Discover the meaning of the term Al-yqyn (يقين) in Islamic vocabulary.
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Updated on 11 April 2026 at 1:05 AM
📖 4 min readIn language: knowledge free from doubt. As a technical term: believing a thing to be so, together with the conviction that it cannot be otherwise, conforming to reality and not subject to vanishing. The first qualification denotes the genus, which also includes conjecture (zann); the second excludes conjecture, the third excludes ignorance, and the fourth excludes the true belief of the imitator (muqallid). Among the people of realization (haqiqa): direct witnessing ('iyan) through the strength of faith, not through argument and demonstration. It has been said: the beholding of the unseen (ghuyub) through the purity of hearts and attention to secrets through the guarding of thoughts. It has been said: it is the heart's tranquillity concerning the reality of a thing; one says 'the water settled (yaqanna) in the basin' when it became firm there. It has been said: certainty is direct vision. It has been said: the firm conviction in the unseen after removing all doubt and misgiving. It has been said: certainty is the opposite of doubt. It has been said: direct vision through the light of faith. It has been said: the removal of misgiving in the beholding of the unseen. It has been said: knowledge obtained after doubt.
Among the masters of the spiritual path: the manifestation of the light of reality (haqiqa) in the one possessing certainty, when the human veils are lifted, through the witness of ecstatic finding (wajd) and taste (dhawq), not through the indication of reason and transmitted knowledge. Faith is a light from behind the veil, and certainty is a light upon the lifting of the veil. Know that they agreed: whenever a judgment exists, there is assent; either non-decisive, and that is conjecture (zann); or decisive, true, and firmly rooted, and that is certainty; or not rooted, and that is imitation (taqlid); or decisive yet false, and that is compound ignorance.
Derived from 'yaqanna': water is said to be 'yaqanna' in the basin when it settles and stays there. Its meaning was expressed: it is knowledge free from doubt. In philosophy: the soul's (nafs) assurance regarding a judgment, with belief in its truth; the 'ilm al-yaqin and 'ayn al-yaqin: knowledge that admits no doubt. Sometimes certainty was designated by the term of conjecture and conjecture by that of certainty. Dirid ibn al-Samma said: 'I said to them: be convinced (zannu) with a thousand drawn swords... their flanks by the unsheathed Persian', meaning: be certain. And Abu Sadra al-Asadi said: 'Making safe the senses, and be certain that through them I am enriched... by one man with whom I do not gamble', meaning: he thought so. Yaqin also denotes death, as Allah, exalted be He, said: 'Worship your Lord until there comes to you the certainty (death)'.
Knowledge obtained after inference and discernment.
In language: knowledge free from doubt.
In language: knowledge free from doubt. As a technical term: believing a thing to be so, with the conviction that it cannot be otherwise, conforming to reality and incapable of vanishing, as al-Sayyid said.
﴿وَقَوْلِهِمْ إِنَّا قَتَلْنَا ٱلْمَسِيحَ عِيسَى ٱبْنَ مَرْيَمَ رَسُولَ ٱللَّهِ وَمَا قَتَلُوهُ وَمَا صَلَبُوهُ وَلَـٰكِن شُبِّهَ لَهُمْ ۚ وَإِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱخْتَلَفُوا۟ فِيهِ لَفِى شَكٍّۢ مِّنْهُ ۚ مَا لَهُم بِهِۦ مِنْ عِلْمٍ إِلَّا ٱتِّبَاعَ ٱلظَّنِّ ۚ وَمَا قَتَلُوهُ يَقِينًۢا﴾
« And [for] their saying, "Indeed, we have killed the Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, the messenger of Allah." And they did not kill him, nor did they crucify him; but [another] was made to resemble him to them. And indeed, those who differ over it are in doubt about it. They have no knowledge of it except the following of assumption. And they did not kill him, for certain. »
Surah النساء : 157
﴿وَٱعْبُدْ رَبَّكَ حَتَّىٰ يَأْتِيَكَ ٱلْيَقِينُ﴾
« And worship your Lord until there comes to you the certainty (death). »
Surah الحجر : 99
﴿فَمَكَثَ غَيْرَ بَعِيدٍۢ فَقَالَ أَحَطتُ بِمَا لَمْ تُحِطْ بِهِۦ وَجِئْتُكَ مِن سَبَإٍۭ بِنَبَإٍۢ يَقِينٍ﴾
« But the hoopoe stayed not long and said, "I have encompassed [in knowledge] that which you have not encompassed, and I have come to you from Sheba with certain news. »
Surah النمل : 22
﴿إِنَّ هَـٰذَا لَهُوَ حَقُّ ٱلْيَقِينِ﴾
« Indeed, this is the true certainty, »
Surah الواقعة : 95
﴿وَإِنَّهُۥ لَحَقُّ ٱلْيَقِينِ﴾
« And indeed, it is the truth of certainty. »
Surah الحاقة : 51
﴿حَتَّىٰٓ أَتَىٰنَا ٱلْيَقِينُ﴾
« Until there came to us the certainty." »
Surah المدثر : 47
This term appears in 8 verses of the Quran.