Second, the specific knowledge of Allah’s names and attributes through which faith is attained is acquired through revelation, as in His words, Exalted is He:

“You did not know what the Book was, nor what faith was, but We have made it a light by which We guide whom We will of Our servants.”

And His words:

“Say: If I go astray, I stray only to my own detriment; but if I am guided, it is through what my Lord reveals to me.”

And His words:

“A Book We have sent down to you so that you may bring people out of darkness into light, by their Lord’s permission.”

There are similar texts showing that Allah guided His servants through the Book He revealed to His Prophet.

[Al-Faraj al-Shīrāzī on revelation as the basis for the obligation to know Allah]

As for the obligation itself being established by revelation, this does not show that knowledge can be attained through revelation alone.

Similar to this is the argument advanced by a group, including Shaykh Abū al-Faraj al-Shīrāzī, that both the obligation to acquire this knowledge and its attainment are established through revelation. They said:

“Knowledge of the Creator must either be obligatory or attained through revelation alone, through reason alone, or through both together.

“It cannot be through reason alone, apart from revelation, for the reasons we have explained. Nor can it be through both revelation and reason, because what is known through reason must either be found in revelation or not be found in it.

“It cannot be said that it is not found in revelation, because Allah, Exalted is He, said: ‘We have neglected nothing in the Book.’ If it is found in revelation, we have no need to mention reason.”

[Ibn Taymiyyah’s commentary]

One might say: This line of argument shows that this is found in revelation. This is supported by