A World of Knowledge

Religion is sometimes considered something otherworldly. From a secular perspective it is often perceived as strange and redundant, as old-fashioned belief in absurd doctrines and blind obedience to religious authorities. On the other hand there are indeed certain religious voices that reject and despise the world and propagate renuncisation and asceticism. No, this is not a specific feature of Eastern religions or monastic Christianity. We come across many a Muslim pamphlet that condemns "dunya", the world, that treacherously distracts from the knowledge of the divine, admonishing its readers to leave aside all unnecessary worldly activities and to concentrate on worship in preparation for the Hereafter.

Most Muslim authors are much more reasonable than that, pointing out the middle way between materialist views of the world for its own sake and asceticism at the other end of the scale of extremes and reminding of the frequent Qur'anic reference to "God's signs" everywhere in creation that we are enjoined to study. The responses to this, however, mainly remain somewhere between a frantic search for "scientific facts that are alluded to already in the Qur'an" that are then presented as "evidence for the Qur'an's divine origin" and an occasional "ma shâ' Allâh" at the sight of the marvels of the starry sky or the beauties of the plant and animal kingdom and the thought that "there is a Creator after all" before continuing with the day's agenda. Is that all?

When I read the Qur'an more carefully in Arabic, I find myself intrigued by the choice of words. As in the verse quoted beforehand, God is frequently described as "Rabb al-'âlamî:n", the "Creator and Sustainer of the worlds". The word that is chosen here for "world" is not the word dunya that is used for justifyable critical remarks of the world because it has the connotation of low or immediate, of something that can and must be used as a building ground for something better in the future but should not be taken as an aim in itself. Nor does the Qur'an use the word kawn, existence, that is abstract enough to be used in philosophical discussions when God is described as the "Supra-Ontological Reality" and the source of all that exists - very impressive, but this is not what the Qur'an intends to say.

The word is rather 'âlam, in the plural 'âlamî:n. It is derived from the root 'alima, to know, and describes literally "a means to acquire knowledge". I remember an enthusiastic preacher playing with words in English: "The universe is actually a university", and he has a point there.

When I read the Qur'an with this perspective in mind, I find that the frequent hints at "God's signs in creation" and injunctions to reflect and seek knowledge are more than a mere repetition in order to impress the point. They are an invitation to explore all branches of knowledge: natural phenomena, experiences in history, holy scriptures, religious traditions, human thoughts and emotions, with an open mind and the desire to understand. Consequently, in the Classical Age, Muslims were not shy to investigate all branches of science and to profit from any previous research they could find from among the Greeks, Persians, Indians and even Chinese, making practical use of the results in new technologies, philosophically exploring truths behind the facts and integrating the results into a treasure of encyclopaedic knowledge. Today there is far more to explore than a human individual can master: time not to split up to become intellectual fools but to join our forces to derive the greatest possible benefit for all.

When I read the Qur'an with this perspective in mind, I find no justification for the split in the minds of many Muslims today with the rational self focussing on science and technology while uncritically accepting various irrational concepts as "religious", or with a wide gap between rules and regulations in our everyday life and meaningful ethical principles. "Aquiring knowledge is a religious duty for every Muslim, man or woman," the Prophet said. He did not say, "Acquiring religious knowledge is a duty." He never made this difference between "religious knowledge" and "worldly knowledge". The Creator is One, revealed in the variety of creation, and creation is one, its multiple aspects integrated into a meaningful network of relationships. The Qur'an is meant to liberate us from ignorance and superstition: as God's trustee on earth, we are taught to explore God's world, conscious of God's presence, in order to improve our ability to fulfil our responsibility for it.

When I read the Qur'an with this perspective in mind, I find that the reference to knowledge is much more than a repetitive attempt to prove God's existence. This might be a central concern for modern young Muslims in search of orientation in an environment that tends to deny anything transcendent. "Objective proofs" have been presented by various philosophers in the past at the cost of narrowing down the knowledge of God to a "Prime Mover" or a "Most Real Being" and, in turn, challenged by other philosophers or dogmatic theologians. The Qur'an speaks to the mind and to the heart. Knowledge is more than information intake. Knowing God is a process of increasing experience both through prayer and contemplation and through interaction with the world. From "God's signs" we may learn about God's existence, unity and creativity. From the benefits contained in and derived from some of them we may learn about God's loving care and balancing justice. Our relationship develops as we go along in a lifelong process until familiarity and maturity is reached. The verse therefore describes the "earth as a cradle" in which we can learn and grow into full humanity.

We are invited to explore a world of knowledge. Full of blessings is God, the Creator and Sustainer of the worlds.

My God, every tree praises You and every piece of earth proclaims Your holiness with a secret voice and a clear melody.
God, I am standing before You, my eyes lifted up to Your presence, my hands stretched out to Your kindness, my voice calling upon You. You are the One who does not get annoyed with our call and who does not disappoint the petitioner.
My God, give me eyes that look up to you with sincerity, for anyone who is familiar with You is not misjudged and anyone who calls upon You is not put to shame and anyone who delights in You is happy and anyone who seeks Your protection finds help and success.

The supplication was transmitted from the mystic Dhun-Nû:n Misri.

(c) Halima Krausen, 2007