SACRED KNOWLEDGE AND SECULAR LEARNING: AN ISLAMIC EPISTEMOLOGICAL READING OF NADEEM ASLAM’S THE WASTED VIGIL

Abstract

This qualitative study examines the representation of sacred knowledge and its marginalization by both secular and extremist forces in Nadeem Aslam’s The Wasted Vigil (Aslam, 2008). Driven by Islamic epistemology, it examines the framing of knowledge in the context of a moral, ethical, and social duty and discusses how suppression erodes faith (Iman) and social good. Data were gathered through first-order data collection: a close and critical reading of the novel, informally triangulated with secondary sources, including the Qur’an, Hadith, Islamic epistemological texts, Critical Race Theory, and literary critique. A qualitative, interpretive approach with thematic and close textual analysis identified thematic motifs of sacred knowledge, moral responsibility, justice, and ethical erosion. The findings suggest that Taliban-imposed restriction on education, particularly for women, exemplifies the distortion of Islamic principles, and CRT details the racialized and structural dimensions of knowledge suppression affecting Muslim communities. The study contributes to knowledge by bringing Islamic epistemology together with critical theory, offering new insight into the ethical, epistemological, and sociopolitical consequences of knowledge in post-conflict contexts and emphasizing the importance of education for justice and communal harmony.