Just as a desire may be present within a person, yet he may doubt its presence, be unable to express it properly, or seek to acquire it, so too necessary knowledge and other kinds of knowledge may already be present within him, yet he may doubt their presence, seek to acquire them, or be unable to express them properly. For something’s presence within the soul is one thing, awareness of its presence is another, and distinguishing it from other things and expressing that distinction is yet another.

The same applies to believers generally. When a believer reaches the age of discernment, he encounters factors that bring about his knowledge of Allah and His Messenger, producing within him necessary knowledge and firm certainty—just as desire arises in someone who knows what he wishes to do. Yet many speculative theologians obscure for him the knowledge he has acquired and make him doubt it, just as many jurists obscure for someone who already has a desire and an intention what he possesses, and make him doubt it.

The causes of knowledge arising within the soul cannot be comprehensively specified. Some knowledge arises all at once, such as knowledge of what one perceives through the senses.

Other knowledge arises gradually, such as knowledge of what is conveyed by mass-transmitted reports, or knowledge of what is indicated by contextual clues that cannot be put into words.

The same applies to the arising of desire. There are things for which a decisive desire arises within the soul, such as the desire for necessities one cannot do without, including the desire to ward off