From Knowing to Being

From Knowing to Being: A Qur’anic Theory of Knowledge and the Renewal of Civilization.

Introduction: The Awakening of Consciousness

My journey into the theory of knowledge did not begin in an academic classroom, but in the quiet depths of reflection—drawn to an event that have stirred human wonder for centuries: the story of Adam’s creation. I begin by gathering all the verses on a given subject, trusting that the Qur’an unveils its meanings from within itself.

In contemplating these verses, one moment stands out with incomparable significance:

“When I have shaped him and breathed into him of My Spirit, fall down before him in prostration.” (Qur’an 15:29)

It was here, in that divine breath, that I recognized the birth of human consciousness, the moment when Adam, and through him all of us, became aware of truth, responsibility, and the sacred trust of existence. That breath transformed inert matter into a conscious being capable of knowing, reasoning, choosing, and loving. It was the moment humanity was endowed with the capacity for knowledge (‘ilm) and recognition (ma‘rifah).

As I pondered this, a realization dawned upon me that changed the course of my understanding: truth itself is Allah, the only Truth that truly exists. Everything other than God is contingent, dependent, and therefore not truly real in itself. This insight was not a philosophical conclusion but a spiritual awakening, a moment when the heart recognized what the intellect had long sought: that all knowledge begins and ends with the Divine.

From that point on, the pursuit of knowledge for me was no longer an intellectual exercise but an act of worship, an effort to align my consciousness with the reality of al-Ḥaqq, the Ultimate Truth. To know became to serve, and to serve became to love. I began to realize that my purpose in life is not only to understand the world but to be the best I can be, to benefit others, and to honor the earth from which I was created.

In this understanding, knowledge is not an abstraction but a living responsibility. It connects the mind to the heart, reason to revelation, and humanity to the rest of creation. This vision is profoundly Qur’anic: knowledge is a trust (amānah), a means of guidance, and a path to moral and spiritual growth.

Yet, as I later discovered, the question of what it means to know has preoccupied philosophers across civilizations. The Western philosophical tradition, from Plato to Kant and beyond, sought to define knowledge in terms of belief, justification, and truth. But in their search for certainty, many lost sight of its ultimate purpose — to awaken the human spirit and guide it toward the good.

The Qur’an, by contrast, offers a holistic theory of knowledge that integrates the rational, the empirical, and the spiritual. It affirms reason but situates it within the broader reality of divine revelation and moral responsibility. It values observation and science but insists that they serve compassion, justice, and stewardship of the earth.

This essay begins from that personal awakening and moves toward a broader exploration of the Qur’anic view of knowledge and its relationship to Western epistemology. It concludes with a vision for a renewed civilization, one that harmonizes faith and reason, integrates ethics with science, and uses technology not to alienate humanity from its Creator but to help young people rediscover meaning and become agents of a revolution of the hearts: worshipping Allah, serving humanity, and caring for the Earth.

1. The Qur’anic Theory of Knowledge: From ʿIlm to Maʿrifah

The Qur’an presents a comprehensive and integrated theory of knowledge that begins with God as the ultimate source of all knowing and extends to every level of human understanding. Unlike philosophical traditions that treat knowledge as merely intellectual or empirical, the Qur’an treats it as a sacred trust, binding together truth, ethics, and purpose. It does not separate knowing from being or understanding from acting. In this view, knowledge is both a divine light and a moral responsibility, it elevates the human being only when it transforms the heart.

1. Knowledge as a Divine Gift

The first word revealed in the Qur’an, “Iqra’” — Read! (96:1) — sets the tone for the entire Islamic intellectual tradition. It is both a command and an invitation: to observe, to reflect, and to recognize. But the revelation continues, clarifying that reading and knowing are not autonomous human acts; they depend upon divine facilitation:

“Read in the name of your Lord who created… who taught by the pen, taught man what he did not know.” (Qur’an 96:1–5)

Here, the act of knowing is sanctified by its orientation: “in the name of your Lord.” Human knowledge thus begins in humility, acknowledging its source in the Divine. The Qur’an reminds humanity again and again:

“You have been given of knowledge only a little.” (17:85)

This acknowledgment is not meant to limit inquiry, but to purify it, to ensure that the pursuit of knowledge remains an act of reverence, not arrogance.

2. ʿIlm: Structured Understanding of Creation

The Qur’an frequently uses the word ʿilm (knowledge) to describe the process of discovering and understanding the signs (āyāt) of God in the universe. These signs include both revelation and creation, the Book of Scripture and the Book of Nature, both authored by the same Creator.

When the Qur’an says:

“He taught Adam the names — all of them” (2:31),

it is describing not only the gift of language but also the capacity to categorize, conceptualize, and comprehend. This is the root of all science, philosophy, and learning. Through ʿilm, humans learn the relationships, patterns, and laws that govern existence.

In the Qur’anic worldview, therefore, ʿilm is objective and universal, the kind of knowledge that allows us to build civilizations, advance science, and solve problems. But it is also moral and relational, a means to recognize divine order and to act responsibly within it.

True (ʿilm) knowledge never leads to pride; it leads to awe:

“Only those who have knowledge (‘ulamā’) truly revere Allah.” (35:28)

Here, the Qur’an links knowledge directly to reverence (khashyah). The more one knows, the more one becomes aware of one’s dependence on the Creator. This transforms knowledge from information into illumination.

3. Maʿrifah: Inner Recognition and Experiential Knowing

While ʿilm refers to established, demonstrable knowledge, the Qur’an and the Islamic intellectual tradition also speak of maʿrifah — the knowledge of recognition, the awareness that arises when the heart perceives truth directly. It is the difference between knowing about something and knowing it through direct experience.

The Qur’an uses the root ʿarafa when describing intuitive recognition:

“They recognize (yaʿrifūna) him as they recognize their own sons.” (2:146)

This is not conceptual knowing but personal familiarity, a recognition that penetrates the heart.

In Sufi and philosophical literature, maʿrifah came to signify spiritual knowledge, the kind that connects the knower with the known. It is not opposed to ʿilm but completes it.

As al-Ghazālī wrote, “ʿIlm is the light on your tongue; maʿrifah is the light in your heart.”

In this sense, ʿilm leads to maʿrifah, and maʿrifah leads to (ḥikmah) wisdom, or the ability to apply knowledge in harmony with divine purpose.

4. The Triad of Revelation, Reason, and Experience

The Qur’an teaches that knowledge has three complementary sources:

Revelation (waḥy): the highest and most certain form of knowledge, revealing truths that transcend sensory perception and reason alone.

Reason (‘aql): the faculty through which humans interpret revelation and derive understanding.

Observation and Experience (ḥiss / tajrībah): the empirical method of studying the natural world and history.

This triad forms the foundation of Islamic epistemology. Each source has its domain: revelation provides purpose, reason organizes and interprets, and experience tests and confirms. When all three work in harmony, they lead to both intellectual progress and moral balance. When one dominates the others, as in the purely rational or purely empirical approaches of modernity, imbalance and moral confusion result.

5. The Ethical Dimension of Knowledge

In the Qur’an, knowledge is inseparable from ethics. It is never neutral or value-free. Every act of knowing carries a moral consequence, because knowledge confers power, and power demands accountability.

“Do not pursue that of which you have no knowledge. Indeed, the hearing, the sight, and the heart, all of them will be questioned.” (17:36)

This verse outlines the moral anatomy of knowing: our senses gather information, our intellect interprets it, and our heart decides its purpose. The process of knowing, therefore, is a test of integrity. True knowledge must lead to gratitude, humility, and service, not domination or exploitation.

For this reason, the Qur’an condemns knowledge that is divorced from virtue, such as the knowledge of Qarun (Korah), who arrogantly claimed:

“I was only given it because of knowledge I possess.” (28:78)

By contrast, it praises those whose knowledge deepens their faith and compassion, who use their understanding to heal, to build, and to serve.

6. Knowledge as the Foundation of Vicegerency

When God declared to the angels, “I am placing on earth a vicegerent” (2:30), He linked the human mission directly to knowledge. Adam’s distinction was not physical strength or material capacity but awareness: the ability to name, to learn, to understand. Knowledge, therefore, is the essence of human stewardship (khilāfah).

To know is to participate in the divine act of creation, not by rivaling God but by unfolding the meanings He placed in the universe. The human being becomes a mirror reflecting divine attributes: mercy, justice, creativity, and wisdom.

Thus, the Qur’anic theory of knowledge is not about acquiring facts but about becoming fully human. The ultimate purpose of knowing is to live in truth, to serve with love, and to fulfill the trust of existence.

7. Summary: From Illumination to Responsibility

In summary, the Qur’an teaches that ʿilm and maʿrifah are two dimensions of the same reality:

ʿIlm organizes our understanding of the world.

Maʿrifah transforms that understanding into recognition of the Divine.

Together, they produce ḥikmah, wisdom that aligns human action with divine purpose.

In the Qur’anic worldview, the seeker of knowledge is not merely a thinker but a moral agent, one whose intellect is guided by revelation and whose heart is oriented toward compassion.

This understanding of knowledge, as both rational and sacred, prepares the ground for examining how Western thought has sought to define and justify knowledge, and where it diverges from or aligns with the Qur’anic vision.

1. The Qur’anic Theory of Knowledge: From ‘Ilm to Ma‘rifah

The Qur’an presents a view of knowledge unlike any other in human thought. It is not confined to empirical observation, nor is it restricted to abstract reasoning. Knowledge in the Qur’an is a multi-dimensional reality that unites the seen and the unseen, the rational and the spiritual, the self and the cosmos. It is, at its core, a relationship between the knower, the known, and the Divine source of all knowing.

1. The Divine Origin of Knowledge

In the Qur’anic worldview, knowledge begins with God, al-‘Alīm, the All-Knowing. All forms of knowledge emanate from Him, and all truths are reflections of His unique singular Reality.

“He taught Adam the names — all of them.” (2:31)

This verse reveals that the first act following human creation was an act of teaching, through the program given to him when God breathed His Spirit into him. Adam’s distinction was not in physical form but in intellectual and conscious capacity, the ability to name, to discern, to relate meanings, and to recognize purpose. In Qur’anic language, naming is not merely labeling; it is the capacity to perceive the inner essence of things. Through this divine teaching, humanity was entrusted with the capacity for both ‘ilm (knowledge of facts, laws, and relationships) and ma‘rifah (inner recognition, awareness, and wisdom).

2. The Two Dimensions of Knowing

The Qur’an employs two principal terms to describe knowledge: ‘ilm and ma‘rifah.

‘Ilm refers to the acquisition of factual, systematic, and sharable knowledge: the kind that builds sciences, crafts, and civilizations. It deals with external realities and can be communicated, tested, and expanded.

Ma‘rifah, on the other hand, is knowledge of presence, inner recognition that arises when truth is personally experienced. It cannot be fully taught; it must be realized. It is the light that transforms information into wisdom.

The Qur’an does not separate these two dimensions but harmonizes them. True knowledge is not complete until ‘ilm becomes ma‘rifah, until external awareness is integrated with internal understanding. This synthesis produces insight (basīrah), the ability to see things as they truly are, both materially and spiritually.

3. The Tools of Human Knowing

The Qur’an identifies three interrelated instruments of knowing:

“And Allah brought you out of your mothers’ wombs not knowing anything, and He gave you hearing, sight, and hearts so that you might give thanks.” (16:78)

Hearing (sam‘): represents receptivity and learning from others;

Sight (baṣar): represents observation and empirical reasoning;

Heart (fu’ād or qalb): represents reflection, moral discernment, and spiritual intuition.

Together, they form the complete epistemological system of the Qur’an. When any of these tools is isolated, knowledge becomes distorted. Rationality without compassion leads to arrogance, while spirituality without reason drifts into superstition. Only when these faculties work together in balance does knowledge become a path to truth and gratitude.

4. Knowledge as a Moral Trust

In the Qur’an, knowledge is inseparable from responsibility. It is never neutral.

“Those who were given knowledge see that what has been revealed to you from your Lord is the truth.” (34:6)

“Have they not traveled through the land so that their hearts may reason and their ears may listen? Indeed, it is not the eyes that are blind, but it is the hearts in the chests that grow blind.” (22:46)

To know is to be accountable. The more one knows, the greater one’s duty to act justly, to teach, and to serve. Thus, ignorance in the Qur’an is not merely a lack of information, it is moral blindness, a refusal to see truth when it is manifest. Knowledge, conversely, is an act of faith, a light that guides the heart and transforms society.

5. The Unity of All Knowledge

Because all knowledge originates from the same divine source, there is no ultimate conflict between reason and revelation, science and faith, or matter and spirit. It’s my experience that God never gave us knowledge that contradict with reason. The Qur’an calls humanity to reflect on nature, history, and the self, for all are āyāt Allāh, signs from God.

“We will show them Our signs in the horizons and within themselves until it becomes clear to them that this is the Truth.” (41:53)

Thus, the pursuit of knowledge, whether in physics, medicine, art, or theology, is a sacred act. The more we understand the universe, the closer we come to recognizing its Creator. The Qur’anic theory of knowledge therefore integrates intellectual discovery with spiritual awakening, a balance largely lost in the modern age.

III. Western Theories of Knowledge — A Comparative Reflection

Human beings across civilizations have always sought to answer one central question: How do we know what we know?

This question lies at the heart of all philosophy, and in the Western tradition it gave rise to the discipline known as epistemology: the theory of knowledge. The Qur’an and the Western philosophical tradition share a deep concern with this question, yet they diverge profoundly in their foundations, purposes, and ultimate horizons.

Whereas the Qur’an roots knowledge in divine reality and moral responsibility, much of Western epistemology, especially since the Enlightenment, has pursued certainty within the limits of human reason and sensory experience alone. Understanding this difference is essential if we wish to build a renewed civilization that unites faith and reason rather than allowing them to remain estranged.

1. The Classical Greek Foundation

The Western inquiry into knowledge begins with the Greeks, especially Plato and Aristotle.

Plato viewed knowledge as recollection, the soul remembering eternal truths it once knew before birth. For him, true knowledge (episteme) was about immutable forms or ideas, not the changing world of sense experience.

Aristotle, in contrast, grounded knowledge in observation and logic. He believed the mind abstracts universal principles from particular experiences through reasoning.

Together, they established the two poles that would shape Western thought: one emphasizing intuition of eternal truths, the other emphasizing empirical reasoning.

The Qur’an, interestingly, integrates both. It calls humanity to reason, observe, and analyze (afalā ta‘qilūn?), while also affirming that ultimate truth is revealed, beyond what the senses or reason alone can reach.

2. The Medieval Synthesis — Faith and Reason

During the medieval period, Christian, Jewish, and Muslim thinkers each sought to reconcile revelation with philosophy.

While European scholastics such as Thomas Aquinas worked to harmonize faith with Aristotelian rationalism, Muslim philosophers like Ibn Sina (Avicenna) and Ibn Rushd (Averroes) developed sophisticated models of knowledge that influenced Europe for centuries.

Yet, in the Islamic context, even the most rational philosophers never divorced knowledge from divine origin. For al-Ghazālī, for instance, reason and sense perception were valid tools, but he insisted that true certainty (yaqīn) comes only when knowledge is illuminated by divine light within the heart. His famous realization, “Light is the key to all knowledge,” parallels the Qur’anic insight:

“God is the Light of the heavens and the earth.” (24:35)

3. Enlightenment and the Crisis of Certainty

The European Enlightenment (17th–18th centuries) shifted the center of knowledge from God to the human mind. Thinkers such as Descartes, Locke, and Kant sought to rebuild certainty on purely human foundations.

René Descartes declared, “I think, therefore I am.” He made human thought the starting point of all knowledge — a radical turn inward.

John Locke argued that the mind is a blank slate (tabula rasa) filled by sensory experience.

Immanuel Kant, later, tried to reconcile empiricism and rationalism by proposing that the human mind shapes reality through innate categories of understanding.

While these developments advanced science and reason, they also led to the separation of knowledge from value, and of reason from revelation. Knowledge became a tool for control and progress, rather than a path to wisdom and moral growth.

4. The Modern Fragmentation of Knowledge

As the modern age unfolded, Western epistemology fragmented further. Empiricism reduced truth to what can be measured. Positivism dismissed metaphysics as meaningless. Later, postmodernism even questioned whether objective truth exists at all, replacing it with subjective perspectives and cultural narratives.

This fragmentation mirrors a spiritual crisis. When truth is no longer anchored in the transcendent, knowledge loses coherence and purpose. It becomes power, as Michel Foucault observed, and power, without moral compass, becomes domination.

In contrast, the Qur’an never allows knowledge to be detached from purpose. It calls humanity to seek knowledge for the sake of guidance, justice, and gratitude. It is not knowledge for knowledge’s sake, but knowledge in service of truth and compassion.

5. Convergence and the Path Forward

Despite their differences, there are points of convergence between the Qur’anic and Western traditions. Both affirm the power of reason, the importance of evidence, and the need for critical inquiry. The divergence lies in the grounding and the goal.

The Qur’an grounds knowledge in tawḥīd, the oneness of truth based on  the oneness of the creator and directs it toward taqwā (God consciousness). Western modernity often grounds knowledge in human autonomy and directs it toward mastery over nature.

The way forward, therefore, is not to reject Western knowledge but to reintegrate it into a moral and spiritual framework, to bring science, technology, and philosophy back into harmony with the purpose of creation.

1. Knowledge as the Foundation of a Renewed Civilization

The story of humanity began with knowledge, with the divine act of teaching Adam the names. Civilization itself is a reflection of how people understand knowledge: its source, its purpose, and its moral boundaries. When knowledge is connected to the Divine, it elevates; when detached from truth, it corrupts. The rise and decline of civilizations, in this sense, mirror their epistemological health.

Today, humanity stands at a crossroads much like Adam once did: aware, intelligent, capable, yet often confused about meaning and purpose. We have accumulated vast amounts of information but lost the wisdom to use it rightly. The Qur’an calls us to restore balance by realigning knowledge with truth, and truth with responsibility.

1. The Civilizational Role of Knowledge in Islam

From its earliest days, Islam made knowledge its foundation. The first revealed word “Iqra’” (Read!) was not a command to recite mechanically but an invitation to reflect, investigate, and understand. It established learning as a sacred act and made seeking knowledge a form of worship.

“Say, ‘Are those who know equal to those who do not know?’” (39:9)

The early Muslim civilization thrived because it embodied this holistic vision. Scholars studied the Qur’an and nature side by side, recognizing both as divine books, one revealed in words, the other in creation. Their discoveries in mathematics, medicine, astronomy, and philosophy were driven by a sense of wonder before the Creator’s signs.

Knowledge then was not divided into “religious” and “secular.” It was unified under tawḥīd, the awareness that all truth points back to God. This unity of knowledge produced a civilization that valued intellect, ethics, and beauty together, a civilization of balance and purpose.

2. The Modern Disconnection

Modern civilization, for all its achievements, has largely severed knowledge from meaning. Science has expanded our power but not our compassion. Technology connects us virtually but isolates us spiritually. Progress without purpose has created material abundance but moral poverty.

This disconnection is not accidental; it stems from an epistemological shift — from seeing knowledge as a sacred trust to treating it as a neutral tool. The result is a humanity that knows how to build but not why, that can manipulate nature but not live harmoniously with it.

The Qur’an diagnoses this condition clearly:

“They know what is apparent of the worldly life, but they are heedless of the Hereafter.” (30:7)

To renew civilization, therefore, we must renew our understanding of knowledge itself its, purpose, ethics, and destination.

3. A Qur’anic Vision for Renewal

A renewed civilization must begin where the Qur’an begins: with consciousness (taqwā) and gratitude (shukr). It must educate the heart and the mind together. Knowledge, in this vision, becomes an instrument for worshipping God through service to humanity and stewardship of the earth.

This vision calls for a Qur’an-centered education system that harmonizes moral values with scientific inquiry — a system that forms whole human beings rather than specialized consumers.

4. STEAM through the Lens of the Qur’an

To achieve this, we can build upon the modern STEAM model — Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics — but reorient it through Qur’anic values.

Science becomes a study of divine signs in creation.

Technology becomes a tool for serving humanity, not dominating it.

Engineering becomes a discipline of solving real-world problems responsibly.

Arts become expressions of beauty that elevate the spirit.

Mathematics becomes a way of perceiving the order and harmony God placed in the universe.

When these fields are illuminated by faith, they form a holistic education that nurtures curiosity, humility, and ethical awareness — the same qualities that once made Muslim civilization a beacon of light.

5. The Role of Information Technology

In our time, information technology can serve as a bridge between knowledge and understanding. Used wisely, it can democratize learning, connect minds across cultures, and allow youth to explore the Qur’an, nature, and history interactively. It can help them see the world not as fragmented data but as an integrated web of meaning pointing toward the Creator.

But this requires intentional design — a digital environment grounded in Qur’anic ethics: truthfulness, respect, stewardship, and compassion. Technology, then, becomes not an escape from reality but a tool for spiritual and moral empowerment.

6. A Revolution of the Hearts

The ultimate goal of knowledge, as the Qur’an teaches, is transformation, of the self, of society, and of civilization. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said,

“The best of people are those who are most beneficial to others.”

This hadith encapsulates the essence of Qur’anic knowledge: it is not what one knows, but what one becomes through knowing.

A renewed civilization must therefore begin with a revolution of the hearts. Hearts that know God, love humanity, and care for the earth. From such hearts, guided by sound minds, will emerge the scientists, engineers, artists, and educators of the future — those who will rebuild the world on the twin foundations of truth and mercy.

Conclusion: Toward a Civilization of Knowing and Being

The Qur’an invites us to a new kind of civilization, not merely more advanced, but more conscious. It is a civilization that reads both the Book of Revelation and the Book of Creation, uniting them in the service of truth, compassion, and justice.

Through the integration of Qur’anic values, STEAM education, and ethical technology, we can guide our youth to become what they were created to be: worshippers of God, servants of humanity, and stewards of the earth.

This is not only a vision of renewal; it is a return — a return to the moment when Adam first opened his eyes, breathed the divine breath, and recognized Truth. To live in awareness of that Truth is the essence of knowledge, and the beginning of a civilization that knows how to be.