is superior: knowledge or intellect?” Rather, one should ask: “Which is superior: this knowledge or that knowledge?” Some kinds of knowledge are superior to others. Knowledge of Allah is superior to knowledge of His creation. This is why the Verse of the Throne is the greatest verse in the Quran: it describes Allah Most High.

And “Say, ‘He is Allah, One’” is equivalent to one-third of the Quran, because the Quran comprises “three thirds”: one-third concerns Allah’s oneness, one-third consists of narratives, and one-third consists of commands and prohibitions. The third concerning Allah’s oneness is superior to the others.

The answer to this question—the question of knowledge and intellect—must distinguish between their different meanings, because each of these two terms can have many meanings. It is therefore impermissible to give an unqualified answer without making these distinctions. This is why there has been so much disagreement over this question among those who fail to distinguish between these meanings. Whoever makes these distinctions in his answer is correct. And Allah knows best.