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Hom e Islam ic Law Jurisprudence Islamic Know ledge in the Context of Reason & Revelation

Islamic Knowledge in the Context of Reason & Revelation

Sheikh Muhammad b. Husayn al-Jzn
Thu, 07/19/2007

The evidence that Muslims use to determine the matters of their religion must necessarily be sanctioned by Islam. That which is
established in Islam can be categorized as follows:
1. That which can only be established by way of revelation therefore, by the sacred texts for which reason can provide no
knowledge.
This includes our knowledge of the angels, the Throne, and other matters of faith in the Unseen. It also includes our knowledge of a
number of detailed commandments and prohibitions related to matters of devotion, human knowledge of which is wholly dependent
on the information imparted by the prophets (peace be upon them all.)
2. That which Islamic Law has indicated and has pointed to various rational means for verification. This second category is that of
Islamic rational proofs.
This category includes the establishment of the principle of monotheism and the negation of its opposite, polytheism. It also includes
establishing the concept of prophethood.
3. That which Islamic Law has deemed permissible.
This includes matters that the Qurn and Sunnah have expressly mentioned as well as what is indicated by the world around us and
by experience. This encompasses our medical and scientific knowledge, as well as our knowledge of vocations and trade.
When we consider the three categories mentioned above, we can enumerate the qualities that it must always have in order to be
Islamic:
1. It must always hold true, since calling something Islamic is an endorsement of it.
2. It must take precedence over other evidence, since Islamic legal evidence cannot be contradicted by evidence that is not Islamic.

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2. It must take precedence over other evidence, since Islamic legal evidence cannot be contradicted by evidence that is not Islamic.
What Allah has legislated must be given preference in Islamic law.
3. Islamic legal evidence may be either scriptural or rational.
4. Islamic legal evidence can be contrasted with non-Islamic evidence or alternatively with innovated evidence (innovated being a
negative quality). It is a mistake to contrast Islamic evidence with rational evidence, since they are not contradictory terms in any way.
It is essential to know what is included in evidence for matters of Islamic law and is not. Some people recognize as part of Islamic
legal evidence what is not part of it, while others exclude from it what is essential to it.
Revelation is the Primary Basis for All Evidence
The basis for Islamic Law is what we find in the Qurn and Sunnah. The meanings found in these scriptural sources, when properly
contemplated and understood, provide the scriptural proofs as well as the basis for the rational proofs.
The Qurn and Sunnah provide the criterion for distinguishing truth from falsehood in matters of religion, for distinguishing guidance
from error. All arguments and assertions that people make in matters of religion must be scrutinized in light of the Qurn and
Sunnah.
The problem is that the terms reason and revelation have become somewhat confused in popular discourse. Any opinion that
people suggest is sometimes touted as a rational proof. Such evidence is just as spurious from an Islamic standpoint as a very
weak or fabricated hadth. However, in the case of these rational proofs, most people do not have the criteria to make a determination
about it.
Therefore, it is as important to know what constitutes the domain of rational evidence, as it is to know what constitutes authentic
textual evidence.
The Harmony between Reason & Revelation
Genuine rational evidence will not indicate something false in religion. This is because the sacred texts are in harmony with sound
reason. The Quran and authentic Sunnah, when properly understood, are never at variance with reason. This is why Allah uses both
the Qurn and the dictates of reason as proofs upon His creatures.
This is also why we never find that any of the Pious Predecessors ever contradicted the Qurn with his opinion or by way of an
analogy. We never hear them say: The scripture and the dictates of reason are at odds on this matter. The Pious Predecessors
agreed that the dictates of reason and revelation were in harmony with one another. They also agreed that any opinion that was in
conflict with the unambiguous dictates of the authentic scriptures was unquestionably a mistaken opinion.
Knowledge is of Three Kinds with Respect to Reason & Revelation
1. That which is established by way of reason alone: This includes matters like the principle of prophecy and the honesty of the
prophets, for upon these matters the acceptance of the scriptures depends. The best rational proofs for these matters are those that
are ones set forth in the Qurn.
2. That which is established by way of revelation alone. This includes the knowledge of matters of the unseen and the details of our
formal devotions. Such matters are only known to us by way of what the prophets (peace be upon them) have told us.
3. Matters which can be known by way of both reason and revelation. This would include the question of whether it is possible for
Allah to be seen by His creatures.
Revelation informs us about a wide range of matters. Some of these are things that we can comprehend with our rational faculties.
Our minds verify the truth of what revelation teaches us. Other matters are of a nature that reason can neither verify them nor deny
them. It is in these matters that a Muslim simply accepts what revelation tells him.

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them. It is in these matters that a Muslim simply accepts what revelation tells him.
Sound reason, in turn, will either verify what revelation tells us or like in matters of the unseen it will simply accede the possibility
of what revelation teaches without being able to verify it. In either case, there will be no contradiction.
The scholars of Ahl al-Sunnah have always respected reason while acknowledging its limitations. They neither take reason as a
wholly independent source of knowledge in matters of faith that has no relationship whatsoever to revelation, nor do they shun reason
as a source of knowledge and reject the dictates of sound reason.
The scholars of Ahl al-Sunnah took a balanced approach. They recognized that reason is a condition for human knowledge. Nothing
can be comprehended or carried out in human affairs without it. This is why sanity is a precondition for legal accountability in Islamic
Law. It takes a rational mind to understand the Qurn.
Allah commands us to consider the Qurn deeply with our minds: Will they not ponder the Qurn? [Srah al-Nis: 82 and Srah
Muhammad: 24]
Allah says: Will they not ponder the Word? [Srah al-Muminn: 68]
It is only the rational mind that has the ability to realize the proofs that Allah presets us with.
However, the scholars also acknowledged that human reason alone is not enough. Revelation is also needed for matters of faith.
Reason is a human faculty, just like sight and hearing are human faculties. Reason has its limitations requires something external to
itself, just like human sight is dependent upon he presence of light. There are certain things that are outside the scope of reason to
discern.
We can see how reason and revelation relate in the following case. A person comes to recognize by way of his reason that Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon hi) is indeed the Messenger of Allah and that what he comes with is revelation from Allah. Therefore,
when he hears that the Prophet (peace be upon him) has spoken about a matter of faith, he knows that it is true. He acknowledges its
truth by way of the very reason that brought him to conclude it is revelation from Allah. He will not cite the dictates of reason to refute
what the Prophet (peace be upon him) said.
The Qurn Appeals to Reason
We see in numerous verses were the Qur;n cites rational proofs and appeals to human reason. It often cites parables and
examples which are proofs based on analogous reasoning. Allah says: And certainly We have set forth for humanity every kind of
example in this Qurn [Srah al-Rm: 58]
Allah uses these parables as evidence for monotheism. For instance, after describing many aspects of the created world, Allah says:
Such is the Creation of Allah: now show Me what is there that others besides Him have created. [Srah Luqmn: 11]
Allah also establishes proofs for prophethood in the Qurn. For instance, Allah says Say: If Allah had so willed, I should not have
recited it to you nor would He have made it known to you. I dwelt among you a whole lifetime before it (came to me). Have you then no
sense? [Srah Ynus: 16]

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