The Epistemological Role of Prophets in the Course of Human Knowledge from al-Ghazali’s Perspective: The Educational Role

Abstract

In this article, the author deals with the epistemological role of the prophets from al-Ghazali’s view-point by an analytic method. This role includes both educational and training ones. In its educational role, it is both direct as well as indirect; it also includes both factual and moral knowledge. In this role, besides proposing truths beyond discursive reason, prophets give the way of achieving the highest intellectual level of knowledge in order that human beings, themselves, by ascending cognitive levels, would achieve that high level of knowledge. In this regard, the profound unity between reason and the Shari’a (prophetic teachings) in al-Ghazali's view, is also considered and clarifies that al-Ghazali ties the beginning of rational and scientific movement of human being with receiving knowledge by revelation (Shari’a). In his thought, only the prophetic level of knowledge, i.e. unveiling knowledge, is the one that guides human being to achieve certain knowledge, which is the perfection of rational knowledge in the lower level.

Keywords

• prophets
• education
• reason
• shari’a
• al-ghazali