The Nature of Knowledge in Mental Consciousness

The Essence of Knowledge

Distinct from the definitions rooted in the essentialist frameworks of traditional philosophers, knowledge (*‘ilm*) in the realm of mind and mental consciousness is an unveiling (*inkishāf*), a determinate manifestation (*ta‘yīn-i zohūrī*), and a pure constructive presence (*hozūr-i inshā’ī*). It is the creation of something for the perceiver, where both the creator and the perceiver of this mental creation are the mind itself, acting with active agency (*konsh-i fā‘ilī*). Knowledge is a determinate, actual, and creatively constructed presence in the knowing subject (*fā‘il-i shenāsā*), inherently presential (*hozūrī*), aligned with objective reality (*‘ayn*), and characterized by its collective nature. The mind, in its creative capacity and active role, primarily produces a determinate knowledge that conforms to reality and illuminates the known (*ma‘lūm*), unless impeded by obstacles such as the veil of material density (*thiqal-i māddī*), negligence (*ghaflat*), impurity (*ālūdegī*), false memory (*hāfiza-yi kāzib*), or fabricated preconceptions (*pīsh-farz-hā-yi ja‘lī*).

Critique of the Aristotelian Epistemological System

Given this definition of knowledge, the Aristotelian conception of knowledge as conceptual (*tasawwurī*) and based on a system of mental forms (*sūrat-i zihnī*), which grounds the identity of knowledge in essences (*māhiyāt*), accidental qualities of the soul (*kayf-i nafsānī*), and forms (*sūrat*), is erroneous. Aristotle, in this framework, reduces the character of knowledge to conceptual awareness (*āgāhī-yi mafhūmī*), conflating the levels of cognition (*marātib-i shenākht*) and blurring the distinction between mind (*zehn*) and soul (*nafs*). Presential knowledge (*‘ilm-i hozūrī*), where the object itself is present to the perceiver and the knowing subject, accompanied by judgment (*hokm*), affirmation (*tasdīq*), and expressed in propositional form (*qaziya*), must not be regarded as acquired (*hosūlī*), absent, or mediated by the conceptualization (*tasawwur*) of the object. The concept (*mafhūm*) should not be taken as the unit of awareness.

Knowledge and Mental Representation

The external world of information and objective reality, in its material dimension or relation to matter, possesses form (*sūrat*), configuration (*hay’at*), and structure, but the knowledge received in the mind does not. Mental knowledge and awareness lack form or conceptualization; rather, awareness of an object in the mind is a meaningful determination (*ta‘yīn-i ma‘nā’ī*). In sensory perception (*idrāk-i hissī*), this determination translates to sensation and experience processed by the brain; in imagination (*khiyāl*), it becomes a representational exemplification (*tamaththul*, i.e., a mental image or likeness); and in rational thought (*ta‘aqqul*), it transforms into a concept (*mafhūm*). Thus, form and configuration describe external, objective phenomena, not the meaning or awareness within the mind. The mind itself lacks internal forms, and awareness is not a product of acquired forms (*sūrat-i hāsila*). The assumption that knowledge is acquired (*hosūlī*) stems from the impurity (*nāsāfī*) of mental determinations, resulting in ambiguity (*ibhām*) and the conflation of external forms with the mind’s created determinations, which nonetheless correspond to objective reality. The material mind possesses the creative capacity to generate objects within itself and to produce knowledge in an encoded form (*basta-yi ramzgudhārī*), proportionate to its clarity (*wazūh*) and purity (*safā’*). Therefore, knowledge is not a passive reflection (*in’ikās*) or impression (*intibā‘-i infi‘ālī*) of objects in the mind.

Accessing the Truth of Knowledge

To grasp the truth of knowledge, one must access its realm through presential engagement (*hozūrī*). Conceptual forms, being entirely mental constructs (*amr-i inshā’ī*), fall short of revealing the truth of knowledge itself. However, the mind, in its relation to this knowledge, can reduce presential knowledge to conceptual understanding, sensory perception, or imaginative representation. It can study knowledge mentally or empirically through rational and cognitive sciences, particularly material knowledge and awareness, via experimental and laboratory methods. Philosophical ontology (*wujūd-shināsī-yi falsafī*) is realized through thought and the mind. The study of consciousness (*zehn-shināsī*) and knowledge itself is an objective reality alongside other realities, requiring recognition of its existence, properties, states, and effects. These two forms of knowledge—ontology and epistemology—are intertwined and interdependent. We begin with the recognition of the tools of knowing reality and truth, which are material and empirical, and then proceed to the knowledge of existence, its phenomena, and the system of knowledge and awareness in an interconnected manner.

Unity of Knowledge, Knower, and Known

In the material realm, there is a unity (*ittihād*) between knowledge (*‘ilm*), the knower (*‘ālim*), and the known (*ma‘lūm*). The materiality of knowledge does not preclude this unity, especially since knowledge belongs to the order of presence (*hozūr*). The mind creatively produces knowledge, and its relationship with knowledge is that of a manifester (*zāhir-kunanda*) to the manifested (*zāhir*), a phenomenon arising from the mind’s properties and effects. The mind expresses itself through awareness, granting determinate knowledge without fabricating (*ja‘l*) it, leading to an unobstructed unity between mind and knowledge.

Material Knowledge and Its Dynamics

The material realm of knowledge is intertwined with sensation (*ehsās*), emotion (*‘ātifa*), love (*‘ishq*), human desires (*khwāstahā*), and inclinations (*mayūl*), as well as material signals, energy, waves, and information transmitted through neurons, neural circuits, and the reflective capacity of material particles in the brain and its millions of cells. This realm fosters interaction, coexistence, and collective engagement (*hamzīstī-yi mushā‘ī*), growing through knowledge, purity, and love, becoming refined (*taltīf*) and elevated (*tarqīq*). It attains biological values such as flourishing (*farbehī*), intellectual pleasure (*lazzat-i hūsh*), and the delight of knowledge (*nūsh-i ‘ilmī*).

The physical, embodied mind, residing within the body, has the capacity, akin to nature, empirical senses, and instinct (*gharīza*), to create material determinations aligned with objective phenomena, producing knowledge and awareness within a meaningful and conceptual framework. The term “knowledge” or “understanding” (*dānā’ī*), as opposed to sensory perception (*idrāk-i hissī*) or intuitive insight (*ma‘rifat-i shuhūdī*), applies to this level of awareness.

Presential Knowledge in Humans and Animals

This material awareness, being of the order of matter, is presential (*hozūrī*), not acquired (*hosūlī*) or conceptual, not only for humans but also for animals. Animals possess an abundance of astonishing presential knowledge, skills, and awareness, acquired effortlessly, which humans, despite their capabilities, cannot easily attain. The presential nature of this awareness does not necessarily entail immateriality (*tajarrud*).

Understanding Material Knowledge

To understand material knowledge and awareness, one must first understand matter itself. Material particles (*zarrāt-i māddī*) are simple (*basīt*), non-composite (*ghayr-i murakkab*), and lack atomic indivisibility (*khāssiyyat-i atomīk*). They do not terminate at a nucleus or fixed determination, are boundless in dimension, appearing dimensionless, yet manifest in composite, determinate forms through additive coexistence (*hamnishīnī-yi inzimāmī*), i.e., through empathetic, harmonious, and attractive coexistence. Sensory and perceptual systems receive signals from these manifestations, engaging with the external world and environment in a field of empathy, selection, and natural attraction, to create awareness. The awareness and knowledge of material particles, as a form of presence, do not depend on the immateriality (*tajarrud*) of knowledge or mind, though such presence is less vivid than immaterial presence. Material knowledge, while material, retains infinite scope and undiminished value. Matter itself is simple, though it engages in harmonious, collective, and relational coexistence (*nishast-i mushā‘ī*). Non-existence (*‘adam*) is not a thing to intermingle with matter. Such a particle has the capacity for material presence.

The Infinite Renewal of Knowledge

The infinite nature of material particles and phenomena places them, in Qur’anic terms, in a state of constant renewal (*tāzegī*), as expressed in: “Everyone in the heavens and the earth asks of Him; every day He is in a new affair” (Qur’an, Ar-Rahman: 29). This implies that all beings in the heavens and earth seek anew, demanding new awareness. Knowledge requires continuous renewal, as no knowledge is final or exhaustible. Phenomena and knowledge remain fresh, never repeating despite their stability.

The Mind’s Potential for Refinement

The material mind possesses the capacity for refinement (*sāfī shudan*), gaining clarity and subtlety (*latāfat*), potentially transitioning to a subtler material state and achieving immateriality (*tajarrud*) through the heart’s perceptual system (*dastgāh-i idrākī-yi qalb*), under the guidance of a mentor (*hādy*) in a master-led approach (*ustād-miḥwarī*). The mind exhibits an intensifying quality (*ishttidādī*) in its manifestation and a gradational determination (*ta‘yīn-i tashkīkī*), varying in degree across individuals, ranging from dense materiality (*māddī-yi thiqīl*) to subtlety (*latīf*), weakness (*za‘īf*), or strength (*qawī*). Thus, mental awareness is both material and shared with non-humans, yet capable of submitting to immaterial realities (*mujarradāt-i farāmāddī*), oscillating between ambiguity (*abhām*) and transparency (*shaffāfiyyat*).

The Realm of Mental Awareness

The domain of mental awareness is the material realm, where it yields productive outcomes. The mind considers the hierarchical, creative perception of immaterial realms (*sāhat-hā-yi farāmāddī*), such as the angelic (*malakūt*) and divine (*jabarūt*) realms, to be the work of the heart and its ascensions (*‘urūj*). The immaterial realm possesses stability (*thubūt*), reality (*wāqi‘iyyat*), truth (*sidq*), and identity (*īn-hamānī*), independent of mental comprehension and even elusive to the mind, though submitting to its principle is a mental act (*amr-i zehn-pazīr*).

The Collective Nature of Knowledge

The collective nature (*jam‘ī-būdan*) of knowledge will be discussed later, where the definition of knowledge will be completed. As established, creation (*inshā’*), creativity (*khallāqiyyat*), and production are products of the mind. If knowledge lacks clarity and illumination, its presence weakens, reducing to conceptual mental knowledge (*‘ilm-i zihnī wa mafhūm*), rendering the known ambiguous and mental awareness less effective than the external known. The mind autonomously produces presential knowledge, creatively generating awareness in proportion to its relational capacity (*rabt*). This presential knowledge does not necessarily entail the presence of truth (*haqīqat*), but rather the reality of the known (*wāqi‘iyyat-i ma‘lūm*). The essentialist framework (*dastgāh-i māhiyyat*) has no role in the emergence of knowledge for the mind. Ignorance (*jahl*) and unawareness (*nā-āgāhī*) denote the absence of manifestation (*nā-pīdā’ī*) and the mind’s inability to grant presence (*zohūr-bakhshī*). Knowledge, like manifestation, is gradational (*tashkīk*), not restricted to that which is immaterial (*mujarrad*) and free of material attributes. The subject of mental knowledge is solely manifestive knowledge (*‘ilm-i zohūrī*). This awareness arises from the effects and properties of theoretical reason (*‘aql-i nazarī*). External manifestation is far stronger than mental manifestation, yet they are related through empathy (*uns*) and attraction (*jazb*). A purer mind with greater empathy for external phenomena exhibits stronger creativity in producing knowledge and awareness with greater clarity. If this empathy or capacity to discern relations (*kashf-i rawābit*), the bridge between mind and external phenomena, is lost, or if the soul becomes impure (*kadūr*), clouded, or weak, knowledge and mental awareness become ambiguous. Thus, knowledge is the presence of the known’s character (*shakhsiyyat-i ma‘lūm*) to the knowing subject and knower, through the mind’s creation. Its revelatory (*kāshifiyyat*) and representational (*hikāyatgarī*) capacity depends on factors such as empathy and harmonious coexistence (*hamnishīnī-yi mutanāsib*).