Revelation, Rationality, Knowledge & Truth — Page 84
GREEK PHILOSOPHY. This exactly is also the message of the Quran, which attributes all knowledge to God so that even the angels admit their ignorance before him. They beseech: سُبْحَنَكَ لَا عِلْمَ لَنَا إِلَّا مَا عَلَّمْتَنَا اِنَّكَ اَنْتَ الْعَلِيْمُ الْحَكِيمُ * 2:33 . . . Holy art Thou! No knowledge have we except what Thou hast taught us; surely, Thou art the AllKnowing, the Wise. 4. The Quran repeatedly reminds humans that no knowledge of the right path can be granted them unless they profess total dependence upon Him and implore His help to guide their steps: إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ * اِهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ * 6-1:5. Thee alone do we worship and Thee alone do we implore for help. . Guide us in the right path. 5. It is this same lesson in humility which is so forcefully delivered by Socrates, indicating that man cannot acquire knowledge without admitting his ignorance and realizing that he needs Divine help to show him the path. . Thus, cryptically, he is alluding to man all the time while he speaks apparently of a hypothetical artisan. He sees man as suffering from the conceit that he is knowledgeable while as long as he considers himself to be knowledgeable, he cannot ever become conscious of his need to learn. This symbolism helps Socrates to fulfil his prophetic mission which was to awaken his fellow countrymen to an awareness of moral, spiritual and Divine purpose of human creation which cannot be understood or pursued without succour from Him. 84