among the scholars, nor is it found in any of the hadith collections. However, it is narrated from al-Hasan al-Basrī, either as his own statement or as a report attributed to the Prophet with an omitted intermediary:

“Every verse has an outward aspect, an inward aspect, a limit, and a point of ascent.”

The expressions “outward knowledge and inward knowledge” and “people of the outward and people of the inward” have become widespread in many people’s speech. These expressions have come to encompass both truth and falsehood. This has been discussed at length elsewhere, but here we shall outline some of its main points.

When someone speaks of “the inward,” he may mean knowledge of inward matters, such as the knowledge and states within people’s hearts, and knowledge of the unseen matters conveyed by the messengers. Alternatively, he may mean hidden knowledge—that is, knowledge concealed from the understanding of most people, or from the understanding of those who confine themselves to the outward, and so forth.

As for the first meaning, there is no doubt that some knowledge concerns outward matters, such as the deeds of the bodily limbs, while some concerns inward matters, such as the deeds of the heart. Some concerns the observable—what people perceive through their senses—while some concerns the unseen—what lies beyond their sensory perception.

The foundation of faith is belief in the unseen, as Allah Most High says:

“Alif Lām Mīm.”
“This