Explaining the meaning of "knowledge" in various places in the Qur'an

Question:
The statement of Allah : the verse [Al-'Ankabut:3], and the statement of Allah : [Al-Baqarah:143], and the statement of Allah : the verse [Al-Imran:167], what is the intended meaning of "knowledge" in these verses, and may Allah reward you with good?

Answer:
Allah tests people with ease and hardship: And We have certainly tried those before them, so Allah will surely know those who are truthful and will surely know the liars [Al-'Ankabut:2-3], He tests them with ease and hardship, with severity and relief, by legislating some rulings and then abrogating them.
As for in the Shari'ah: He legislated facing the direction of the Sacred Mosque in Jerusalem, then He abrogated that, so that it would become clear who follows the truth and who persists in falsehood. So the Muslims followed the truth, submitted to the truth, and faced the qiblah, while the Jews and the Christians refused and remained in their misguidance, so their affair and their falsehood became clear.
And so it is with other rulings: when He, Exalted is He, legislates a ruling and then abrogates it, it becomes clear who submits to the truth and who does not submit to the truth. And so it is when He makes a ruling clear to one person and it remains hidden from another person: it becomes clear who is truthful in seeking the ruling, seeking the evidence, and removing ignorance, and who is content with his ignorance and negligence and turns away.
And so it is with severity and relief: some people are good in times of relief, they are upright, but in times of severity, when illness comes or poverty comes, they go astray from the path and do not have patience; they become despondent, complain, and disobey. This person is destroyed in the severity.
And some people, no, they are upright in severity and relief, in ease and hardship; they are upright in obedience to Allah and His Messenger, and they endure. Ease does not lead them astray, nor does hardship lead them astray. Rather, they are upright in ease and thank Allah, and in hardship they have patience, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: . The test and trial is either by knowledge and ignorance, or by severity and relief, ease and hardship, or by legislating some rulings, as with the qiblah, or by other types of fitnah: such as some people being empowered over him to harm him, so either he has patience and deals with matters with wisdom, or he does not have patience. So the trial varies, and ease varies.