Knowledge Through Reason in Islam
Every organ has a function, and the
function of the intellect is to contemplate, observe, and think. When these
faculties become inactive, the intellect ceases to perform its role, depriving
a person of one of its most important functions. This, in turn, brings the
activities of life to a halt, leading to stagnation, death, and eventual
extinction.
Islam seeks to liberate the intellect
from its restraints and awaken it from its slumber. It therefore calls upon
people to observe and think,
as an essential part of worship.
Allah SWT says, {Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “Consider all that is in the heavens and
the earth!”} [Yunus 10:101] He also says, {Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “I advise you to do ˹only˺ one thing: stand up for ˹the sake of˺ Allah—individually or in pairs—then
reflect.} [Saba 34:46]
Those who deny the blessing of reason,
fail to use it for the
purpose for which it was created, and remain heedless of Allah’s signs are
deserving of rebuke and condemnation. Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He, reproaches
them, saying: {How many signs in the heavens and
the earth do they pass by with indifference!} [Yusuf 12:105]
He also says: {Whenever
a sign comes to them from their Lord, they turn away from it.} [Ya-Sin 36:46]
Disabling the intellect and preventing
it from fulfilling its function reduces human beings to a level lower than that
of animals. This is what prevented earlier generations from penetrating the
truths hidden within themselves and throughout the universe. Allah, Glorified
and Exalted be He, says, {Indeed, We have destined
many jinn and humans for Hell. They have hearts they do not understand with,
eyes they do not see with, and ears they do not hear with. They are like
cattle. In fact, they are even less guided! Such ˹people˺ are ˹entirely˺
heedless.} [Al-A`raf 7:179]
Blind Imitation: A Barrier to Reason and
Critical Thinking
Blind imitation prevents
the intellect from operating freely and obstructs independent thought. Therefore,
Allah praises those who sincerely seek the truth and distinguish between
different claims after careful investigation and scrutiny, accepting what is
best and leaving aside what is inferior.
Allah says, {So
give good news to My servants ˹O Prophet˺— those
who listen to what is said and follow the best of it. These are the ones ˹rightly˺ guided by Allah, and these are ˹truly˺ the people of reason.} [Az-Zumar
39:17–18]
The Quran condemns those who rely
entirely on other people’s thinking and cling to old familiar traditions, even
when a new approach may offer them better guidance and greater benefit.
Allah SWT says, {When it is said to them, “Follow what Allah has
revealed,” they reply, “No! We ˹only˺ follow what we found our forefathers
practicing.” ˹Would they still do so,˺ even if their forefathers had ˹absolutely˺ no
understanding or guidance?} [Al-Baqarah 2:170]
The Scope of Thinking in Islam
When Islam calls upon people to think
and welcomes intellectual inquiry, it intends for them to exercise their
reasoning within the limits of their intellectual capacities and understanding.
Islam encourages people to contemplate
everything Allah has created: the heavens and the earth, the human being themselves,
and human societies. The only matter it prohibits people from attempting to
comprehend through speculation is the Essence of Allah, because His Essence
lies beyond the limits of human perception.
The Prophet (peace and blessings be
upon him) is reported to have said: “Reflect
upon Allah’s creation, but do not reflect upon Allah Himself, for you will
never be able to comprehend Him truly.” (Narrated
by Abu Nu`aym in Hilyat Al-Awliya’ through a weak chain of transmission;
however, its general meaning is sound.)
The Noble Quran contains hundreds of
verses inviting people to contemplate the vast domains of the universe and its
boundless horizons, which have no fixed limits and no final endpoint.
Allah the Exalted says, {This is how Allah makes His revelations clear to you ˹believers˺, so perhaps you may reflect upon this world and the Hereafter.}
[Al-Baqarah 2:219]
How vast is the worldly life that
Islam invites people to contemplate! Yet its vastness is nothing compared with
the vastness of the Hereafter.
The Ultimate Purpose of Critical Thinking
One of the greatest purposes Islam
seeks to achieve by awakening the intellect and encouraging its use in
contemplation, observation, and thought is to guide human beings toward
understanding the laws governing life, the causes underlying existence, the
patterns of the universe, and the realities of things.
These truths serve as guiding lights
that reveal the One who brought the universe into existence and created it.
They gently lead people toward the greatest of all truths: knowledge of Allah.
Knowing Allah is the fruit of an
intelligent and inspired mind and the outcome of deep, illuminating reflection.
This is one of the methods the Noble
Quran employs to guide people toward knowledge of Allah.
It awakens the intellect and opens before it the book of nature, enabling people to discover through it Allah’s attributes of perfection, His majestic qualities, the manifestations of His greatness, the signs of His holiness, the comprehensiveness of His knowledge, the boundlessness of His power, and His uniqueness in creation and bringing things into existence.
-------------------------------------------------------------
