The
first criteria is for the ‘Aqliyah (mentality) to built upon the ‘Aql
(mind/intellect) and the second criteria is its applicability upon the reality
of this human being, which means that it is in agreement with the Fitrah
(nature) that the human was provided with. The first criteria: Here I mean the
intellectual conviction and building upon the mind. As such one should not
believe that every intellectual study is a study that is built upon the mind or
that every thought that the mind has been used to judge upon a specific reality
is a correct judgment and built upon the mind. Rather the intellectual study
and the issuing of a judgement upon things, matters, realities and events requires
a number of elements, different principles and various criteria that must
necessarily be used when undertaking the intellectual process that leads to the
issuing of a judgement upon a thing, reality or event. The correctness of the
judgement rests upon the correctness and validity of these elements, principles
and criteria. This is because the intellectual process necessitates the sound
mind or intellect that takes on the process of connecting the (previous) information
he holds with what has been transferred to him of the sensation of the
particular reality of event.
So
the fundamental elements for the intellectual (or thinking) process number
four: The sound mind, the sound sensation, the sensed reality or that which is embodied
in the mind and the stored or retained information or that which has been
gained that explains the particular reality or incident. So the mind undertakes
the process of connecting these elements and issuing its judgement upon the
thing or event. And the correctness of the results of this intellectual thought
process rests upon the accurateness of the understanding of the reality and
gaining understanding in it whilst being beware of the possible deception or manipulation
of the sensation. It also rests upon the accuracy of the information that
explains and interprets this reality and making sure that it is correct. Then
accuracy is required when connecting between the information and the reality.
However
this does not mean that the Hukm (judgment) is correct unless the fundamental
principles and measuring units that were used as the basis for making the
judgement upon the thoughts and realities were correct decisively (i.e. with certainty).
So if the information used to explain and interpret the realities was correct
and if the principles and measures (criteria) upon which the measurement of the
reality and the information was made were also correct in addition to the
process of connecting between these elements being correct, then the Hukm (judgement)
would be Saheeh (correct) and it would be considered an intellectual judgement
that is built upon the mind (intellect). However if the information was mistaken
or the principles and measures were not intellectually accepted facts (axioms),
or if the connection between these elements was not done soundly, then the
result would be incorrect.
If however the information was correct, the
reality correct and the process of connecting was correct but the principles
and measuring units that were used were incorrect and then the process of
making the judgement upon the reality was made upon them during the process of
connecting in addition to the judgement of the information upon them during the
connecting between the information and the reality, then in this case (the
judgement) would not be correct. This thought process is considered an
intellectual thought process however it was not built upon the mind (Aql)
because the Qawaa’id (principles) and Maqaayees (measurements) that were used
were not from the given and accepted (undisputable) facts (axioms).
They
were not from that which the sound mind decisively accepts to be correct and
for this reason we state that the result is intellectual but that it was not
built upon the mind or intellect (Aql). For this reason the sensation of the
reality is not sufficient but rather it is necessary to understand this reality
in a manner that is built upon the pure (truthful) sensation. Therefore before
the judgement is made it is necessary to measure the reality upon the
principles of the true sensation so that we are not deceived by one of the
manifestations of a matter or thing, or imagine a mirage that does not really
exist. Similarly it is necessary to gain understanding of this reality and to know
all of its aspects, circumstances, conditions and what relates to it.
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