Shaykh al-Islām—may Allah sanctify his soul—also said:

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In common usage, the terms “religious sciences” and “rational sciences” may stand in a relationship of broader and narrower scope, or they may denote two parallel categories. In some contexts, the correct distinction is between sciences based on transmitted revelation and those based on reason.

This is because “religious sciences” may mean what the Lawgiver has commanded, what the Lawgiver has communicated, what He has prescribed should be known, or what He has taught.

The first is knowledge prescribed by the revealed law—just as we speak of action prescribed by the revealed law. This includes what is obligatory or recommended, and may also include what is permissible under the revealed law.

The second is knowledge derived from the Lawgiver: what the Messenger taught his community through the faith, the Quran, the Book, and wisdom with which he was sent. It is what is indicated by the Book, the Sunnah, consensus, or their derivative sources.

The first designation thus relates knowledge to its ruling under the revealed law, while the second relates it to