The Holy Quran, like an inexhaustible and pristine spring, presents divine knowledge within luminous verses to humanity. This celestial book serves not only as guidance for spiritual conduct but also as a carrier of sciences and wisdoms manifesting divine power within human existence and the cosmos. In this treatise, relying on selected verses from Surahs Al-Baqarah, Al-Arf, riq, and Al-Anfl, the concepts of knowledge of power and dominion over creation are examined. These concepts, rooted in the conduct of Prophets and Divine Saints, are analysed from mystical and philosophical perspectives, emphasising the necessity of their revival in religious scientific domains. Through a profound engagement with the Quranic verses, this work endeavours to open a novel pathway towards understanding and applying these sciences in individual and social life.
Original Verse:
وَلَمَّا بَرَزُوا لِجَالُوتَ وَجُنُودِهِ قَالُوا رَبَّنَا أَفْرِغْ عَلَيْنَا صَبْرًا وَثَبِّتْ أَقْدَامَنَا وَانْصُرْنَا عَلَى الْقَوْمِ الْكَافِرِينَ
Translation: And when they confronted Goliath and his armies, they said: Our Lord, pour upon us patience and make our feet steadfast and grant us victory over the disbelieving people.
Verse 250 of Surah Al-Baqarah narrates a decisive moment when Taluts companions stand against Goliath and his forces. Their prayer, requesting patience, steadfastness, and divine victory, reflects a spiritual journey emanating from the believers heart towards the Almighty. Patience here denotes not merely endurance against hardships but perseverance against internal temptations and satanic whispers that divert the seeker from the path of truth. The phrase pour upon us patience resembles a stream that quenches the heart with divine light, and make our feet steadfast is likened to the roots of a tree that remain unshaken amidst the storms of tribulation.
Following this verse, David (peace be upon him) defeats Goliath by divine authority, and God grants him kingdom (governance) and wisdom (divine knowledge). Here, wisdom transcends theoretical knowledge, encompassing practical science that empowers David with dominion over creation and triumph over adversaries. This knowledge, referred to in the Quran as from what He wills, is a primordial, inward science surpassing superficial learning, enabling Prophets to exercise influence over the material and spiritual realms.
In Islamic philosophy, notably in the views of Mulla Sadra, wisdom is often confined to theoretical understanding and ontological cognition. Sadra regards the natural world as a realm of deficiency and pays scant attention to its capacity for manifesting divine power. However, this verse reveals that the natural world functions as a vessel wherein divine knowledge of power is manifest. Davids wisdom is not only theoretical but a potent knowledge that enabled him, by divine power, to subjugate Goliath and establish a just kingdom.
Key Point: Wisdom in the Quran surpasses theoretical cognition, including knowledge of power that enables Prophets to exercise dominion over creation and guide society. This science must be revitalised within religious scientific fields so scholars can effectively participate in societal reform.
The knowledge from what He wills, granted to David, functions as a key unlocking the material and spiritual locks of existence. It not only enabled Davids victory over adversaries but elevated him to a station where kingdom (external governance) and wisdom (inner knowledge) unite. This unity signifies that knowledge of power bridges the natural and the transcendent realms, through which Prophets and Saints realise divine will in the cosmos. Religious scientific fields must revive this knowledge to shift from mere theoretical reiterations towards producing knowledge that guides society towards felicity.
Verse 250 of Surah Al-Baqarah, emphasising patience, steadfastness, and divine victory, opens a pathway for believers wherein knowledge of power and divine wisdom manifest within them. The verse reveals the necessity of cultivating science beyond theoretical knowledge. Critique of Mulla Sadras viewpoint further underlines that wisdom is not limited to cognition but entails a power affecting both natural and transcendent realms.
Original Verse:
قَالُوا يَا مُوسَىٰ إِمَّا أَنْ تُلْقِيَ وَإِمَّا أَنْ نَكُونَ أَوَّلَ مَنْ أَلْقَىٰ
Translation: They said: O Moses, either you throw [your staff] or we shall be the first to throw.
This verse depicts a scene of confrontation between divine knowledge and sorcery. Pharaohs magicians, confident in their nefarious power, challenge Moses (peace be upon him). Sorcery is akin to a mirage shining within the vessel of imagination but devoid of truth and permanence. In contrast, Moses miracle is like the sun, whose divine light dispels the darkness of sorcery. This opposition illustrates the fundamental distinction
