العلم
al-ʿIlm
Knowledge of the patterns God has set in creation, in nature, in the person and in society, reached through the senses, intuition and reason.
What it means
ʿIlm means knowledge, and the Quran gives it great honour: “Are those who know equal to those who do not know?” (39:9). Faruqi defines it as knowledge of the patterns of God in creation. These patterns are found in nature, which the natural and exact sciences study, in the personal realm, which the humanities study, and in society, which the social sciences study. The patterns can be known through the senses, through intuition, theoretical and practical, and through reason. The Quran also commands the prayer, “My Lord, increase me in knowledge” (20:114). On this view, to study creation is to study the signs of God, and no real conflict exists between faith and the pursuit of knowledge.
Often misunderstood as
It is often limited to religious learning, though the word covers every field in which the patterns of creation are studied.
What the sources say
The Quran says that those who truly fear God among His servants are the people of knowledge (35:28). Muslim scholars of the classical period carried the word into medicine, astronomy, mathematics and other fields.
Term and Arabic as listed in Ismail al Faruqi, Toward Islamic English (International Institute of Islamic Thought, 1995), p. 39, listed as AL ʿILM. The definition is restated here.