Welcome to KNOW, a creator of thought provoking content, paradigm shifting courses and a trusted education platform for people who love to learn.
KNOW takes you from someone who does not know, to becoming one who knows.
We are on a mission to revive and cultivate the pursuit of intellect and critical thought within Islam. Our vision is to create a global education platform which empowers millions to fulfill their purpose and potential.
The community that love learning.
We believe that everyone has something to learn, and everyone has something to teach.
Harnessing the power of the sharing economy, KNOW brings together students, experts, teachers, leaders and scientists from around the world to bring you bitesize, digestible knowledge delivered in a modern, engaging way and to the point of understanding.
Knowledge is not ‘one-size fits all’. We all have different interests, different ways of understanding, and different attention spans. We also have different backgrounds, experience and expertise. Our strength lies in our diversity as a community. We can learn something from everyone.
Whether you want to learn about history, politics, health, science or nature, KNOW connects you with those that are in the know - and allows you to become one of them.
Introduction
The human intellect is an amazing thing. In 2015, the 4th most powerful supercomputer in the world took 40 minutes to simulate just one second of one percent of human brain activity. We are capable of so much but we often do not utilise even a fraction of these powers.
The human faculty to learn is unrivalled. Throughout history, this unquenchable thirst for knowledge led to world exploration, advances in science, art and technology, and free, empowered communities. Too often today we often only learn to make more money, for status or because we are told to by our school, or our employer. Whatever happened to learning for its true purpose, to build our intellect and to learn about the world?
The Quran places immense importance on the capacity of the human mind to reflect on the signs of Allah that are spread all round in nature. The Quran constantly implores humans to think objectively, competently and purposefully. This is aimed at learning and discovering the natural truth.
We are sadly far removed from our rich intellectual past. Profound Muslim thinkers such as Imam al-Ghazali, ibn Sina and ibn Arabi had a profound impact on Islamic thought, especially philosophy, metaphysics and science, at a time when seeking all forms of knowledge was celebrated and considered a means of worshipping Allah. They recognised that the more they learned about the world, the better they would understand and impact their deen - and vice versa. The Quran was also revealed in two parts - 13 years in Mecca and 10 years in Madinah. The first and longer part was devoted purely to learning and gaining knowledge.
That said, this is a unique time for Muslims. The dissemination of knowledge is unparalleled with anytime in its history. Young Muslims, both from the East and West have more access to resources than any of our previous generations and therefore it is important there is a platform to go to that can provide trustworthy information that can build substance and understanding in both spirituality and the sciences and allow them to truly cultivate their intellectual and personal development.
Our Core Philosophy
“In Islam there is no division between sacred and profane knowledge, and consequently, the pursuit of physical science is an act of ibadah. It is true that the highest level of knowledge is the knowledge on Din (religion), but the process of knowledge is such that one cannot understand the highest level of knowledge unless one builds up the lower.” - Maulana Fazal-Rahman Ansari
We believe that it is our purpose in life, to know. And we believe the highest form of knowing is done, by bringing together the two seas of knowledge, that is the scientific, secular world in conjunction with the spiritual, sacred world. By harmonising these, can we gain true insight beyond the superficial.
