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Knowledgeby Ruby Zigrino
With the very first revelation in the Quran, God is
commanding humankind to read: What is this ‘reading’, and ‘use of the pen’ God is implying? This cannot be simple reading and writing in the ordinary sense. Because if this Message is for humankind as declared many places, most of humankind at that time, including the Prophet himself, did not know how to read or write. It must be much broader in scope and deeper in meaning: On the grand scale of human wisdom and understanding, the ‘reading’ implied here may be the ‘reading’ of the reality: deciphering God’s truth (huq) and signs-messages (ayats) inscribed in the reality: This is knowledge. And this knowledge helps one not only to know the truth in the divine revelations, but also what is inscribed in the pattern of the reality: the life, the nature, the seen and the unseen Universe. And the ’the use of the pen’ may
mean the retrieving and preserving this information and transmitting to
others. Knowledge, in the ordinary sense, is the acquisition
and accumulation of information as a life progresses, and wisdom is the
frame of mind in which the information is placed, sorted, looked at, and
understood. Information is like a tree, but not the forest, merely dots
in a pattern but not the whole pattern. The wisdom, however, is the ability
to see the forest, to know the pattern, and to comprehend the truth. That
is why wisdom helps one to see things in proper perspective. Therefore,
wisdom can be acquired through compliance with our true nature, and knowledge
can be pursued by acquiring information.
The knowledge coupled with faith enhances appreciation of God’s reality, leading to higher levels of righteousness. For example, in the Quran, the sky is compared with a “canopy”, the function of which is to protect and to provide shelter. To an uninformed person the sky appears like a canopy and he/she appreciates that way. But to an informed person, that canopy consists of the ozone layer and the magnetic field to save life from harmful rays and discharged particles from the Sun. The level of understanding and appreciation of God’s mercy among these two groups cannot be same. Wisdom leads to righteousness, and righteousness
helps to achieve wisdom, building on each other to reach a higher and
higher level of existence before God. Therefore the purpose of the acquired
knowledge is wisdom. In the story of creation of a human, the Quran is placing a god-like status to a human because of this faculty of knowledge that God has implanted: “And He imparted unto Adam all the names [ ism ]” (2: 31) What are these ‘names’? These are the names of elements and component of the reality. To name and classify these elements, bits of reality, man has to have knowledge as to their nature. For example in the physical world names of forces, energies, elements, particles, names of their behavior patterns, names of their interaction patterns; and then there are the names of different behavior patterns and interaction patterns of individuals and/or communities: social, political, and spiritual. In any discipline of knowledge the humans have ascribed names to the contents and components of reality, to describe and to identify its manifested nature. Names of classifications and sub-classifications of group of things and living beings on the basis of similarities and dissimilarities. All these require knowledge of things ‘named’.. Therefore this word “names’ is pervasive and all inclusive. The Arabic word “ism” used here also implies “the knowledge [of a thing]”. Before God, responsibility equates any endowment and empowerment. God knows this ability and this empowerment He has granted to humans. So He also placed the highest responsibility of representing Him on human beings. How ? What is this responsibility ? To take care of God’s creation similar to the way He Does: with truth and justice, with care and compassion, with restrain and balance, and with patience and wisdom. He gave the burden of ‘choice.’ On humans. And gave huge range to choose from, good and bad. Is human being capable enough to
do this enormous job of representing God in this life? Of course:
God empowered this creation ‘human’ with ‘names’:
with knowledge (wisdom) to discern right from wrong, truth form
false, and cause from consequence in making the right choices. The
burden of being the Vicegerent of God now rest squarely on the shoulder
of humankind, for which God commanded the angels to bow before a human.
Through these allegories, God is conveying a very important message:
the empowerment with knowledge and corresponding responsibility.
The Quran is full of exhortations to learn: “so
that you may become wise”, “that you may think”, “that
you may know”, etc. That is the purpose of the Quran and all other
divine revelations of the past, to guide, to inform, and to warn. As
the understanding increases, the appreciation deepens, leading to higher
and higher spirituality to transform one to true success. This
progressive journey leads a soul where it should be: to have a successful
return or reunion to the ‘Ultimate Reality’. And knowledge
that transforms into wisdom through faith helps one to achieve that state.
The whole life and living can be the worship of God if done with knowledge
and wisdom. Quran says: 51: 56 “I have not created the
invisible beings and humankind to any end other than that they may [know
and ] serve Me.” Therefore knowledge is an integral part of faith, and the pursuit of knowledge is an essential process of righteousness. |
