Translated by Yassine Hicham

In this essay, we shall briefly explore the concept of reason, the distinctive nature of the Muslim mind with its ranks and duties. We shall also speak concisely of its bond with faith, the causes of its veiling and blindness, and the pathways to its awakening, liberation, and divine illumination.

First: On the Concept and Levels of Reason

1. The Concept of Reason:

Concepts carry with them a history, an identity, and a trajectory of evolution. Yet they often remain unclear and elusive in common understanding. They are inextricably shaped by the speaker’s language, molded by the culture that bears them, and transform over time with shifts in usage. Indeed, “It is futile to seek to describe the processes of rational thought by radically isolating them from the context of the social structures and functions that constitute their foundation.”[1]

Beyond this ambiguity, the concept has not remained fixed upon a single meaning, but has undergone great transformation throughout history. The Greek word logos meant, with Heraclitus, the Divine Word—perhaps akin to Divine Revelation—and the essence of reason is the understanding of Revelation. But as time passed and nations changed, reason came to be known as mere abstract perception, divorced from the light of Revelation.

Some have gone so far as to claim that reason has no reality—that is, no definition and no necessary limit[2]—despite the fact that reason is not a self-subsisting substance or instrument (as Aristotle claimed)[3]; rather, it is an act of perception, whose dwelling place is the heart.

2. The Limits and Duties of Reason

Reason does not claim knowledge beyond its scope, but acknowledges its incapacity. It cannot fully perceive itself or its own processes, nor can it fathom the Unseen, for the Unseen escapes the mechanisms of quantification, calculation, and rational proof to which the reasoning of mortals is accustomed. Neither can it answer all the questions that humans pose concerning their existence, destiny, and meaning. This is so despite the assertions of rationalist philosophies that have ascribed to reason absolute capacities for reasoning and perceiving certainty, to say nothing of the vast disparity in people’s reasoning, which varies with the light of insight within their hearts.

This issue lies at the heart of a profound intellectual crisis explored in The Muslim Mind on Trial[4], where Imam Yassine contrasts two types of reason: one that is self-satisfied and worldly, relying solely on rationalism; and another that is illumined by Revelation and anchored in faith. The believing mind views Divine Revelation as its compass in seeking truth and navigating the world, whereas the secular mind clings to its own abstractions and empirical experiments. Notably, practical and experimental reasoning is a shared human faculty—it belongs equally to the believer and the non-believer.

Second: The Causes of the Muslim Mind’s Trials

The crisis of the Muslim mind stems from two chief maladies:

1. Its claim to the ability to know everything and its denial of all knowledge that lies beyond its grasp.

• Its fixation upon the material world to the neglect of the Unseen Realm, and its obsession with earthly things at the expense of heavenly meanings.

1. The Pride of Reason, or Abstract Rationalism:

This manifests in the rejection of Revelation, the suppression of the innate disposition [fiṭra], and the illusion that reason alone can comprehend all things—a result of the influence of rationalist philosophy that believes only in reason. Yet we must distinguish between ideological rationalism and administrative, practical reason.

When reason contents itself with its perceptions in scientific, technical, and anthropological inquiry, and finds satisfaction in the accumulated conjectures of humankind—shutting its ears to the voice of Revelation and the call of the Unseen—it becomes deaf. And if it claims truth and knowledge while rejecting divine guidance, it becomes blind to the light brought by the Prophets.

From these two afflictions of deafness and blindness, reason lives in a great ordeal from which its obstinacy, its claims, and its aversion will not deliver it.

2. The Veiling of Reason, or Blind Worldliness:

This occurs when the mind clings to the life of this world while neglecting the hereafter: “Rather, their knowledge is overwhelmed concerning the Hereafter. Nay, they are in doubt thereof. Nay, they are blind thereto.” [27:66]

Seeking to build a prosperous worldly life is a universal pursuit, shared by the devout and the secular alike. Yet it is not sufficient for us to view this world as it truly is—a dwelling of trial, test, and righteous deeds—nor is it sufficient for us to attain success and God’s pleasure in the Hereafter.

The Muslim mind has generally been afflicted in recent centuries with the malady of heedlessness concerning the understanding of cosmic and social laws that govern the rise and fall of nations. Thus the contributions of empirical reason have been disrupted and the possibilities of its renaissance have diminished—the very same mind once flourished under Islamic civilization for centuries before being embraced and developed by Western civilization

Third: Among The Duties of the Believing Mind

The believing mind is not stopped at the constraints of earthly, material, witnessed reality, but works within them while being liberated from their prisons and aspiring to what lies beyond them of knowledge and sciences that are among the lights of Revelation and Divine grace for the God-fearing among His servants.

1. The Liberation of the Will:

This liberation begins with freeing the mind from the constraints of abstract and skeptical rationalism, from the culture of secularism that abolishes Faith and transforms man into a commodity and the world into a marketplace. It means breaking free from the mindset of subjugation and inherited historical defeatism, and returning to the pure nature upon which God has created humankind. Only then can the mind fulfill its divine mission: to stand for God, to bear witness to justice among people, to be a true voice for righteousness, goodness, beauty, and a living conscience attuned to the eternal call of Truth.

2. The Illumination of the Heart

The heart is illuminated by the light of faith and grows ever more radiant as it ascends the spiritual stations of faith through a balanced and holistic spiritual education. This renders the believer humble before God, enlightening the mind and all other faculties with the light of Revelation, and enabling sincere labor for the benefit of self and others in both this world and the next. Such a mind becomes believing, well-ordered and discerning—free from the blights of superstition, passivity, and abdication.

The processes of spiritual enlightenment begin with turning to God through obligatory and voluntary acts of devotion, starting with ablution and prayer, seeking lawful earnings, good character, and all other acts of obedience. The Almighty says: “And whoever believes in God, He guides his heart.” [64:11] and “Verily, prayer restrains from indecency and wrongdoing.” [29:45]

As Imam Yassine beautifully noted: “Every act of obedience illuminates the mind.”[5] Thus do the virtues and branches of faith nurture, enlighten, and stir the mind.

All praise is due to God, the Lord of all worlds.

[1] Granger, G.-G. (2004). La Raison (M. bin Jama’a, Trans.). Dar Muhammad Ali for Publishing. (Original work published in French)
[2] Ibn Baziza, A. A. (2014). Al-Is^‹ād fī Sharḥ al-I^‹tiqād (A. al-Razzaq Basrour & I. al-Suhayli, Eds.). Dar Al-Diya. (Original work published 1435 AH)[3] Academy of the Arabic Language. (1983). The philosophical dictionary (1^st ed.). General Authority for Amiri Press Affairs. (Original work published 1403 AH)
[4] Yassine, A. (2018). The Muslim Mind on Trial (4^th ed.). Dar Lubnan for Printing and Publishing.[5] Ibid., p. 50.