Ilm
/ɪlm/noun
In Islamic contexts, religious or spiritual knowledge, especially knowledge derived from revelation and scholarship.
Did you know?In Islamic intellectual tradition, *ilm* was often treated as a moral responsibility: knowledge gained without righteous action could be spiritually incomplete.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
ʿ-L-M
“A root associated with knowing, perceiving, or marking distinctions”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
ʿilm (عِلْم)
“Knowledge, learning, or awareness”
7th Century
Qur'anic Arabic
ʿilm
“Knowledge, including divine or revealed knowledge”
Medieval Islamic World
Arabic
ʿilm
“A recognized field of learning or religious scholarship”
19th–20th Century
English
ilm
“A loanword for Islamic religious or spiritual knowledge”
Modern English
English
ilm
“Knowledge or learning, especially in an Islamic context”