Al-‘aql al-fa‘‘al

Okay kiddo, let me explain to you what al-‘aql al-fa‘‘al means. It's a very fancy way of saying "active intelligence" in Arabic.

Imagine your brain is like a computer that helps you think and make decisions. Al-‘aql al-fa‘‘al is like the special ability in your brain that helps you use what you know to make good choices and solve problems.

For example, let's say you were walking to school and you noticed a big puddle in front of you, but you also noticed that there was a small path you could take to avoid it. Your al-‘aql al-fa‘‘al would help you realize that walking around the puddle is a better choice than walking through it and getting your shoes all wet.

So just like how you use your active intelligence to make good choices in your everyday life, al-‘aql al-fa‘‘al is also an important concept in philosophy and religion to describe the way God's intelligence is constantly at work in the world. But that's a topic for another day!