The shaykh—may Allah have mercy on him—was asked:
“Which is superior: knowledge or intellect?”

He replied:
If “knowledge” means the knowledge of Allah Most High that He has sent down, namely the Book—as He, Most High, says:

“Whoever disputes with you concerning him after knowledge has come to you”

—then this is superior to human intellect, because it is an attribute of the Creator, whereas intellect is an attribute of the created being. An attribute of the Creator is superior to an attribute of the created being.

If “intellect” means that a servant understands Allah’s commands and prohibitions, doing what he is commanded and refraining from what he is forbidden, then this intellect brings its possessor into Paradise. It is superior to knowledge that does not bring its possessor into Paradise, as in the case of someone who knows but does not act.

If “intellect” means the innate faculty Allah has placed in the servant, through which he attains knowledge and acts, then what is attained through it is superior. Knowledge is the intended end, while the innate faculty of intellect is a means to it, and ends are superior to their means.

If “intellect” means the knowledge acquired through this innate faculty, then this is itself a form of knowledge, so one should not ask: “Which