Knowledge Triumphant Quotes

“Socrates “was asked why seawater had become salty. He
replied: If you can indicate to me the use that will come to you from
knowing the answer to this question, I shall give you the reason.”
And Diogenes, “seeing a youth with a lamp, said to him: Do you know
where this - fire comes from? The youth replied: If you can tell me where
it goes to, I shall tell you where it comes from, thus effectively silencing
Diogenes, something nobody else had been able to do.”
― Franz Rosenthal, Knowledge Triumphant: The Concept of Knowledge in Medieval Islam

“God’s love is earned by a man through being a scholar and at the
same time behaving as inconspicuously and modestly as if he were an
ignoramus.”
― Franz Rosenthal, Knowledge Triumphant: The Concept of Knowledge in Medieval Islam

“Knowledge is that which the soul desires.”136
8. “Knowledge is the falling of the soul (’s sight)137 upon that which is
concealed deep inside it ( fî sirrihâ), and its stopping there and not com-
ing out from it and leaving it.”138
9. “Knowledge, is a secret (sirr) that is thrust into the soul. If it is
applied to the discernment (tamyîz) of the existing things, the careful
searcher of the object sought, who controls a thing entirely and com-
prehends the newly arising object of perception, its essence, and its
substance absolutely, finds it . . .”
― Franz Rosenthal, Knowledge Triumphant: The Concept of Knowledge in Medieval Islam

“Its
insistence upon “knowledge” has no doubt made medieval Muslim civi
lization one of great scholarly and scientifi
c productivity, and through
it, Muslim civilization made its most lasting contribution to mankind.”
― Franz Rosenthal, Knowledge Triumphant: The Concept of Knowledge in Medieval Islam

“The search for knowledge demands foregoing the pleasures of
companionship, but this is usually understood to mean frivolous and
unprofi
table human relations. Knowledge is rather something to be
shared. It is restricted to an elite, since the ignorant are not only proverbially
hostile to knowledge and those who possess knowledge, but they also
greatly outnumber the learned and always will. This makes scholars
always gravitate toward each other. Learned men never fi
nd themselves
strangers anywhere. They alone recognize each other, since the ignorant
are unable to perceive the worth of learning, never having possessed
any learning before. And they enjoy only the company of their peers.
There is nothing to be pitied more than men of knowledge who have
to put up with ignoramuses. This often expressed view appears also in the form of a witty anecdote told of one of the Persian kings. He
imprisoned a scholar who had angered him together with an ignorant
man in the same room, as the worst punishment he could think of.
Thus, in defense against the world as well as on account of the intrinsic
nature of knowledge, scholars must band together, in order to insure
the persistence of knowledge in the world by communicating with
each other and, above all, by transmitting their knowledge to others,
if they are deserving. Nothing is more sterile than uncommunicated
knowledge. Nothing is more signifi
cant for society at large than the
small groupings of teachers and students. Nothing, in short, has greater
basic value for society than knowledge.”
― Franz Rosenthal, Knowledge Triumphant: The Concept of Knowledge in Medieval Islam

“A sage said to his son: You must concern yourself with
knowledge, for the least benefi
t it confers upon the person possessing it
is that he does not remain alone,” because knowledge is always there
to keep him company.
I am happy with loneliness,
Having taken knowledge for company,
Having withdrawn from the people,
And approving of forgetting and of being forgotten.
This sentiment was, however, more commonly voiced in connection
with books, those best companions and friends a man could have”
― Franz Rosenthal, Knowledge Triumphant: The Concept of Knowledge in Medieval Islam

“An apparently old and often cited dictum extolling the
superiority of scholars over statesmen was attributed to the legendary
grammarian of the seventh century, Abû l-Aswad ad-Du-
alî, and
couched in this form: “There is nothing more powerful (a-
azz) than
knowledge. This is shown by the fact that kings exercise control (hukkâm)
over people, and scholars exercise control over kings.” If the scholars
themselves cannot be in positions of political power, then at least, the
rulers should have knowledge. “Knowledge,” Aristotle says, “is an
ornament of kings.” Again, Greek statecraft is transferred to Iran in
the form of a statement ascribed to Anûsharwân: “When God means
well for a nation, He places knowledge in its kings, and kingship in its scholars.” The concept of the philosopher-king appears in Muslim
adab under the name of Diogenes. “Asked when the world was in
good shape, Diogenes replied: When its kings philosophize, and its
philosophers are kings.”
― Franz Rosenthal, Knowledge Triumphant: The Concept of Knowledge in Medieval Islam

“Further, a discerning and discriminating person must realize that a
man who possesses knowledge is nobler in every conceivable respect
than a man of wealth. If he is given knowledge, he need not despair of
money, of which a little suffi
ces, or greatly worry about the loss of it.
Knowledge exercises control. Wealth is something over which control
is exercised. Knowledge belongs to the soul. Wealth is corporeal.
Knowledge belongs to a man in a more personal manner than wealth.
The perils of the wealthy are many and sudden. You do not see a man
who possesses knowledge robbed of his knowledge and left deprived
of it. But you have seen quite a few people whose money was stolen,
taken away, or confi
scated, and the former owners remained helpless
and destitute. Knowledge thrives on being spent. It accompanies its
possessor into destitution. It makes it possible to be satisfi
ed with little. It
lowers a curtain over need. Wealth does not do that.”
― Franz Rosenthal, Knowledge Triumphant: The Concept of Knowledge in Medieval Islam

“Next to knowledge, commerce
was the mainspring of the mobility of Muslim society. The power of
money was fully understood by scholars. Their own relative poverty as
contrasted to the wealth of the commercial and landholding segments
of society remained for them an article of faith -
rmly to be believed in
and constantly to be proclaimed. Not very many among them might
have shown appreciation for the sentiment that the principal merit of
knowledge was to help a poor man to be satisfi
ed with his lot. As so many
other vital concerns, the bitterness of the poorly rewarded intellectual
was most vividly put into words by Abû Hayyân at-Tawhidî in the tenth
century. From later times, we can document what no doubt had always
been the actual situation, namely, that a certain middle-class prosperity
based on commercial activity was the background from which scholars
most commonly came (unless, perhaps, they happened to be born into a
scholarly family of established standing, but even these usually possessed
commercial connections). Those who overcame grinding poverty to
become prominent in scholarship were but a small minority, albeit a
remarkable one. It would be diffi
cult to venture any kind of general statement on the social background of Muslim mystics. Whatever it
was, they quite naturally rejected wealth in favor of spiritual values, at
least in theory.”
― Franz Rosenthal, Knowledge Triumphant: The Concept of Knowledge in Medieval Islam

“Nobility of birth was held in the lowest esteem of all the material
advantages. It was certainly deemed by far less valuable than intellectual
merit as proved by the possession of knowledge:
The learned, intelligent person who is his own man
Has no need of (noble) family origins by virtue of the quality of his
knowledge.
Be whose son you want to be, and be perfect!
The outstanding keenness of his mind makes a man, nothing else.
How great is the difference between a man honored for his origin
And a man honored for his own sake!
The verses echo the famous remark of Alî that “a man’s value consists in what he knows or does well.” Ignorance, on the other hand,
lowers the prestige an individual may possess and annuls the advantages
of noble birth:
Knowledge lifts the lowly person to the heights.
Ignorance keeps the youth of noble birth immobile.”
― Franz Rosenthal, Knowledge Triumphant: The Concept of Knowledge in Medieval Islam

“The all-sustaining power of knowledge is captured in the simile
of knowledge being food for the soul. Various versions of it are met
with in the Graeco-Arabic tradition, “Like as the body grows through
food and becomes -fi
rm through exercise, thus the soul grows through
studying and becomes strong through patiently enduring (the hardships
of ) studying.” Diogenes, it seems, was supposed to have made this
statement. Someone else, apparently Theognis, is said to have already
played a variation on the theme: “Knowledge is not on the level of
food which suffi
ces to feed two or three but cannot feed many persons.
Rather, it is like light which enables many eyes to see all at the same
time.” Diogenes, or, according to another version, the Church Father,
Basilius, admonishes us to take the appropriate measures against harmful
knowledge in the same way in which we are used to protect ourselves
against harmful foods, because knowledge is the food of the soul.
According to Plato, the pleasure which the soul shares with the body is that
of food and drink, whereas its incorporeal pleasure is that of knowledge
and wisdom. For Pseudo-Apollonius of Tyana (Balînûs), proof of the
incorporeality of the soul lies in the fact that it does not partake of material
nourishment. “According to the Stoics,” he reports, “Socrates said that
the soul eats; however, its food is something that is not corporeal, since
the food of the soul is knowledge.”
Knowledge is also described by
Ibn Butlân as the thing that nourishes the intellect. It is for the intellect what food is for the body, since the two supplement each other and must
exist together in human beings. Ibn Taymîyah states that “the arrival of
knowledge in the heart is like the arrival of food in the body. The body
is aware of food and drink. In the same manner, the hearts are aware of
the sciences (-
ulûm) that establish themselves in them and which are their
food and drink.” In the popular conception, knowledge and books
have always been identifi
ed as spiritual food, down to the present day.”
― Franz Rosenthal, Knowledge Triumphant: The Concept of Knowledge in Medieval Islam

“When Jesus was hailed with the words, “Blessed be the womb that bore
you,” he retorted, “Blessed be the one whom God taught His Book and who did not be(come) a tyrant.”
― Franz Rosenthal, Knowledge Triumphant: The Concept of Knowledge in Medieval Islam

“Saying, I do not know,’
constitutes one half of knowledge” is both a Prophetical tradition and
a saying found in Graeco-Arabic wisdom literature. The phrase most
widely recommended for use was lâ adrî “I do not know.” Aristotle was
described as saying that he was so fond of using it that he used it also
in cases where he possessed the required knowledge.”
― Franz Rosenthal, Knowledge Triumphant: The Concept of Knowledge in Medieval Islam

“Love of what is good and useful, and hatred of
what is ugly or evil and harmful are the conditions for success. Bashfulness
(hayâ, corresponding to Greek aidôs) and the avoidance of bad company and of sloth are among the qualities strongly recommended for
inculcation in the young.”
― Franz Rosenthal, Knowledge Triumphant: The Concept of Knowledge in Medieval Islam

“Ash-Shâfi i paid no attention to a slave girl given to him by friends who
wants to sleep with him. Abû Hanîfah, asked about the manner in
which memorized knowledge can be acquired, exclaimed, “Lamp oil,
lamp oil” (al-bizr al-bizr), and a poor student later to become a famous
scholar, Abû Hâtim (as-Sijistânî?), being unable to buy lamp oil, used
the watchman’s lantern to study at night in the streets. Scholars continue
their studies even in the bath. They are so absorbed in their work that
they do not notice what is going on around them, that they do not care
to waste time on eating, that they do not bother when a hemorrhage
occurs during their all-night study. In the last case, a warning note is
sounded for the benefi
t of the reader: Studying is done for the good of
one’s soul (life). If the soul is destroyed, the knowledge acquired is of no
use. “Overstepping the right mean in studying may lead to the loss of
knowledge.”
― Franz Rosenthal, Knowledge Triumphant: The Concept of Knowledge in Medieval Islam

“Al-Askarî gives examples of the high esteem shown to scholars and
the important position in society they occupy, often in spite of their
lowly origins which ordinarily would not have allowed them to advance
far beyond their fathers’ menial situations. Much more numerous, and
more interesting, are the anecdotes and remarks on the diffi
culties that
must be overcome on the road to knowledge. He cites the statement
concerning the six qualities needed: a penetrating mind, much time,
ability, hard work, a skilful teacher, and desire (or, in the parlance of
our own time, “motivation,” shahwah). On his own, he adds the very
elementary need for “nature,” that is, an inherited physical endowment,
such as Muslim philologians of al-Askarî’s type always claimed as
essential for their intellectual pursuits. The search for knowledge must be
unselfi
sh. As the author repeats over and over again, it is a never ending
process. Persistent study sharpens the natural faculties. The hunger for
knowledge is never stilled, as proclaimed by traditions ascribed to the
Prophet. Stationariness means ultimate failure, according to the widely
quoted saying that “man does not cease knowing as long as he studies,
but once he gives up studying, he is the most ignorant of men.”
Constant travel in search of knowledge and regular attendance at the
teacher’s lectures are mandatory. The prospect of learning something
not known before should make a man forget his home and his family
and endure all possible hardships, as illustrated by an anecdote about
al-Asmaî. Scholars refrain at times from certain foods as too luxurious
or as harmful to the powers of memory. They study all night long.”
― Franz Rosenthal, Knowledge Triumphant: The Concept of Knowledge in Medieval Islam

“As far as the praise of knowledge
is concerned, al-Askarî otherwise restricts himself to some of the
more ordinary statements, such as the hadîth affi
rming the Prophet’s permission to use attery and show envy in connection with knowledge,
or Alî’s famous remark that a man’s value consists in what he knows or
does well.”
― Franz Rosenthal, Knowledge Triumphant: The Concept of Knowledge in Medieval Islam

“The educational element in the adab discussion of knowledge is unmistakable in a monograph entitled “The Encouragement of Seeking
and Being Eager to Gather Knowledge” by Abû Hilâl al-Askarî. The
brief work is distinguished by the comparative originality of its contents
and the author’s willingness to give his own views and comments
on the sayings and stories he cites. His aim is to show that while the
acquisition of knowledge calls for hard work, industriousness, and great
sacrifi
ce, the rewards both material and spiritual are worth the effort
required. The two basic ideas are rather skilfully interwoven, with the
principal stress on the necessity of relentless labor. Knowledge means
perfection or, as the author puts it, “perfect among men is he who
realizes the excellence of knowledge and then is able to study, in order
to obtain knowledge,” and, as a result, to taste the sweetness of the
incomparable pleasure it provides.”
― Franz Rosenthal, Knowledge Triumphant: The Concept of Knowledge in Medieval Islam

“Among the conventional adab anthologies, we encounter a somewhat
different organization of the traditional material in the Kitâb Adab ad-
dunyâ wa-d-dîn of al-Mâwardî (d. 450/1058).84 The five large chapters of
the work deal with 1. the excellence of the intellect and intelligence and
the blameworthiness of instinctive desire and blind prejudice (hawâ); 2.
the âdâb of knowledge; 3. the âdâb of religion (dealing mainly with the
negative aspects of the material world); 4. the âdâb of this world; and 5.
the âdâb of the soul. As the plural âdâb indicates, the various ways in which
intellectual, religious, practical/material, and spiritual/ethical behavior
is to be practised are illustrated by preferably brief and aphoristic
statements in prose and, quite often, in verse. As is to be expected, the
chapter on knowledge shows no systematic arrangement. It starts out with
strong expressions of praise for knowledge and the appropriate Qur-
ânic
citations and statements by the Prophet and early Muslim authorities.
Evidence is presented for the superiority of knowledge over ignorance.
The impossibility of attaining complete knowledge is explained, and the
need to acquire knowledge of all kinds wherever possible is stressed. The
relationship between knowledge and material possessions is explored
in the usual manner. It is recommended that the process of studying
begin at an early age. Knowledge is dif-
cult to acquire. Again, the
prevalence of ignorance is discussed. The objectionable character of
using knowledge for ulterior purposes comes in for customary mention.
There are sayings explaining the best methods of study and instruction,
the qualities students ought to possess, the need for long and strenuous
study, and the drawbacks of forgetfulness. Then, we read remarks
about handwriting, about the usually bad handwriting of scholars,
and about their constantly being engaged in writing. Remarks on the
qualifi
cations of students, the hadîth that “good questions are one half
of knowledge,” and sayings about the character qualities of scholars
complete the part of the work devoted to knowledge. Its predominantly
secular outlook is indicated by the fact that knowledge here continues to
precede the discussion of religion and ethics. The basic role conceded to the intellect with respect to both intellectual/educational and religious/
ethical activity is formally acknowledged by placing the chapter on it at
the beginning, as was also the case in the work of al-Marzubânî.”
― Franz Rosenthal, Knowledge Triumphant: The Concept of Knowledge in Medieval Islam

“Knowledge without action is
like a bow without a string.” A relationship as close as blood relationship
must be established between knowledge and action. Knowledge is
acquired, because it is a ladder leading up to action, which is true
action only if it leads to God.”
― Franz Rosenthal, Knowledge Triumphant: The Concept of Knowledge in Medieval Islam

“The Messiah (Jesus) says: “God shows the greatest hatred for a scholar
who loves to be remembered when being abroad, who is given much
room in gatherings, who is (often) invited for dinner, and who has bags
of provisions poured out for him. In truth, I say to you, Those have
taken their wages in this world, and God will double their punishment
on the Day of Resurrection.’ ” Strange as this may seem at -
first glance,
the passage may reflect Mark 12:38 f. (Luke 20:46)”
― Franz Rosenthal, Knowledge Triumphant: The Concept of Knowledge in Medieval Islam

“At the end of time, there will be scholars who will not practice what
they preach. They will preach abstention from this world and a desire
for the other world, but they will practice neither. They will forbid
approaching the men in power, but they themselves will approach
them. They will prefer the rich and keep the poor away. They will hold
back when they are together with lowly individuals, and they will be
expansive when they are in the company of important persons. They
will be tyrants, enemies of God.”
― Franz Rosenthal, Knowledge Triumphant: The Concept of Knowledge in Medieval Islam

“Among the four things a noble person need not be ashamed of is
serving a scholar in order to learn from him.
Ata-
b. Musab’s remoteness from and indifference to the Barmecides
made him popular with them, although others possessed more adab than
he did.”
― Franz Rosenthal, Knowledge Triumphant: The Concept of Knowledge in Medieval Islam

“The difference of opinions alone makes a person aware of possible
mistakes of his teacher.”
― Franz Rosenthal, Knowledge Triumphant: The Concept of Knowledge in Medieval Islam

“Umar puts his awareness of the restlessness for more and more
knowledge that possesses true scholars, in these words: “Scholars are
more prone to sleeplessness and slower to have enough to eat than any
guests.”
― Franz Rosenthal, Knowledge Triumphant: The Concept of Knowledge in Medieval Islam

“Umar b. al-Khattâb contributes the rather resigned insight that men
are never as jealous of knowledge as they are of their wives.
Salmân indicates the need for teaching and publication in the words,
“Knowledge which remains unexpressed is like treasure unused.”
The hadîth about the two kinds of knowledge, discussed above,
p. 243.
Umar on the desirability of the combination of ilm and hilm.
Abû d-Dardâ expresses himself on the burden scholars have to bear
in these words: “An increase in knowledge means an increase in pain.”
Statements by Plato and another sage to the effect that
consciousness of not knowing indicates knowledge. An elaboration
of this idea is attributed to al-Khalîl: “There are four kinds of men.
There are men who know and know that they know. Put questions to them! There are men who know and do not know that they know.
They are forgetful. Remind them! There are men who do not know and
know that they do not know. They require guidance. Teach them! And
there are men who do not know and do not know that they do not know.
They are ignorant. Shun them!”
― Franz Rosenthal, Knowledge Triumphant: The Concept of Knowledge in Medieval Islam

“The knowledge scholars possess causes them to act. Eventually, they
will be sought after by the people, but as true scholars, they will flee
from all the worldly demands made on them. High praise is due to the
man who speaks and knows, who listens and retains, who retains and
acts.”
― Franz Rosenthal, Knowledge Triumphant: The Concept of Knowledge in Medieval Islam

“An ignorant man is forgiven
seventy sins, before one sin is forgiven to the person who possesses
knowledge. Evil actions should not deter anyone from accepting good
advice from the individual who commits them. This has been said by Bilâl
b. Abî Burdah and is expressed in a famous verse, here ascribed to al-Khalîl: The light of knowledge must not be extinguished by dark sins. Knowledge
is sought on account of action, and not vice versa. Leaving the truth
alone because of one’s ignorance is better than doing so through
inaction.”
― Franz Rosenthal, Knowledge Triumphant: The Concept of Knowledge in Medieval Islam

“Scholars who have to spend their time among ignoramuses, or, even
worse, are under their control, are to be pitied.
Knowledge, being more precious than pearls, must not be wasted
upon the pigs who do not want it. This quotation of Matthew 7:6 is
often repeated in adab works.”
― Franz Rosenthal, Knowledge Triumphant: The Concept of Knowledge in Medieval Islam

“Teachers must not be too severe, and students must not be bashful.
According to Luqmân, a dignifi
ed quiet on the part of scholars makes
people willing to learn. Loquaciousness repels them. On the value of
asking questions in order to gain knowledge: “Put questions like a fool,
and store up information like a genius.” Six verses ascribed to Ibn al-
Arâbî. Another verse, elsewhere ascribed to Bashshâr b. Burd, which
runs:
The cure of blindness (ignorance) is prolonged questioning.
Blindness materializes through prolonged silence in the state of
ignorance.”
― Franz Rosenthal, Knowledge Triumphant: The Concept of Knowledge in Medieval Islam