Relation between belief and knowledge in Ayatollah Misbah Yazdi

There are different opinions concerning the relation between knowledge and belief among Muslim and Western scholars. Ayatollah Misbah Yazdi holds that belief –though different from knowledge – is in need of knowledge. The essential condition for believing in God is the knowledge of God. Knowledge of God is of three types: 1) innate knowledge which is private, presentational and at the same time concise 2) intellectual knowledge which is acquired and universal but non-presentational 3) intuitive knowledge which is presentational, private and clear. Intellectual and intuitive knowledge is the result and complementary of innate knowledge. Being ambiguous, innate knowledge alone cannot pave the ground for true belief nor can intellectual knowledge, being general, introduce a definite god as the subject of belief. Intuitive knowledge is also nothing but refined innate knowledge. Thus innate knowledge must attain sufficient clarity through intellectual or intuitive knowledge so as to be able to prepare the ground for belief