

scholars of adth, the chain of narrators (sanad) is
considered sound and reliable when it fulfills the following
qualifications:
- The first narrators must be eyewitnesses to the events,
happenings or occurrences related or attributed to the
Prophet S.A.W.
 - The chain of narration must not be broken by the missing
of a narrator or narrators representing a particular
generation, or interrupted by unreliable narrators.
- The narrators themselves must be reliable in terms of
their moral and intellectual credentials. A reliable
narrators must possess the following criteria; 1) He must
be Muslim, 2) He must possess excellent religious
integrity, whose adlah (just moral aptitude) is well
known (Marf) to the Muslim intellectual community,
3) He must possess sound murah moral integrity
whose amnah (trustworthiness) is well-known to the
Muslim intellectual community, 4) He must possess
incredible ability to memorize every adth he has
received by heart (afaah), 5) He must be well-known or
popular (marf) to the Muslim intellectual community,
and 6) He must be knowledgeable in adth and other
related sciences (ilm).
2. Evaluation based on text of adth (matan): Apart from
above, scholars of adth have also identified some
important criteria that can be used to evaluate the
soundness of the entire text of adth. Al-Sib has listed
down at least twelve observable criteria of a sound text of
adth as follows:
- The wording (laf) of the text of adth is not meek or poor
compared to the standard of clear and flawless (balgh)
Arabic language.
- The text of adth does not contain anything contradictory
to common sense, whose content allows no possible
explanation or interpretation.
- The text of adth does not contain anything contradictory
to the general principles of law and morality underlined
and approved by the Sharah of Islam.
- The text of adth does not contain anything contradictory
to the actual facts proven by the human senses through
practical observation and experiment (mushhadah).
- The text of adth does not contain anything contradictory
to common knowledge and findings that have been long
confirmed by medical science (ilm al-ibb) and wisdom
(ikmah).
 - The text of adth does not contain propagandist materials
that are despicable to the pristine teachings of the
Sharah or have nothing to do with the Sharah
altogether.
- The text of adth does not contain anything contradictory
to what is comprehensible to human reason (maql) in
matters related to the principles of belief (Aqdah) in
Islam, such as the nature and attributes of Allah and
necessary characters of His Prophets.
- The text of adth does not contain anything contradictory
to the facts about the general laws and norms
(sunnatullh) that naturally function by the command of
Allah in dealing with nature and humanity.
- The text of adth does not contain any feeble, ridiculous,
foolish or stupid thing (sakhaft) repugnant and
objectionable to men of reason (al- uqal).
- The text of adth does not contain anything contradictory
to the general rules and principles established on the
authority of the Qurn, the Sunnah and Ijm of Muslim
scholars, which are commonly known by necessity
(arrah) and require no further interpretation by means
of tawl.
- The text of adth does not contain anything contradictory
to historical facts and realities during the lifetime of the
Prophet S.A.W.
- The text of adth does not contain anything apparently or
seemingly in favor of the views held by certain schools of
thought (madhhib) in whom the adth was originated
and popular.

The Sunnah and its authority:

1. The meaning of Sunnah

- A comprehensive code of conduct/ life/ ethics exemplified
by the Prophet S.A.W to Muslim to comply with and guide
for action in their daily activities; be it religious, political,
social, cultural, economics or ethical affairs.
2. The distinction between Sunnah and adth
 - Sunnah means an established tradition or code of conduct
exemplified by the Prophet S.A.W, while adth is simply
an instrument to report, record and thus preserve this
code of conduct.
3. The sources of Sunnah (where from do we learn the
Prophets Sunnah?)
- The Quran; Tafsir literature
- The Hadith literature
- The Sirah literature
- The Maghazi literature
- The Shamail literature
- The Sahabah liturature
4. The authority of the Prophets Sunnah
- Legislation of Shariah Laws: in ibadah and muamalat
- Knowledge and science

The following are evidences used to establish the

authority of Sunnah as a source of Sharah law legislation
and knowledge in Islam

1. Religious evidences: Muslims are obliged to obey the

Prophets instructions and directives as enshrined in his
Sunnah, as much as they are also obliged to recognize the
authority of the Sunnah (ujjyah al-sunnah) to be a source
of Sharah and knowledge in Islam, second to the
Qurn. This obligation is founded on religious and
rational grounds. As far as the religious ground is concerned,
there are many evidences from the Qurn in support of this
obligation. The Qurn has obliged the Muslims to obey the
Prophets instructions; observe what he has commanded
and to refrain themselves from what he has prohibited.
Allah Taala says: O! You who believe, obey God, and
obey the Messenger, and those charged with authority
among you. If you differ in anything among yourselves,
refer it to God and His Messenger, if you do believe in God
and the last day: that is best and most suitable for final
determination. In some other place, the Qurn does not
differentiate obedience to the Prophet and obedience to
Allh as two different courses of action. It is in actuality a
 single act of obedience, for Muslims cannot possibly
claim of having obeyed the command of Allh, but at the
same time disobeying the Prophets instructions embodied
in his Sunnah.

2. Rational evidences

Contributions of Divine Revelation towards the progress of

knowledge and sciences in Islam
The meaning of Divine Revelation: al- Quran and Sunnah
Contributions of Divine Revelation:
1) Divine Revelation (the Qurn and Sunnah) is in itself a subject
matter in Muslim learning and teaching:

1. Muslims are obliged to study, learn and teach the Qurn and
the Prophets Sunnah.

2. Scholars had developed new sciences, such as ulm al-

Qurn (sciences of the Qurn and ulm al-adth (sciences
of the adth), and Arabic language in order to study the
Qurn and the Prophets Sunnah

2) Divine Revelation (the Qurn and Sunnah) provides general

principles (mabdi al-mmah) and code of ethics (mabdi al-
khulqiyyah) in Muslim scientific activities. They can be
summarized as follows:

1. The principle of Tawid

- Tawd is the most fundamental pillar of the Muslim
vision of reality. With the concept of Tawd,
Muslims are taught not only to believe in the absolute
oneness of Allh as the Creator (al-Khliq) of the
entire universe, but also to recognize Him as the
Absolute Source of Authority (ib al-Suln), Who has
the right to dictate what is right and wrong, good
and evil, justice and injustice, by His command.
2. The principle of Khilfah
- Apart from being a servant of Allh S.W.T, man is also
His khalfah (Allhs vicegerent on earth). This position
 actually determines his true cosmological position and
role in relation with fellow human beings and other
creatures. As khalfah of Allh, man is given the
privilege to inherit and utilize the physical world of
creation according to the will of its Creator, Allh, and
respect of the universal principles He has disclosed in
His revelations (Sharah). In fact, as stated throughout
the passages of the Qurn, Allh has created all
that exists in the natural world subject to the
human use, utility and services. The Qurnic term for
this is istiskhr (subjection of something for the
benefit of man (the khalfah) by the command of Allh.
As Allhs khalfah, man has to realize that he is
neither the master nor the absolute owner of nature. He
is simply a vicegerent of God, who supposed to
bring about prosperity and development on earth
according to the will of the Master/Creator of
nature.
3. The Principle of Ibdah
- In Islam, the pursuit of knowledge and scientific
activities are not purely a worldly or mundane task.
Seeking out knowledge is a part of ibdah to Allh
and a noble service to humanity. Being part of ibdah
to Allh, the pursuit of knowledge must be therefore
made completely free from worldly-selfish motives
that are only beneficial to certain individual, class,
group of people. Since the pursuit of knowledge is
part of ibdah in Islam, its aim must be therefore
noble and above selfish objectives of individual
scholars and scientists, who might have abused or
misused the knowledge, expertise and scientific
outcomes for worldly gains rather than to seek the
pleasure of Allh S.W.T and to serve humanity.
4. The Principle of Marf and Munkar
- Intellectual and scientific activities involving Muslim
scientists and students must not be indifferent to the
universal and transcendental values and virtues
disclosed by Allh in His revelations (the Qurn) and
embodied in the Sunnah of the Prophet S.A.W. These
 universal values and virtues include for instance the
instructions for Muslims to establish and stand by
justice (adl) as opposed to injustice (ulm); to abide by
the principle of equality of human being (muswah) as
opposed to religious and ethnic bigotry (ammyyah);
to espouse co-operation (tawun) on the basis of
mutual understanding, respect and knowing each other
(taruf), righteousness (marf) as opposed to evil
(munkart), and a service to the general interests
(malaah al- mmah) indispensable for the welfares
and well-being of humanity at large; respect of the
harmony and balance (tawzun) that is already the
intrinsic character of nature, so that scientific
activities and their products must not break this
state of harmony and to impose in its stead all
sorts of corruption and destruction (fasd)
catastrophic not only to nature but also to the very
survival of humanity itself; and lastly but not least,
respect of basic human rights recognized by the
Sharah, including the right to live, the right to
the freedom of religion and expression, the right to
self-determination, the right to social mobility, the right
to lead a decent and noble life.

Respect of general code of ethics prescribed by the Qurn and

Sunnah, such as justice, fairness in distribution of wealth,
preservation of cosmic tawzun in the environment, sustainable
development of economic prosperity and others

3) Divine Revelation (the Qurn and Sunnah) will serve as a

source of knowledge in Islam:
The Qurn embodies the signs of Allah (ytullh) that Muslim
can rely as evidence to discover the knowledge about the reality
of something; be they intelligible to human senses (lam al-
shahdah), or not intelligible to human senses (lam al-ghayb).

The concept of knowledge:

The meaning of ilm (science) and marifah (knowledge):
- The words ilm and marifah in Arabic are generally used to
denote knowledge or science. Some of Muslim scholars are even
more specific about the terms and used ilm as a collective noun
to imply science, and marifah to signify knowledge in general.
Based on this definition, one might have a general conception
about knowledge in Islam, in which ilm can be interpreted to
imply a body of knowledge that is quantitatively and qualitatively
objective or empirical in nature, like mathematics and
natural/applied sciences, whereas marifah can be interpreted in
reference to a body of knowledge that is subjective in nature and
not subject to empirical methods of study, such as philosophy,
metaphysics, theology.
The classifications and the obligation of seeking out knowledge in
Islam:
- Al-Rghib al-Afahn has classified ilm into naar (theoretical)
and amal (practical). The division is made depending on the
nature of the objective for Muslims to study it. The former
is considered theoretical because, after obtaining it, Muslims
are not obliged to put it into practice, such as the
knowledge about the multifarious forms of existence in the
universe. In contrast, the latter is considered practical
knowledge because after obtaining it, Muslims are obliged to put
it into practice, such as the knowledge about religious duties
pertaining to worship (ibdt). Based on the understanding
of the concept of knowledge above, Muslim scholars have
classified knowledge and sciences into two main categories:
1. Al-Ulm al-Naqlyyah aw al-Sharyyah: translated as the
Transmitted, Religious, Revealed or Sharah Knowledge which is
originated and developed from the revealed and inspired sources,
namely the Qurn and Sunnah of the Prophet. It is called
Transmitted Knowledge, because it is made available to man
through valid sources and trusted authorities. The sciences
included under this category are mainly related to the study of
Islam as a religion and complete way of life for humanity, thus it
pertains to first, Aqdah which covers the fundamentals of belief
in Islam, such as theology (ilm al-kalm), the science of Tawd
(ilm al-tawd), philosophy (falsifah), metaphysics (ilm m
war al. abah), the principles of religion (uluddn), theology
(ilhyyah), Sufism (tasawwuf) and Islamic worldview (taawwur);
second, Sharah which covers the study of the command of
Allh (Sharah) pertaining to every aspects of the Muslim life
and activities, such as Islamic jurisprudence (Fiqh), Principles of
Islamic Jurisprudence (Ul al-Fiqh), Sciences of the Qurn (Ulm
al-Qurn), Sciences of adth (Ulm al-adth), the History of
the Prophet (Srah alNabawyyah), International Relations (Siyr),
War and Peace (Maghz), Governance and Administration (al-
Akm al-Sulnyyah), and the Arabic language (Naw, Bayn,
Maniq, Balghah); third, Akhlq which covers the study of the
principles of ethics and morality in Islam (Ilm al-Ahklq). It would
include also the study of the nature of human actions, the
meaning of good and evil, right and wrong, and the ethical
instructions for Muslims to emulate the morally good
(mamdah) and avoid the morally evil (madhmmah), and to
constantly strive (mujhadah) to achieve the highest possible
ranking of spiritual excellence (isn), piety (taqw), sincerity in
good deeds (ikhl), certain faith (mn), and others.
2. Al-Ulm al-Aqlyyah; translated as the Rational or Intellectual
sciences. In this category, other disciplines of knowledge and
science are thought to Muslim students. These include for
instance logics, mathematics, the sciences of nature (al-Ulm al-
abyyah), such as cosmology, biology, chemistry and physics,
the applied sciences (al-Ulm al-Riyyyah) such as engineering,
architecture and arts, medical sciences, farming, and philosophy
(Falsifah). It is called the Intellectual or Rational (aql) sciences
because of two reasons; first, the knowledge established by
these disciplines of science could be arrived at by human reason
and intelligence, and are not transmitted (naql) in the same way
as the religious, linguistic and historical sciences.
The classification of knowledge into two categories as above
has its significant meaning to the seekers of knowledge in
Islam, especially when one speaks of the order of necessity and
the obligation pertaining to its acquisition. It is undoubtedly
evident, as found also in the writings of Imm al-Ghazl and
other Muslim scholars that Muslims are obliged to study and
master first and foremost the Transmitted Knowledge
primarily before they decided to specialize in any disciplines of
the Rational Knowledge. It becomes a consensus of the Muslim
scholars that the first kind of knowledge is obligatory to all
Muslims (far ayn) a religious duty that is imposed upon
every Muslim men and women, whereas the second category
of knowledge is obligatory to some Muslims only (far
kifyah). Nevertheless, Muslims are told that the obligation
to acquire and master the Rational or Scientific Knowledge
might be changed to the level of far ayn a duty that is
imposed on those who are qualified in certain disciplines of
science considered indispensable for the welfare and general
interests (malaah al-mmah) of the Ummah and its survival.
It is worth noted that as far as the objective of knowledge
is concerned, both the categories of knowledge stated above
are important for Muslims as an individual and society. The first
is necessary in order to define their vertical and personal
relationship with the Creator as His servants (abdulLh), while
the latter is indispensable in order to realize their cosmic roles
and responsibility as vicegerents of God (khalfatulLh) on earth.
If looked at from this perspective, we may argue that the
classification of knowledge in terms of the nature of
obligation to acquire it into far ayn and far kifyah is
completely irrelevant. When the Prophet S.A.W imposed the
obligation for Muslims to acquire knowledge, he did not virtually
differentiate between the knowledge that is considered far ayn
for its acquisition and the knowledge that is far kifyah. What
is important is that, it is a moral and religious duty for every
Muslims to acquire knowledge, either the Transmitted or the
Rational ones.
Sources of knowledge:
 1. The Divine Revelation consisting of the Qurn and the
Prophets Sunnah.
2. The natural world of creation described in the Qurn as
ytulLh indicating to the existence of God; His creative
power, sovereignty, knowledge and wisdom.
Characteristics of Islamic theory of knowledge
1. Integration of the sources of knowledge: Muslim scholars are
all in agreement that knowledge originally comes from God,
including what is today called as the knowledge of the
natural and human sciences by virtue of the fact that all the
discoveries of these sciences are actually achieved as a
result of studying the natural world of creation, including
man. According to the Islamic worldview, the natural world of
creation is not an independent reality that has come into
being (wujd) and existence (mawjd) through accidental
process of nature. On the contrary, it has come into
existence as a consequence of Gods absolute will and
design. The Qur n tells the Muslims that the creation of the
world and all its contents was not a futile exercise bereft of
transcendent objectives. 55 Thus, one of the objectives of
the creation of nature is to serve as ytulLh (the signs of
God) through which man, by means of reflection, observation
and research, may accomplish the true marifah
(knowledge) about God His creative power,
sovereignty and wisdom as manifested in nature. In
addition to this, the Qurn has also encouraged men of
reason to be witnesses upon the truth (al-aqq) through
reflecting upon themselves (anfus), 56 particularly of that
which is related to their origin, physiological and
psychological dispositions, human nature, the purpose of
their creation, the meaning of their existence in relation to
God and the universe, their history and civilization, etcs.
2. Integration of the Revealed and the Rational Knowledge: The
Muslim intellectual tradition has never approved the secular
assumption of the separation or dichotomy between the
Revealed and the Rational Sciences. The latter has never
 been viewed in contrast to, but a complementary to and
extension of the former. Muslims are obliged to master both
the disciplines of knowledge. They are constantly
reminded that specialization of the Rational alone with total
neglect of the Revealed would definitely bring about
confusion into the Muslim minds and disintegration of
their personalities. It is a matter of principle in the Muslim
tradition that no one is allowed to study and become
specialized in any disciplines of the Rational sciences,
unless he or she must have achieved satisfied mastery
in the Sharah Sciences, including memorization of the
Qurn and mastery of the Arabic language at a very young
age. According to this principle, the Revealed Knowledge
should serve as a guidance and foundation for the
evolution and expansion of other disciplines of the scientific
knowledge. Due to its tawhdic worldview, the Islamic
epistemology has never recognized two separate
systems of education in which Muslim students are
given the option to study Sharah Sciences at
traditional religious schools or to pursue their study of
Rational Sciences at non-religious schools. On the
contrary, students are taught with both disciplines of
sciences under one system of education under the
instructions of able and qualified teachers. Under this
system, students are not allowed to specialize in any
subject matter of Rational Sciences unless they have
first mastered the Sharah Sciences.
3. Integration of Revelation and Reason: Another important
characteristic of the Islamic concept of knowledge is its
commitment to seek the integration of revelation and
reason as infused by the tawdic worldview of truth and
reality. In the secular worldviews, reason is venerated above
anything else, including revelation, as the only authority
and criterion to ascertain truth and reality. Modern
scientists and philosophers who have been influenced by
secularism in one way or another are reluctant to accept the
authority of Divine Revelation. Some of them do recognize
the importance of Revelation, but its function according
to their assumption is completely marginal and applicable
only to a very limited domain of theological and religious
discourse only. As far as scientific and philosophical issues
are concerned, Divine Revelation is often relegated to an
insignificant position inferior to human reason. In many
occasions, Revelation is only superficially invoked to
sanction certain scientific findings or theories rather than
used as an authoritative source of knowledge. Other group
of secular scientists and philosophers are even more
extreme in their opposition against revelation. For them,
revelation should not be a source of knowledge or criterion
to ascertain truth and reality, because it was a bygone
product of primitive mentality which was inferior to the
forces of nature. Revelation according to them has no
scientific and intellectual values and contradictory to
science.