In the first session of our second semester of our weekly class on Imam Abū Ḥāmid Muḥammad al-Ghazālī’s Exploring the Marvels of the Heart, we explore “How the Heart Relates to Knowledge”.

Centering around answering the questions “How does the heart access knowledge?” and “What is the relationship between knowledge and spirituality”, this session covers pages 45-50 of the text.

“How does the heart access knowledge?”

Imam al-Ghazālī’s categorization of knowledge:

Knowledge pertaining to the intellect: 

• Axiomatic: An axiom is considered true innately or intuitively
• Acquired: Empirically / experientially obtained

Knowledge pertaining to the Divine Law:

• Do not have access to it except through revelation

“What is the relationship between knowledge and spirituality”

It is by purifying our hearts that we gain access to knowledge

You can also view detailed class notes, supplemental materials, and references for our first semester on Google Classroom. You can join our Google Classroom by using the code 9kfttk.