engage in rational inquiry before attaining knowledge. Others said that one must first intend to undertake such inquiry. Among the majority of them, some even held doubt to be obligatory. We have discussed this question at length elsewhere.

This statement agrees with their position. However, the authenticity of its attribution to Ruwaym in this wording is questionable, for Ruwaym was a man of learning and knowledge, and the evidence cited does not support this answer. The words “except to worship Me” do not indicate that knowledge is the first obligation, whether “worship Me” is interpreted as “know Me” or otherwise. That He created them for a particular purpose does not establish that it is the first obligation unless some further evidence establishes this.

As for the interpretation attributed to Ibn ‘Abbās, those who related it from him understood this knowledge to mean the innate knowledge acknowledged by believers and disbelievers alike. Their point was that all humans and jinn have fulfilled the purpose for which they were created: worship understood as nothing more than innate acknowledgment. They adopted this interpretation to counter the Qadariyyah’s use of this verse as evidence.

There is no doubt that this is an unsound interpretation. The meaning is not that Allah created them merely for innate acknowledgment. We have discussed this verse elsewhere.

Perhaps the questioner asked him about the greatest obligation, and he answered, “Knowledge,” citing His words, “except to worship Me,” meaning “to know Me,” and Ruwaym understood this knowledge to be the knowledge referred to