knowledge (الْمَعْرِفَة)
العقيدة
التعريف :
Whatever one knows of goodness and is assured of it.
المعنى الاصطلاحي :
Abstract perception that entails no ruling.
الشرح المختصر :
"Ma`rifah": Understanding the reality of something after being ignorant of it. It is composed of realizing the individual components of something and the relationship between these components. "Ma`rifah" covers both knowledge and action, which represents belief of the heart. "Ma`rifah" varies from knowledge in several aspects, such as: 1. "Ma`rifah" is related to perceiving the image and shape of something, whereas knowledge is deeper than this as it involves knowing the characteristics and circumstances of that thing. 2. "Ma`rifah" is more specific than knowledge, because it refers to knowing the essence of something in detail apart from other things, whereas knowledge is both general and detailed.
التعريف اللغوي المختصر :
"Ma`rifah": perceiving something by thinking carefully and pondering on its impact.