ALLAH MAKES A profound connection between knowledge and fear of Him when He says in Surah Fāṭir:
إِنَّمَا يَخْشَى ٱللَّهَ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ ٱلْعُلَمَـٰٓؤُا۟ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ غَفُورٌ
“Only those of His servants who have knowledge truly fear Allah. Indeed, Allah is Almighty, All-Forgiving.” (al-Fatir 28)
We often think of knowledge as something we acquire: facts we learn, books we read, qualifications we earn or religious teachings we memorise. But Allah directs our attention to something deeper. What should knowledge produce within us? What should happen to a person as their understanding of Allah grows?
The word used in the āyah is khashyah. It is more than being afraid of punishment. It is an awe-filled fear that comes from recognising Allah’s greatness, His authority over us, His knowledge of our actions and the reality that we will return to Him. When we understand who Allah is, that knowledge should affect how we think, what we value and how we live.
Knowledge is not simply about what we know. It is also about what that knowledge does to us.
From Observing Creation to Recognising the Creator
The verses immediately before this āyah help us understand its message. Allah draws our attention to rain falling from the sky and the fruits it brings forth, to the different colours of mountains, and to the variety found among human beings, animals and livestock.
These are things we can observe in the world around us. But the Qur’an does not invite us to stop at observation. The diversity and complexity of creation should lead us to recognise the One who created it.
Two people may look at the same mountain, study the same natural process or learn the same scientific facts. One may see nothing beyond the material world. Another may recognise signs of Allah’s power, wisdom and greatness. The difference is not necessarily in what they have observed, but in what they understand from it.
After drawing our attention to the signs of creation, Allah declares that those who possess knowledge are characterised by khashyah. The connection is profound: knowledge should lead us beyond observing the world to recognising the greatness of its Creator.
The opening word, innamā, adds emphasis to this declaration. Allah draws our attention to the relationship between genuine knowledge and fear of Him. This does not mean that ordinary Muslims cannot fear Allah, or that every person with formal religious training necessarily possesses this quality. Rather, it highlights how knowledge of Allah should produce a heart that responds to Him with awe, reverence and obedience.
We can accumulate information about Islam without allowing it to transform us. We can know the rules of prayer while remaining careless about our obligations to others. We can speak about the Hereafter while making decisions as though this worldly life is all that matters. We can memorise the words of Allah without allowing them to shape how we understand our responsibilities towards others and the world around us.
The question, then, is not simply how much we know. It is whether our knowledge is bringing us closer to Allah.
When Knowledge Changes How we Live
Genuine khashyah should have consequences. If we recognise Allah as our Creator, Sustainer and Judge, we cannot treat His guidance as just one opinion among many. His commands matter because He is our Lord, and our lives are not separate from our accountability to Him.
This should be visible in ordinary decisions. A person who knows that Allah sees them should be concerned about their conduct even when nobody else is watching. Someone who understands that they will answer to Allah should think carefully about whether their work, treatment of others and personal ambitions are pleasing to Him. A Muslim who understands the reality of the Hereafter should not measure success solely by wealth, status or worldly achievement.
This does not mean that a person with genuine knowledge never sins or makes mistakes. We are human, and we all fall short. But knowledge of Allah should make us more conscious of our shortcomings, more willing to repent and more determined to correct our conduct. It should not leave us comfortable with disobedience.
This is particularly important today when Islam has become secularised. When we study history, is it to learn only dates and events, or do they consider what Allah teaches us about power, justice and the rise and fall of societies? When we think about our future careers, do we consider only income and prospects, or also how we can earn lawfully and use our abilities in ways that please Allah? When we encounter ideas that are popular in society, do we simply accept them, or ask how they stand against the guidance of Allah?
We want to develop a way of seeing the world in which Allah and the Hereafter are not confined to the mosque or the performance of rituals. Our relationship with Allah should shape how we understand the world and how we choose to live in it.
That is one of the fruits of knowledge: it changes the questions we ask and the standards by which we judge our choices.
When the Appearance of Knowledge Misleads Us
If knowledge should lead to khashyah, we must also be careful not to confuse the appearance of knowledge with its reality.
Some people possess religious qualifications, speak eloquently about Islam and enjoy the status of scholars. Yet their words and actions may contradict the very guidance they teach. Religious knowledge can become a means of securing wealth, pleasing those in power or providing religious justification for what Allah has forbidden.
The Qur’an warns against this misuse of knowledge. In al-Baqarah, Allah condemns those who conceal what He revealed in exchange for worldly gain. The problem is not knowledge itself, but the decision to place personal interests above the truth.
This creates a real challenge for ordinary Muslims. Who should we learn from? Whose opinions should we trust when scholars disagree?
Islam has a rich tradition of scholarship, in which knowledge was transmitted through qualified teachers. Students did not simply read books or listen to lectures. They studied with scholars, received correction, learnt how religious texts were understood and observed how knowledge was put into practice. They learnt not only what was taught, but also the methods and discipline needed to understand it properly.
This tradition reminds us that a scholar is not merely a source of information. Learning from a qualified teacher can help us develop an understanding of the religion, appreciate legitimate differences of opinion and recognise the limits of our own knowledge. The character and conduct of a teacher also matter, although neither a good reputation nor close personal association guarantees that every opinion they express is correct.
We should therefore seek knowledge from qualified scholars whose learning, methodology and conduct give us sound reasons to trust them. But we should not confuse scholarly reputation with infallibility, nor assume that every opinion expressed in the name of Islam carries equal weight.
Ordinary Muslims need not become scholars themselves, but they do need to exercise care in deciding whom they learn from. We should recognise that some differences of opinion arise from legitimate scholarly reasoning, while other claims may lack a sound basis in the Qur’an and Sunnah. Where we cannot assess the evidence ourselves, we should seek guidance from people qualified to do so rather than simply following whoever speaks most confidently or tells us what we want to hear.
Knowledge brings responsibility. The more we know of Allah’s guidance, the greater our responsibility to live by it. Religious knowledge is not a badge of status or a means of worldly advantage. Its purpose is to guide us towards the truth, deepen our khashyah and bring us closer to Allah.
Between His Might and His Forgiveness
The āyah ends with two of Allah’s names: Al-ʿAzīz, the Almighty, and Al-Ghafūr, the All-Forgiving.
This ending reinforces the lesson. Allah is mighty, and nothing can escape His authority. We should not treat His commands lightly or imagine that our actions have no consequences. Yet He is also All-Forgiving. When we fall short, the door of repentance remains open.
Together, these names help us understand the response that knowledge should produce. Recognising Allah’s might should prevent us from becoming careless about disobedience. Recognising His forgiveness should prevent us from falling into despair when we sin. We should fear Allah, strive to obey Him and return to Him whenever we fall short.
This is the understanding we should seek for ourselves. Not simply the ability to repeat Islamic teachings, but the capacity to recognise what they mean for our lives.
Ultimately, this ayah challenges us to look beyond how much we know and ask what our knowledge has produced in us. Has it deepened our recognition of Allah, increased our khashyah and strengthened our obedience to Him?
The real measure is not simply whether we have acquired knowledge, but whether that knowledge is bringing us closer to Allah and changing how we live before Him.
|QUR’ANIC REFLECTION · SURAH AN-FATIR 28|
