What is the difference between "understanding" (yafqahūn) and "knowing" (yaʿlamūn)?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
The difference between "yafqahoon" (they understand deeply) and "ya'lamoon" (they know) is that fiqh (deep understanding) means a precise comprehension of hidden things and perceiving subtle meanings, whereas 'ilm (knowledge) is the perception of something as it truly is. Thus, fiqh is knowledge plus something more; it is used when the meaning involves a precision that requires deep understanding. As for "ya'lamoon," it is used when the matter simply requires perception.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/71242
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- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 71242
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- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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- Read the full answer on Ftawy