Beyond Knowledge
“Be mindful of Allah, and Allah will teach you. And Allah is All-Knowing of everything.”
Surah Al-Baqarah 2:282
Connect your heart to Allah ‘Al-‘Aleem’ (The All-Knowing), the source of all knowledge. When you turn toward Him, you are not limited to information alone; you are opened to wisdom that flows from the unseen. Within Allah’s infinite knowledge lies the knowledge of the cosmos, the angels, the stories of the Prophets, and most subtly, the secret whispers placed gently within the heart.
It is important to seek knowledge in this world: to read, to study, to have mentors, to travel, to explore new information, and to learn. Yet for a moment, can you also divert your attention inward, to the non-physical realm within you? To your senses, to your soul. We are given a rational way of understanding matters, but we are also gifted a spiritual dimension, an infinite inner space.
The verse reminds us: be mindful of Allah. Bring Him into your awareness. Practice presence with the Creator by stepping away from distraction and returning to stillness. Be present through His creations, nature, silence, and breath. In that capsule of pure presence, clues are placed.
Often, a frantic search in panic brings little, or even creates anxiety and feelings of being lost. Yet a moment of true presence and awe can reveal so much. Open the door of the heart, a door through which a waterfall of ‘ilm’ (knowledge) can flow, filling the heart and moving through your limbs into the world.
“When God himself becomes a teacher”
Ibn Arabi
Today, spend time away from distractions, in solitude with Allah.
Close your eyes and tune into what God is teaching you today.
Reflect on how he is guiding you.
Pick up a pen and journal today, as you write on top of the page
“God is telling me….”
“Know that the bearer of all known things, celestial and terrestrial, is the Intellect which takes from Allah without intermediary. None of the knowledge of higher and lower being is hidden from it. The self’s gnosis of things comes from His giving and generosity, and from His manifestation to it, His light and His purest overflowing. The Intellect learns from Allah and teaches the self. The self learns from the Intellect and action comes from it. This applies to all that knowledge of the Intellect connects to things below it. We are limited by “what is below it” in respect of the learning we mentioned. Be careful when you ponder, remembering that Allah said, “until We know” (47:31). He is the All-Knower, so recognise the proper ascriptions!”
Selections from al-Futuhat al-Makkiyya – Shaykh Muhyiddin Ibn al-’Arabi
