Fadl al-'Ilm — The Virtue of Knowledge: Islam's Foundational Commitment to Learning

The Quranic Imperative

The Quran’s opening command was Iqra’ (Read/Recite — 96:1). The five opening verses of Surah al-‘Alaq establish the divine framework of knowledge: Allah taught by the pen (qalam), Allah taught the human being what it did not know. Knowledge is thus positioned as the primary divine gift to humanity — the capacity to receive and transmit knowledge distinguishes the human being.

“Say: Are those who know equal to those who do not know?” (39:9) — The rhetorical question is answered by the very fact of the question. The Quran assumes this is self-evident.

“Allah will raise those who have believed among you and those who were given knowledge by degrees.” (58:11) — Both faith and knowledge are honored; their combination is the highest station.

The Categories of ‘Ilm in Islamic Tradition

‘Ilm al-Din (religious knowledge):

• Quran and its sciences (tafsir, qira’at, i’jaz)
• Hadith and its sciences (mustalah, rijal, matn)
• Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) and usul al-fiqh
• ‘Aqida (Islamic theology/creed)
• Tasawwuf and spiritual sciences

‘Ilm al-Dunya (worldly knowledge):

• The scholars generally held that worldly knowledge (medicine, mathematics, astronomy, engineering) is a communal obligation (fard kifaya) — if enough in the community learn it, the obligation is fulfilled; but if none do, all are sinful
• Ibn Khaldun, al-Biruni, Ibn Sina, al-Khawarizmi — the Islamic tradition produced polymaths precisely because of the religious obligation to engage with all knowledge

‘Ilm al-Yaqin (the levels of certain knowledge):

• ‘Ilm al-yaqin: Knowledge derived from reliable evidence (you know fire exists because you’ve been told)
• ‘Ayn al-yaqin: Knowledge from direct experience (you see the fire)
• Haqq al-yaqin: Knowledge by direct absorption (you are in the fire) — the highest level of spiritual realization

The Ismaili Concept of ‘Ilm

In Ismaili theology, ‘ilm is not merely academic knowledge but the transmission of divine ‘ilm through the Imam’s person. The Imam holds the ‘ilm al-batin — the inner knowledge of Quranic reality — which cannot be derived from texts alone but requires the living teacher.

The hierarchy of ‘ilm in Ismaili thought:

• The Imam holds the complete ‘ilm (zahir + batin)
• The Da’i al-Mutlaq holds and transmits the ‘ilm by the Imam’s authority
• The mu’min seeks ‘ilm through the chain of the da’wa

This is why the bohra tradition has always emphasised ‘ilm centers (al-Jamea tus Saifiyah in Surat, founded in 1814) — because the transmission of ‘ilm is the transmission of the nass’s spiritual reality into each generation.

See also: Quran Sciences, Hadith Sciences, Fiqh Overview, Ijaza, Isnad, Dai Al Mutlaq Institution, Tazkiyah