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Why reading more doesn't make us wiser 💡
Mohammed Ali (Sufi Comics)
November 22, 2024
Greetings!
My reading list grows faster than I can keep up.
Books, articles, and advice about happiness, productivity, enlightenment. Each unread page feels like there could be a missed opportunity for life-changing wisdom.
Whenever I feel overwhelmed with too much to read, I get peace by reminding myself what true knowledge is: it isn't about consuming more information. It's about recognizing what's already within us.
This week, I'm sharing something different than my usual comic. It's a thread that explores two forms of knowledge—one that's transmitted and one that's remembered.
It changed how I think about learning. Maybe it will do the same for you.
Here's the thread:
What’s the difference between knowing something and recognizing it?
In Islamic thought there's a distinction between transmitted knowledge (ʿilm) and intellectual knowledge (maʿrifa).
Let’s explore why recognizing the truth is much deeper than learning it from books. 🧵
— Ali ✏️ Sufi Comics (@SufiComics)
12:05 PM • Nov 11, 2024
ʿIlm is knowledge that comes from the outside—books, lectures, what we hear from others.
It's valuable, but it stays external.
It’s like reading a map but never walking the road.
Maʿrifa, on the other hand, is internal. It’s truth that is uncovered within ourselves.
— Ali ✏️ Sufi Comics (@SufiComics)
12:05 PM • Nov 11, 2024
Why is maʿrifa special?
It’s a direct, self-evident knowing that doesn’t come from books or teachers.
When you experience it, it’s like realizing you always knew it. It’s not taught—it’s remembered.
— Ali ✏️ Sufi Comics (@SufiComics)
12:05 PM • Nov 11, 2024
Ibn al-ʿArabī explained that true spiritual knowledge (maʿrifa) is a recognition that “God taught Adam the names” — meaning that knowledge is already within us, waiting to be remembered.
What we need is to awaken that recognition in our hearts.
— Ali ✏️ Sufi Comics (@SufiComics)
12:05 PM • Nov 11, 2024
Here’s the thing: You can’t transmit this type of knowledge.
It must be experienced.
Even if someone tells you about the Real (the ultimate truth), it’s just hearsay until you discover it within yourself.
That’s why maʿrifa cannot be imitated.
— Ali ✏️ Sufi Comics (@SufiComics)
12:05 PM • Nov 11, 2024
Think about it: Religion, science, and philosophy often rely on transmitted knowledge.
We believe what we’ve been taught.
But Ibn al-ʿArabī and other Sufis urge us to go deeper.
Intellectual knowledge must be realized within the heart—where truth is self-evident.
— Ali ✏️ Sufi Comics (@SufiComics)
12:05 PM • Nov 11, 2024
To put it simply:
You can know about God, life, and truth through transmitted knowledge, but until you recognize it within yourself, it remains second-hand.
True knowing comes from within—the heart’s own awareness of reality.
— Ali ✏️ Sufi Comics (@SufiComics)
12:05 PM • Nov 11, 2024
So, the next time you seek knowledge, ask yourself:
Are you simply learning facts from outside sources?
Or are you awakening the deeper truths that have always been within you?
True maʿrifa starts when we begin to recognize the Real, beyond what books can tell us.
— Ali ✏️ Sufi Comics (@SufiComics)
12:05 PM • Nov 11, 2024
The above thread was inspired from this article.
Reply to this email or leave a comment here if you wish to share your thoughts.
Warm regards,
Mohammed Ali
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