of Nekounam (May Allah Sanctify His Secret), Session (137)
The third verse of Surah Al-Baqarah, which refers to the characteristics of the God-conscious (muttaqin) and faith in the unseen, establishing prayer, and spending from the sustenance provided by Allah, serves as a gateway to a profound understanding of faith, self-knowledge, and critique of educational systems. This verse, by elucidating the stages of faith and emphasising self-knowledge as the key to cognition, calls upon humanity to read the book of their own soul and avoid aimless accumulation of knowledge. This work, with a scientific and systematic approach, analyses the presented content and, using a refined language appropriate to an academic environment, elucidates faith, critiques book-centred educational methods, and highlights the role of self-knowledge in spiritual growth. The goal is to present a coherent text suitable for erudite audiences, which, while remaining fully faithful to the original content, also reveals its scientific depth and richness.
الَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْغَيْبِ وَيُقِيمُونَ الصَّلَاةَ وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ يُنْفِقُونَ
Translation: Those who believe in the unseen, establish prayer, and spend from what We have provided them.
Self-knowledge, as the study of the book of the soul, is far more valuable than the extensive study of others' books. Man, as the microcosm (Alam al-Akbar), carries all divine knowledges within his own existence. The Holy Quran emphasises this truth in the following verse:
اقْرَأْ كِتَابَكَ كَفَىٰ بِنَفْسِكَ الْيَوْمَ عَلَيْكَ حَسِيبًا
Translation: Read your own book; today, yourself is sufficient as a reckoner against you.
This verse invites man to reflect upon his own soul, where all decrees and knowledges are concealed. Daily study of the book of the soul, even for fifteen to thirty minutes, can lead to existential cohesion and reinforcement of the souls inclination.
From a psychological perspective, self-knowledge involves examining the souls inclinations and human primordial memories. Just as dough or chocolate gains elasticity and cohesion through kneading, the human soul becomes stronger and more integrated through continual reflection. Historically, structures such as clay achieved durability through prolonged kneading; likewise, the soul attains existential stability through contemplation. Many individuals, due to weak soul inclination, fail to achieve cohesion even after brief reflection, akin to chewing gum that remains fragmented and unchewed.
Man, as the microcosm, is a mirror of divine perfections. Allah praises the creation of man in the following verse:
فَتَبَارَكَ اللَّهُ أَحْسَنُ الْخَالِقِينَ
Translation: So blessed be Allah, the best of creators.
This praise, even in mans initial state before acquiring knowledge and virtues, demonstrates his intrinsic value and infinite potential for growth.
The religious scientific educational system, which emphasises book-centrism (such as studying Siuti, Mughni, Kifayah, Lum'ah, and Makasib), has not been successful. After years of study, students remain incapable of basic skills like reading and speaking Arabic. This method results in confusion, fatigue, and lack of purpose, causing students to become detached from society and contemporary issues.
Teacher-centrism, emphasising the role of the instructor in guidance and teaching, is a more effective method than book-centrism. Previously, students were asked about the teacher with whom they studied rather than which book they studied. With a good teacher, even studying simple materials such as newspapers or magazines can lead to profound knowledge, but without a teacher, even reading the Quran is fruitless.
Book-centrism immerses students in the works of predecessors, causing ignorance of contemporary scholars contributions and current issues. Students, through interaction with society and contemporary matters, gain a better understanding of the world. This isolation has diminished the impact of religious sciences and highlights the necessity of reforming the educational system.
Faith is a soulful reality manifesting in three stages: apparent, descriptive, and real. Apparent faith, the declaration of l ilha ill Allh, suffices for sixty percent of society and brings purity, protection, and Paradise. This stage, performed with an intention of devotion (even for worldly benefit or Paradise), is valid and does not require deep content.
قُولُوا لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ تُفْلِحُوا
Translation: Say, There is no god but Allah, so that you may succeed.
This statement signifies soulful conviction, not mere verbal confession, and is the root of salvation.
The Holy Quran emphasises, in approximately one hundred instances (such as Most of them do not reason), the weakness of rationality in humans, reflecting the dominance of the souls phase. Apparent faith, like the word sour, which stimulates the senses, activates the soul and leads to existential cohesion.
Seeking the higher levels of faith (divine level) without strengthening the short-range (soulful) faith results in the loss of the taste of faith. Faith is a soulful attribute, with confession and action as its effects, and knowledge as its origin, not faith itself.
It is impermissible to declare someone who says l ilha ill Allh as a disbeliever unless one is certain of their falsehood. Certainty of lying is difficult to attain, and judgment on this matter is not allowed except with certainty. This leniency prevents accusation and division.
Incorrect judgments regarding faith (such as accusations of disbelief, hypocrisy, or immorality) have led to widespread killing of believers in Islamic history. Martyrs such as the First, Second, and Third Martyrs, who were perfect saints, were killed under accusations of disbelief and misguidance. These judgments, like a child blindly striking with a stick, have been blindly harmful.
Muslims must become civilised, thoughtful, and rational to prevent wrongful faith judgments and killings. This transformation requires revisiting theological views and promoting religious leniency.
The infallible narrative defines faith as hearts affirmation, verbal confession, and practical acts. This definition introduces faith as a soulful reality implanted within mans existence, distinguished from disbelief as its opposite attribute.
The definitions of the Mu'tazilites and Khawarij, which consider lack of belief as hypocrisy, lack of confession as disbelief, and lack of action as immorality, are incorrect. These perspectives, due to oversimplification, have resulted in erroneous judgments and divisions within the Islamic community.
The interpretation of the third verse of Surah Al-Baqarah, emphasising faith, self-knowledge, and critique of the educational system, embarks on a journey towards profound comprehension of Quranic knowledges. Self-knowledge, as the study of the book of the soul, is the key to divine cognition and spiritual growth, more effective than extensive study of predecessors books. The educational system of religious sciences must transition from book-centrism to teacher-centrism to connect students with society and contemporary issues. Faith, as a soulful reality, is sufficient in its apparent stage for salvation and should not be confused with mere verbal or hypocritical confession. Incorrect judgments about faith have led to killing of believers and division throughout Islamic history, underscoring the necessity for rationality, leniency, and civilisation in the Islamic society. Strengthening short-range soulful faith precedes the pursuit of higher levels, and self-knowledge is the path to reviving the latent knowledges within the soul and realising the divine microcosm.
Under the supervision of Sadegh Khademi
