Re: What is basis for human knowledge? WAHEE or AQL?
"Aqal" is important but it is not everything. "Wahee" is Allah's message to his servant. Sometimes, understanding of what has been revealed also comes with the words of wahee and sometimes not. In case, actual understanding is not revealed, the messenger try to use "Ijtehad" to understand it. "Ijtehad" is error prone since it is based on our limited understanding but wahee is not.
Understanding of Quran (Allah's wahee) by ordinary people or I would say people with brains is not just based on "Aqal" alone if that was the case, Abul Hakam (The father of knowledge) would not have rejected it and had not become "Abu Jehl" (The father of ignorance). Also there are many brainy people (anti-Islam) who only could find faults in it despite having brilliant brains. So being "saeed-ul-fitrat" or mutahir (having soul free of impurities) is also important since Quran has stated
56:80) Which none shall touch except those who are purified.
Thank you dear kchughtai sb, there is no argument that aqal is basis for all human knowledge because having sense of making sense of things is basis for everything else that man can think and do.
If we think about and question it, where does our basic,primary or fundational knolwedge come from? To begin with our senses give our brains windows to the outside world. This acts as stimulus for brain to receive information and process and store it and recall it as and when need be. The brain itself needs a lot of training when it comes to learning skills. This is why a baby cannot use his senses right away but takes time by trying to use them till he becomes skilled over a long period of time. Then baby learns to use his body parts eg hands a feet etc etc. He has to learn how to sit up, how to stand and walk and talk etc etc. This is why children are only sent to schools when they have become capable of learning from schools. You do not send them right away to universities to get education. However we sent them to schools hoping one day they will have learned enough to go to universities. Likewise we do not send them out to work because they do not have skills to do that either. So it should be clear that learning takes ages before one could actually employ one's skill for the purpose one has learned them. One day a baby becomes so learned that he can do amazing things ie he can reach the moon. Allah has placed huge potential in mankind to actualise it through learning an doing things. This is how man makes Allah look great. It is because man is his masterpiece ie Allah has created nothing better than man. If we talk rubbish about man, we degrade Allah himself without realising it. This world is created by Allah for mankind and such verses are repeated in the Quran. Allah has given the universe under the control of mankind to do with it as they like just like all the other things that man is using for his purposes eg donkeys, camels, cattle, gold, silver etc etc. However man also has been created for a set purpose and that is long way away yet from being fulfilled by mankind. All this is in the Quran if we could prepare ourselves to read the Quran and understand it properly. People can only understand information to the stage they have developed themselves biologically, psychologically and sociologically etc etc. This is why not only that we cannot understand the Quran till we learn how to do that but nothing else either. Can you build a bike or a car or a house without learning how to do it? No. Likewise all sorts of knowledge needs skills for making sense of it and using it for its purpose. So the divine revelation ie the Quran is not an exception.
This should explain to people why sir syed was right in pushing for aqal based interpretation of the quran and the rest of islamic sources of knowledge. I read his interpretation 50 + years ago and rejected it and due to mullahs propaganda as we all know it I also did not like what parwez wrote about the quran. However as I grew up mentally I started my own research and exploration and as I went on in time I found what was right way to approach understanding of the quran.
The way to understand the quran is use aqal to make sense of the quran but this aqal has to be aqal needed for understanding the level of information that is found in the quran. You see if you gave the quran in the hands of a baby and told him it is book of God so treat it sensibly. He has no idea and will take it tear its pages and start putting them in his mouth. So you will end up with a damaged copy of the quran.
What I am saying is that level of information given needs to wait for the recipient to grow up and be able to make sense of it. Otherwise it is like loading a donkey with loads of books and burying it under them.
This is the reason Allah created the world by setting up processes, systems, mechanisms and laws etc etc and gave it time to unfold. As mankind came about from the very same tree of life as other living creatures and learned sense in time only then Allah revealed to them his guidance because by that time one of them was able to make sense of it and teach it to others. In the quranic context there have been more than one aadams. One from which humanity branched off as a new species, the other who became human through learning and received revelation.
The verses in surah baqrah are not about creation of adam but about assigning him some task to bring humanity out of bloodshed by forming a proper human community and thereby bringing about a kingdom based on guidance of Allah.
Word malaaikah here is used for tribal chiefs at the time and word sajdah is used in context of, all of you submit to my program, constitution and law together if you want to get rid of way of life based upon laws of nature. People can either live by laws of nature or by laws given to mankind for overcoming laws of nature.
Laws of nature use mankind and laws given for guidance of mankind by Allah help him use laws of nature and rest of universe to his own advantage. So man has the choice to go by either way he wants.
Take word SHUKR for example, we generally take it to mean thanks. We never think about things to try to understand them for their purpose. For example, Allah has given us brains and senses and bodies and told us the purpose in form of setting for some goals to achieve. What is purpose of brain? Are we using it for that purpose? What is purpose of our senses? Are we using them for that purpose? What is purposes of our bodies? Are we using them for that purpose? Allah has created this universe for us and we are told about it in the quran repeatedly? Are we at all bothered with finding out what purpose can we use the universe and all that is in it for? Are we therefore really grateful to Allah for all this?
Now make sense of word SHUKR in that context. It means to use provision for the purpose they are provided for by Allah. Now the questions, are we using our brains for the purpose they are given? Is that appreciation of gifts of Allah or not? Can we really appreciate gifts of Allah by misusing them?
Now see the implications of this ie we are saying by our mouths thanks Allah but we are at the same time misusing things he gave us. Are we then not lying to ourselves and Allah?
More than that are we studying the quran for what it is given for to us as a gift. Is this gift least of gifts or most of them?
So time for us all to put our thinking caps on and show that we are human beings not animals. In the quran we read such verses which tell us we are born ignorant but with brains and senses, why? See 7/179, 16/78, 22/46, 23/78 etc. It is because we are supposed to learn through direct experiences in time. What does that tell us? That Allah has set up things to evolve from a simple state of existence to most sophisticated they can be. A clear proof that evolution is a fact. Not only that but Allah also condemns those people as animals who do not use their brains and senses to learn things they are supposed to learn by using them. Again a clear proof that revelation is not the basis for human learning but just a guidance once people have learned enough to make sense of it.
Both the quran and real world realities agree perfectly that basis for human knowledge is sense of making sense of things. Revelation is secondary to aqal. This is why Allah appeals to sensible people among mankind repeatedly for judging the truth about the quran and not to stupid people who are at the level of animals in their thinking level.
Although I cannot explain the origin of the divine revelation ie how Allah gave the quran to his messenger but we can at least discuss the proper role of it for mankind and can prove it divine that way. If we do not or cannot know something it does not stop us from doing what we can and do know.
We do not know how Allah created the universe but that does not stop us from studying the universe. Likewise it is not necessary for us to know each and every thing in life but what we can we should and try to make proper use of it to the best of our abilities.
regards and all the best.