International Journal of Advanced Research in Islamic and Humanities

e-ISSN: 2682-8332 | Vol. 4, No.3, 77-84, 2022

http://myjms.mohe.gov.my/index.php/ijarih

The Classification of Knowledge in Islam by Imam Al-Ghazali

and Al-Farabi: A Comparative Study
Tijani Ahmad Ashimi1*
1
Department of Fundamental and Inter-Disciplinary Studies, Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and
Human Sciences, International Islamic University Malaysia, Malaysia

*Corresponding Author: ashimi@iium.edu.my

Accepted: 15 October 2022 | Published: 1 November 2022

DOI: https://doi.org/10.55057/ijarih.2022.4.3.7
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Abstract: It is undeniable fact that history is the record of past events and civilization is an
advance development in the society marked by rapid progress in economy, politics, science,
knowledge and Information technology. Down the centuries, Islam as a religion of
comprehensive way of life. It has paid a huge attention to knowledge, it invites people to seek
it at all costs; it also urges them to think and contemplate in order to reach the true meaning
of ontological reality. If that indicates something, it proves that Islam is totally against
ignorance and illiteracy. Based on this fact Islamic civilization during its golden era has
witnessed some splendid Muslim scholars who shoulder the message of Islam and whose
contributions to the field of different knowledge cannot be underestimated. For instance, Imam
Al- Ghazali (Hujjah Al-Islam) and Al-Farabi are renowned Muslim scholars of all time. They
both contributed immensely to the field of social sciences, humanities and mysticism. Their
contributions to these field have become great references to contemporary Muslim scholars in
their academic researches. Thus, the main objective of this paper is to investigate the
classification of knowledge by Imam Al- Ghazali and Al-Farabi respectively. Yet, in order to
achive our objective the comparative approach is applied followed by brief conclusion and
some recommendations.

Keywords: Imam Al-Ghazali, Al-Farabi, Classification of knowledge, Islam, Qur’an, Sunnah

__________________________________________________________________________

1. Introduction

Brief Introduction
The classification of knowledge in Islam had been discussed by many Muslim scholars. In the
early century of Islam, the Muslim scholars such as Abu Al-Hamid Al-Ghazali and Al Farabi
contributed immensely to the classification of knowledge, their tireless efforts and their unique
endevours in this dimension have become a great reference for scholars and academicians alike.
Therefore, this article aims to explore the biography of these two Muslim scholars followed by
their classification of knowledge. Indeed, the article will apply a comparative approach in order
to achieve it aims and objectives, that is by drawing comparison between the classification of
knowledge by Imam Al-Ghazali and the classification of Knowledge by Al-Farabi. Lastly, the
brief conclusion will be provided, followed by some suggestions and some recommendations.

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Definition of Knowledge in Islam

Knowledge is from Arabic word ‘ilm (Munir: 1989) which is derived from root word ‘alima’
knowledge in Islam literally can also mean Al-Ma’rifah ((‫ )ال َم ْع ِرفَة‬which is also derived from
root word ‘arafa’ and that means to know something by experiment. Furthermore. Knowledge
in Islam is synonymous to Al-Fiqh (‫ )ال ِف ْقه‬which is related to understanding. Along with other
synonymous words that refer to knowledge. Such as Tadabbur (‫ )تَدَبُّر‬means observation,
Basiran (‫يرا‬ ِ َ‫ ) ب‬mental perception, Tazakkur (‫ )تَذَ ُّكر‬that is remembrance and Tafakkur (‫)تَفَ ُّكر‬
ً ‫ص‬
which simply means thought.

Technically: According to Imam Al- Gazali (1963) knowledge is a realization of the meanings
of things. It means realization of something in its true nature through different levels of
understanding and in arrangement with the facts or true to nature.

According to Sayed Naqib Al- ‘Attas (1984) knowledge is the obtainment of the ma‘na
(meaning) of an object in the soul & its arrival at the meaning. Knowledge is attainment by the
heart of something in accordance to the fact weather this thing is ontological or non-
ontological.

Knowledge is the perception of the realities of things through traditional and intellectual
channels (ma’suman wa ma’qulan).
Knowledge is attainment (tehsil) by the heart of something in accordance to what it is, whether
this thing exist or does not exist.1
Knowledge is the arrival in the soul of the meaning of a thing or an object of knowledge and
the arrival of the soul at the meaning of a thing or object of knowledge.2

General Classification of Knowledge in Islam

According to Sayed Nasr (1993), the history of classification can be traced back to the Hellenic
period where the Plato and Aristotle were the first to classify the knowledge. However, in
Islamic worldview, knowledge can be classified into two different domains namely: absolute
knowledge and limited knowledge. Indeed, in this context, the meaning of classification of
knowledge is simply the types of Knowledge in Islam, and the exploration of the kinds of
knowledge will help our readers to gain the full insights of knowledge in Islamic perspective,
and that can enable them to understand the differences between the classification of knowledge
in Islam and the classification of knowledge in the western perspectives. Thus, the following
is the general classification of knowledge in Islam.

1) Absolute (perfect) knowledge:

This is the knowledge of God who knows the reality, essence and details of all things. He is
the sole Creator Who created everything from nothing and Who is Perfect and Who is
Uncaused Caused.
2) Limited knowledge:
The knowledge given to His creations; angels, prophets, human beings, jinn, and animals. This
kind of knowledge is different from the absolute knowledge because it belongs to the creations
of God who are imperfect and whose lives depend on Almighty God. Furthermore, the limited
knowledge can be divided into gifted knowledge and acquired knowledge.

1
See Ibn Arabi, Futuhat, 1, 91, in Rosenthal, p.57
2
See, al Jurjani: P. 160-161

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i) Gifted knowledge:
(a) Instinctive knowledge (natural): it is imparted in the very nature of the creation.
(b) Revealed / sacred knowledge: the knowledge that Almighty God reveals to human beings.

ii) Acquired Knowledge

Gained through effort by way of reflection, senses and experience. This can be further divided
into two categories; namely, recommended knowledge (praiseworthy) and prohibited
knowledge.
(a) Recommended (praiseworthy): is two types, namely; individual obligatory (Fard ‘ayn)
and communal obligatory (Fard kifayah) . In fact, Individual obligatory (Fard ‘Ain) means
what should be learned by each and every Muslim, it is what we called individual
responsibilities or things which can’t be done on behalf of others such as; beliefs, worship,
halal and haram, core moral values, how to discharge one’s responsibilities towards others
(man’s obligations to family and society), necessary skills for daily life. Whereas, Communal
obligatory (Fard kifayah) means the community’s needs that can be performed by a sufficient
group on behalf of others. It is also known as collective responsibilities. Such as, religious
sciences, knowledge that is not needed for daily practice of Islam, Intellectual knowledge such
as medicine geology a, astronomy and etc. or all types of knowledge needed for the welfare of
the society in this life.

(b) Prohibited (blameworthy) Blameworthy Knowledge

It is a kind of acquired knowledge that does not meet the requirement of science, or it is purely
or usually harmful. It is divided into two, namely; blameworthy by its nature or by an external
factor, such as magic (Al- Baqarah:2:102) or involving in business for the sake of negative
external factor, such as cheating or duping and taking illegal interest (al riba). Based on above
classification of knowledge, we might conclude that in our contemporary life, man can acquire
any knowledge for the sake of knowledge, especially the absolute knowledge that may assist
him to recognize the omnipotence of God, he can also acquire the limited knowledge with
particular reference to gifted knowledge and acquired knowledge that might benefit him in
Dunia and in Al-Akhirah. The following diagram and chart below is the best example and
perfect explanation for categorization of Knowledge in Islam

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 International Journal of Advanced Research in Islamic and Humanities
e-ISSN: 2682-8332 | Vol. 4, No.3, 77-84, 2022
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General Classification of Knowledge in Islam

Absolute Knowledge Limited Knowledge

Gifted Knowledge Acquired Knowledge

Sacred Instinct (ilham)

Praiseworthy Blame worthy

By external
influence By itself

Fardu ‘Ain Fardu Kifayah

2. Classification of Knowledge According to Imam Al-Ghazali And Al-Farabi

Classification of Knowledge According to Imam Al-Ghazali
Brief Biography of Imam Ghazali
First of all and foremost, it will be worthwhile to shed some lights on the biography of Imam
Al-Ghazali before the discussion on his classification of knowledge. His actual name is Abu
Hamid Muhammad al Gazali, al-Tusi famous in the world of learning as al-Ghazali (Ludwig:
2009). The Imam was a jurist, philosopher, and debater, theologian, mystic, expert in the
principles of doctrine and those of jurisprudence. He was born in 450 AH (1058 A.D). in Tus
(modern Mash'had in NE Persia). He attended the village madrassa and as a young man went
to the Nizamia Madrassa, which was a very famous educational institution in Nishapur. He was
a clever and keen student who took interest in all subjects His cleverness as a student was
commented upon in court circles in Persia and the Grand Mufti took special interest in his
progress and encouraged him to devote himself to the pursuit of knowledge.

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Furthermore, Al-Ghazali justified the confidence shown in him by his patron and graduated
from the Nizamia Madrassa at Nishapur, with distinction. Al-Ghazali died at Tabran in Jamadi
al Ukhra 505 AH (1111 A.D) at the age of 53 years. Imam al-Ghazali today is known as Hujjat
al-Islam, Arabic for “the Proof of the Religion”.

Here are some important books of imam al-Ghazali

• Tahafut al-falasifa (The Incoherence of the Philosophers) (1095)
• Mi'yar al-'ilm (The Standard Measure of Knowledge) (1095)
• Ihya' 'ulum al-din (The Revival of the Religious Sciences) (1096-7)
• Mishkat al-anwar (The Niche of the Lights) (1096-7)
• Al-Munqidh min al-dalal (The Deliverer from Error) (1108). And many more.

In short, knowledge according to imam al-Ghazali is the realization of the meaning of things.
Therefore, he classified the knowledge as followed:
a. Theoretical and practical
b. Presential and acquired
c. Religious and intellectual
d. Individual obligatory and communal obligatory.

The most extensive classification stated Osman (1992) is division into religious (shariyyah)
and intellectual (‘aqliyyah) sciences. Al-Ghazali proposed that, all four classes mentioned
above are valid even though those classes do not have the same degree of validity. Each class

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is based on certain conditions of the relationship between man and knowledge as well as on a
particular perspective of looking at that relationship.

Besides that, Al–Ghazali (1939) also claimed that all religious sciences; fard ‘ayn and fadr
kifayah, are praiseworthy. As for intellectual sciences, al Ghazali means these kinds of sciences
are attained by human intellectual alone and the differences between these two (Osman:1992)
categories of sciences is a logical consequence of the mutakallimun conception of the
relationship between revelation and reason.

Lastly, Al-Ghazali divides the knowledge of wisdom into the theoretical and practical parts.
The first part which is theoretical part discussed about the conditions of beings. For the second
part which is practical parts discussed about how to deal with man’s actions. The aim is to find
out the human actions and his well-being in this life as well as in the hereafter such as Ulum
shar’iyyah.

Classification of Sciences According to Al-Farabi

Brief Biography of Al-Farabi
His name is Abu Nasr Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Turkhan al-Farabi. He was born of
Turkish stock in Turkistan about 265/878 (Sayed Husain:2001). He was brought to Baghdad
by his father where he learned Arabic, mathematics, medicine and philosophy. He started his
life in Damascus where he devoted himself to read philosophical books. He subsequently left
for Baghdad where he learned from two gigantic logicians of that time namely; Mata Ibn Yunus
and Yuhana Ibn Haylan. He was known and famous as Muallim Thani (The second teacher).
Simply because he reconstructed the science of logic founded by Aristotle, then commented
and wrote treatise on it. He died in 339/950.

Here are some Primary sources of Al-Farabi which have been translated into English

Primary Sources (Fārābī) in translationEnglish

• Al-Farabi's Commentary and Short Treatise on Aristotle's De interpretatione, Oxford:
Oxford University Press, 1981.
• Short Commentary on Aristotle's Prior Analytics, Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh
Press, 1963.
• Al-Farabi on the Perfect State, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1985.
• Alfarabi, The Political Writings. Selected Aphorisms and Other Texts, Ithaca: Cornell
University Press, 2001.
• Alfarabi, The Political Writings, Volume II. "Political Regime" and "Summary of Plato's
Laws, Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2015.
• Alfarabi's Philosophy of Plato and Aristotle, translated and with an introduction by Muhsin
Mahdi, Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2001.
• Fusul al-Madani: Aphorisms of the Statesman Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,
1961.
• "Al-Farabi's Long Commentary on Aristotle's Categoriae in Hebrew and Arabic", In
Studies in Arabic and Islamic Culture, Vol. II, edited by Abrahamov, Binyamin. Ramat:
Bar-Ilan University Press, 2006.

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Al-Farabi Classification of Sciences

Al Farabi classified sciences in his book Kitab Ihsa’ ‘Ulum (The book of the Enumeration of
the Sciences) in this book, Al-Farabi categorised the various disciplines of knowledge under
seven heading namely: the linguistic, the mathematical, the logical, the physical, the
metaphysical the judicial and the political sciences3

Besides that, Al-Farabi writing also dealt with physics(tabi’iyat), the natural philosophy, for
this physics branch, Al-Farabi distinguished it into three categories which are:
1) Commentaries on a number of works of Aristotle and of some of his Greek commentaries
2) The second one consists of a number of independent scientific treatises of an expository
nature on following subjects such as, psychology, zoology, meteorology, the nature of
space and time, and the vacuum.
3) The last category is refutation of the views of certain philosophers and theologians on
particular aspects of natural philosophy.
Moreover, Al-Farabi also was an expert theoretician not to mention as an excellent composer
and performer. In this field, Al- Farabi has written a treatise about judicial astrology (Ahkam
al- Nujum), known as Fi ma yasihh wa ma la yasihh min ahkam al-nujum (on the true and
untrue in judicial astrology). In addition, in the field of metaphysic which has something to do
with the knowledge behind nature, Fusus al-Hikam is the most continuously influential work
(Sayyed Husain:1992) of al- Farabi in the East. His contribution in this field has proved Al-
Farabi’s real worth as a metaphysian.

In short, al-Farabi’s name came from the uncertain regions where he was born to reach the
space, where he is marked in one of the asteroids of the great belt that surrounds the solar
system, this in honor of one of the greatest intellectuals that emerged within the civilization of
medieval Islam. Thus, Al Farabi had provided an excellent classification of knowledge. His
Kitab Ihsa (The book of Enumeration) has significantly demonstrated this fact, where Abu Nasr
Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Turkhan al-Farabi categorized different discipline of
Knowledge under seven heading. May God bless his soul.

Concluding Remarks
The immense contribution of Muslim scholars to the field of knowledge is remarkable. Down
the centuries the early Muslim scholars such as Al-Farabi, Imam Al-Ghazali have contributed
largely to the classification of knowledge. For example, Al Ghazali classified the knowledge
into. Theoretical and practical. Presential and acquired, Religious and intellectual, Individual
obligatory- and communal obligatory. Whereas Al-Farabi categorised the various disciplines
of knowledge under seven heading namely: the linguistic, the mathematical, the logical, the
physical, the metaphysical the judicial and the political sciences. Their classification of
knowledge has become a great reference for the contemporary Muslim scholars,

Suggestions and Recommendations

1) The contributions of early Muslim scholars (such as Al-Farabi and Al-Ghazali) to the field
of various knowledge cannot be measured in small scale. This shows their love for
knowledge for the sake of knowledge.

3
al-Farabi, Kitab ihsa' al-'ulum (The Book of the Enumeration of the Sciences), ed. and trans. A. González
Palencia, Catálogo de las Ciencias, Arabic text with Latin and Spanish translation, Madrid: Imprenta y Editorial
Maestre, 1953. (A survey of the learned sciences of the day, of encyclopedic range.)

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2) Exercising Ijtihad and creativity are highly needed for contemporary Muslim Ummah, this
in turn can solve the various problem and predicaments faced by the ummah today.
3) There’s a need for mutual beneficial reciprocal relationship between the contemporary
Muslim scholars and Muslim leaders, so that the scholars will be able to produce
meaningful researches that will benefit the Muslim ummah at large.
4) The great lesson that we can learn from the glory of our early Muslim scholars and from
the golden age of the Islamic civilization is that, the strength of any civilization is based on
knowledge and knowledge is power.

References

Abdullah Yusuf Ali, (1938). The Holy Qur'an: Text, Translation and Commentary by Sheikh
Muhammad Ashraf Publishers, Lahore
Abu al Hamid al- Ghazali, (1939), Ihya ‘Ulum al-Din, Mustapha Al Babi Al Halabi & Sons,
Egypt.
Abu Hamid al- Ghazali,(1963) The Book of Knwoledge, Translated by Nabih Faris, Lahore.
‘Ali Abdul Hamid Balatji,(1990) Riyad al- Salihin, Dar al- Khayr, Damascus
Aisha Bewley,(2003) Tafsir Al Qurtubi: Classical Commentary of the Holy Qur'an (Volume
1)
Al-Attas, M. N. (1984). Islam and Secularism.Hindustan Publications. Retrieved from
https://books.google.co.id/books?id=l4RtPwAACAAJ
Ludwig W. Adamec (2009), Historical Dictionary of Islam, p.109. Scarecrow Press
Munir Al Ba’labaki, (1989), Al Mawrid, Amodern English- Arabic Dictionary, Darul ‘Ilm
Lilmalaayin, Beirut
Osman Bakar, (1992), Classification of Knowledge in Islam, Institute of Policy Research,
Kuala Lumpur,
Sayed Hussain Nasr, (1993), Science and Civilization in Islam, Suhail Academy, Lahore,
Pakistan,
Seyyed Hossein Nasr and Oliver Leaman, ed. (2001). History of Islamic Philosophy. History
of World Philosophies. Routledge
Lameer, Joep (1994). Al-Fārābī and Aristotelian syllogistics: Greek theory and Islamic
practice. E.J. Brill.
Al-Farabi. (2016, February 20). New World Encyclopedia

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