Knowledge as an Essential Component of Faith

“We have sent down the Quran in truth, and with the truth it has come down” (17:105). Being sent down in truth means that it contains ultimate reality and encompasses guidance that leads to the straight path. Being sent down with the truth means that Allah (swt) revealed it as a mercy to His servants, guiding them, enlightening their hearts, showing them the straight path, and warning them of the Day of Judgment.

Those who are endowed with knowledge, when they learn of it, fall upon their faces in prostration, rejoicing at Allah’s fulfillment of His promise that true guidance has come: “Say, ‘Believe in it or do not believe.’ Indeed, those who were given knowledge before it, when it is recited to them, they fall upon their faces in prostration, and they say, ‘Exalted is our Lord! Indeed, the promise of our Lord has been fulfilled’” (17:107–108).

Knowledge, then, is the recognition of this truth. One of the indications of these verses is that those who are granted knowledge are the ones who can truly benefit from the truth (the Quran). Indeed, those who are endowed with knowledge are certain that Allah’s promise is true and that it is an inevitable, fulfilled promise. This lofty knowledge is founded upon belief, submission, trust, and the sincerity of faith — all of which spring from a single source: the Words of Allah, the Quran.

Their prostration is one of reverence, joy, and gladness, for the fulfillment of the promise elevates the station of certainty — from the knowledge of certainty (Ilm al-yaqin) to the vision of certainty (Ayn al-yaqin). This, in turn, brings an increase in faith, tranquility, closeness to Allah, strength of the heart, greater firmness, steadfastness and deeper spiritual grounding.

A vivid example of this glad tiding is seen in the story of Yaqub (peace be upon him) regarding his son, Yusuf. His profound knowledge of Allah, unwavering certainty, and sincere reliance granted him the patience and strength to endure, raising him to a distinguished rank. As Allah (swt) says: “He was truly blessed with ˹great˺ knowledge because of what We had taught him, but most people have no knowledge” (12:68).

Thus, the pursuit of knowledge aims at attaining certainty in the promise of Allah and finding joy in it, even before its fulfillment, while striving against Satan, so that he neither shakes one’s conviction, nor sows doubt. Within this sphere of certainty, one is firmly settled that complaints should be directed to none but Allah. As He said regarding Yaqub (peace be upon him): “He said, 'I only complain of my suffering and my grief to Allah, and I know from Allah that which you do not know'” (12:86) — and that reliance is to be placed solely upon Him.

A servant must recognize that entertaining doubts about Allah’s promise unsettles faith and, in turn, destabilizes character, leading then to hesitation, fear, and confusion. Such a person then seeks security and reassurance from every other possible source, forgetting that true safety lies solely in the nearness and companionship of Allah (swt).

Acquiring this knowledge is, therefore, an essential component of faith. As the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Seeking knowledge is an obligation upon every Muslim, and indeed, whatever a seeker of knowledge does, forgiveness is sought for them — even by the creatures in the sea." In fact, whoever does not acquire this knowledge to attain certainty and reassurance in Allah’s promise will remain fearful and perplexed, placing hopes in those who can neither benefit nor harm them.

One of the characteristics of this knowledge is that it clothes its possessor in humility and reverence, endows them with patience, and grants them, by the grace of Allah, a sense of tranquility. This is clearly seen in the character of the Prophets, peace be upon them, and those who followed them in righteousness. As Allah, Glorified and Exalted, says: “When they listen to what has been revealed to the Messenger, you see their eyes overflowing with tears for recognizing the truth. They say, ‘Our Lord! We believe, so count us among the witnesses’” (5:83).

How does a servant reach this level of knowledge?

First: through determination that springs from a sincere intention and firm grounding in divine guidance, coupled with the awareness that turning away from this knowledge is nothing but surrendering to the deception of Satan and being cast into his paths, far from the way of Allah (swt). The negation of knowledge in the Quran with regard to the disbelievers is not to excuse them, but to rebuke them, for their lack of knowledge stems from their deliberate turning away. Likewise, whoever does not seek this knowledge is as though he is turning away, and thus his insight becomes veiled: at first, he does not know, and eventually, he no longer even perceives.

Second: one must attain the foundational stage of this knowledge — the knowledge that opens the faculties of the mind to comprehend the reality of existence, the purpose of existence, and the balance within existence, which is built upon the principle of establishing truth and nullifying falsehood. As Allah, the Exalted, says: “These are the parables We set forth for mankind, but none will understand them, except those of knowledge” (29:43).

The rational person understands that whatever the heedless have taken as a god, seeking from it benefit or protection from harm, is like the spider that takes a house, that vanishes with the slightest disturbance — “The parable of those who take protectors other than Allah is that of a spider spinning a shelter. And the flimsiest of all shelters is certainly that of a spider, if only they knew” (29:41).

The reality of the divine perspective on existence dictates that reliance on the illusions idolaters hold regarding their deities — or on the power of authority; or on the strength of wealth, which they imagine controls people’s destinies and the course of life; or even on knowledge, which they assume to be the ultimate source of power – is nothing but self-deception.

These forces are like the house to which the spider clings: without foundation, without stability, and destined for inevitable ruin. As Allah, the Exalted, says: “So each We seized for his sin: of them were those upon whom We sent a storm of stones, and of them were those seized by the blast, and of them were those whom We caused the earth to swallow, and of them were those We drowned. And Allah was not unjust to them, but it was they who wronged themselves” (29:40). And in His saying: “The command of Allah has come, so do not seek to hasten it” (16:1).

The true purpose of seeking knowledge is to acquire that which elevates the servant and makes him/her a true believer. The qualities of such knowledge are described in the noble verse: “The believers are only those who, when Allah is mentioned, their hearts tremble; and when His verses are recited to them, it increases them in faith; and upon their Lord they rely” (8:2). Every branch of knowledge that is pursued — whether creed, Hadith, or jurisprudence — is sought for this very purpose, for through these sciences, the servant ensures sincerity in following the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and adhering to the straight path upon which faith is built. This is the inheritance of Prophethood, as we are taught in a Hadith: “for the Prophets did not leave behind a dirham or a dinar; rather, they left behind knowledge. Whoever takes hold of it has indeed taken a great share.”