VIRTUOUS KNOWLEDGE***VIRTUOUS KNOWLEDGE Al-Jathiya (The Kneeling One) - Chapter 45: Verse 16-17 And so it was that We granted the Children of Israel the Book (of scripture), the power to act, and the gift of prophethood. We also provided them with wholesome (food) and favoured them above all others in the universe. We also gave them clear directions in all their affairs, but it was only after they received such knowledge that they fell into competing groups, due to arrogant jealousy among themselves. Their Lord will judge between them concerning these points of difference on the Day of Judgment. Besides the sciences of philosophy and physics there are traditional and religious sciences, all of which are required to lead mankind to happiness and prosperity. In many instances, however, this has not been the case. The study of physical sciences has not always been put to good use; man has conquered space and is now almost fully able to see creation in action, as in the case of conception and the growth of human fetuses and embryos, but many people continue to deny God and insist that there is no creator. This is a salient feature of modern civilization in the East as well as in the West, and this anomaly we see with respect to empirical sciences can also be found among students of religious sciences. Becoming rigid and fossilized, they have lost their appeal and ability to influence human thought and world events. Religious books have become hollow volumes and most of the regression and corruption we witness in the world can be blamed on institutionalized religion and religious leaders and their followers. As a result of their corruption, the elders of Israel could be said to have been the first to belie Socrates assertion that virtue is knowledge because, as the verse points out, they abused and misrepresented the knowledge they had been given. So long as religious knowledge does not lead to purity, honesty, and justice, it is of little use or value. Today, there are men of religion as well as men of secular sciences who are totally corrupt but who might otherwise have served humanity very well indeed. Compiled From: The Holy Quran: Guidance for Life - Yahiya Emerick, p. 360 A Thematic Commentary on the Quran - Muhammad Al-Ghazali, pp. 552, 553
Posted on: Sat, 19 Oct 2013 04:19:31 +0000
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