أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ حَبِيبٍ الطَّبَرِيُّ، قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ الْمَنْصُورَ الْهَاشِمِيَّ الْخُرَاسَانِيَّ يَقُولُ: الْعِلْمُ نُورٌ يَقْذِفُهُ اللَّهُ فِي قَلْبِ مَنْ يَشَاءُ لِيُرِيَهُ فِيهِ مَا يَكُونُ، وَلَوْ أَنَّ النَّاسَ أَجْهَدُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ وَرَكِبَ بَعْضُهُمْ بَعْضًا لِكَيْ يَعْلَمُوا مِمَّا يَكُونُ شَيْئًا لَا يَعْلَمُونَهُ حَتَّى يُعَلِّمَهُمُ اللَّهُ، ثُمَّ قَرَأَ: ﴿سُبْحَانَكَ لَا عِلْمَ لَنَا إِلَّا مَا عَلَّمْتَنَا ۖ إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ الْعَلِيمُ الْحَكِيمُ﴾[1]. قُلْتُ: جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ، وَمَا خَيْرُ الْعُلُومِ؟ قَالَ: مَا ثَمَّ عُلُومٌ يَابْنَ حَبِيبٍ، وَلَكِنَّهُ عِلْمٌ وَاحِدٌ، وَالْعِلْمُ لَا يَتَفَاوَتُ! قُلْتُ: فَمَا هَذِهِ الَّتِي فِي أَيْدِي النَّاسِ؟! قَالَ: تِلْكَ الظُّنُونُ، تِلْكَ الْعِبَارَاتُ، وَهِيَ شَبِيهَةٌ بِالْعِلْمِ، وَلَيْسَتِ الْعِلْمَ.

Translation of the saying:

Abdullah ibn Habib al-Tabari informed us, he said: I heard Mansoor Hashemi Khorasani say: “Knowledge is a light that Allah casts into the heart of whomever He wills to show him what is in it, and if people exert themselves and some of them mount on some others to know a thing of what there is, they will never know it until Allah teaches them!” Then he recited (this verse): “Glory be to You! We have no knowledge except for what You taught us. Indeed, You are the All-Knowing, the Wise.” I said: “May I be sacrificed for you! What is the best of knowledges?” He said: “There are no knowledges, O ibn Habib, but it is one knowledge, and knowledge does not differ!” I said: “Then what are these things in the hands of people?!” He said: “They are conjectures, they are expressions, and they resemble knowledge and are not knowledge.”

Explanation of the saying:

It is understood from this invaluable wisdom that knowledge is a divine light emanating from the Lord of the worlds, reaching sound intellects so that in its brightness, they perceive things that exist in the world as they are. Therefore, knowledge holds the status of light, and a sound intellect holds the status of a seeing eye that can perceive things in light, and without it, it cannot perceive anything, even if it exerts itself. Based on this, knowledge, similar to light, is one essence, despite being the cause of perceiving different things; because the difference of known things does not entail the difference of knowledge; as the difference of visible things does make light different. Rather, it becomes clear on this basis that knowledge belongs to Allah alone and is not for other than Him, and this is the intended meaning of His words, where He has said: ﴿إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَعْلَمُ وَأَنْتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ﴾[2]; “Indeed, Allah knows and you do not know”; because others gain knowledge through His knowledge; as they perceive things through light. As for the things that are in the hands of people under the title of “knowledge” and contradict each other, they are not actually knowledge but a collection of their conjectures and expressions that resemble knowledge and deceive the ignorant; like a mirage that resembles water and deceives the thirsty; because knowledge is the light of Allah in the heavens and the earth, free from any difference and beyond the conjectures and expressions of people.