“Knowledge of Allah, His names and attributes” and related matters. On such subjects Allah revealed Surah al-Ikhlās (Sincerity), the Throne Verse, and similar passages.
“The second category”: knowledge of what Allah has revealed concerning past events, future events, and present realities. On such subjects Allah revealed the verses containing narratives, promises and warnings, descriptions of Paradise and Hell, and the like.
“The third category”: knowledge of what Allah has commanded concerning the heart and the bodily faculties: faith in Allah, encompassing the heart’s knowledge and states, and the words and deeds expressed through the bodily faculties. This knowledge includes knowledge of the foundations of faith and the pillars of Islam, as well as knowledge of outward words and deeds. It also includes the knowledge found in the jurists’ books concerning the rulings governing outward actions. That is but one part of a part of a part of religious knowledge, just as the unveilings experienced by people of spiritual purity are but one part of a part of a part of knowledge concerning the created world.
People fall into error in these matters because they understand what the terms used in the Quran and Sunnah denote, yet do not know the realities of things as they exist. Many a man memorizes the wording in which knowledge is expressed—the foremost instance being the memorization of the Quran’s wording—yet lacks the understanding, or even the faith, that would give him any advantage over someone who has been given