Al-Azhar Grand Imam, Prof. Ahmad At-Tayyeb, said that Al-ˁAlīm (the All-Knower) is one of the Most Beautiful Names of Allah, which is mentioned in the Noble Qur’an as well as in the Prophetic tradition, and Muslim scholars agree about it. Discussion about this name is diverse, and famous schools may have different views on it, as it is known to specialists, but we are concerned here with the main points on this subject. The first point is that this name is mentioned in the Qur’an in its three emphatic morphological forms: ˁĀlim (Knower), the more emphatic ˁAlīm and the most emphatic ˁAllām (All-Knowing).

During the twenty-first episode of his Ramadan program Grand Imam At-Tayyeb Talk, His Eminence added that Allah is called ˁĀlim, ˁAlīm, and ˁAllām. Although people can be described as having the attribute of knowledge, their knowledge is different because it comes after ignorance, and this is true of everything that man knows. 

To confirm this truth, the Grand Imam cited Allah’s saying: “Allah has brought you forth from the wombs of your mothers not knowing a thing” (Qur’an 16:78). As scholars say, man is created with minds like tabula rasa; then he begins to acquire knowledge. This knowledge begins simple and proceeds to reach the most sophisticated type of information. Some people, especially those who belong to the empirical sensory atheistic schools, think that the origin of this knowledge or what they call sources or means of knowledge comes from scientists, and here what is meant is the scholars of experimentalism and experimentation. 

The Grand Imam added that those views flourished during the 18th and 19th centuries, but they began to retreat during the 20th century because of the scientific renaissance. This scientific boom and the expansion of knowledge fascinated the philosophers, who found an explanation for many things they were unable to interpret. Even some churches in the West at that time forbade research in these issues because of its inability to explain them. The philosophers at that time said that the only source of knowledge for man is the five senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch.

His Eminence explained that the followers of this school were shocked to find that humans possess knowledge that was not provided through the five senses such as intellectual or spiritual matters; for instance the existence of God and other issues. What was strange was that they were so arrogant that they refused to admit that there were things they did not know. On the contrary, they denied it because they could not realize it with their senses although it is a known fact is that inability to prove the presence of something does not necessarily mean it was not there. They were arrogant and said that what the senses did not perceive are issues of no value, although the school of reason in Europe existed before them, and they used to correct the senses with reason. However, the experimental school of sense came and turned the tables on reason. Then, we entered new labyrinths, modernity, postmodernity, etc.

The Grand Imam stated that the sources of knowledge for Muslims are three: the sensory source; this is born with man, since his childhood, so Islam does not impose obligations such as prayer, fasting and others on children because these require maturity of the mind which happens only at puberty. The second source comes after that, which is the intellect, to add something new and correct the errors of the senses. Then the third source, which is the infallible revelation that cannot be overtaken by lies, because it is the divine revelation. It is equivalent in certainty to the certainty of both the mind and the senses. The first issue studied at the Faculty of Theology is that the facts of proven things, and the knowledge of them, is verified by common sense, reason and factual statements. Human knowledge is restricted, and it is the type of knowledge that occurs after ignorance, unlike divine knowledge, which is unchangeable and eternal, is not preceded by ignorance. In eternal knowledge, all information is known before its existence, during its existence and after its existence; and it does not ever change.

His Eminence added that one of the characteristics of divine knowledge is that it does not change with the change of information, for Allah, Glory be to Him, is the All-Knowing, from whom nothing is hidden, nor does any piece of information - far or near - escape His knowledge. Each of the names and attributes of Allah Almighty has its own characteristics, meanings and effects, such as the attribute of will and ability, etc. The attribute of knowledge, which is the topic of today’s episode, is an attribute before which all information is known before it exists, when it exists, and after it does exist. Thus, the attribute of knowledge is an attribute of revelation, but the attribute of ability is an attribute of creation.