SEEK WISDOM (HIKMAH)

SEEK WISDOM (HIKMAH)

What is Wisdom (Hikmah)?

Author:

Prof. Dr. Alaaddin Basar

Wisdom has been defined in various definitions and meanings. Some of them are as follows:

Performing something in the ideal and optimum way.
Science explaining the real nature of things.
Divine mysteries and intentions inherent in things.
Knowledge together with action.
Beneficial knowledge and good deed.

For the sense of the human intelligence, the state of being on the right path and avoiding excursiveness.The most common meaning among them is secret, intention and benefit. When it is asked: What is the wisdom behind this? We understand the questions:What is its purpose? What secrets that we do not know does it convey?

Then, wisdom can occur only when something is performed and a benefit is acquired from it. This consideration takes us to the definition Knowledge together with action. Islamic scholars do not regard the solitary knowledge as wisdom. They stipulate that, acting on that knowledge, implementing that knowledge and getting beneficial results must exist.

Philosophy is named the science of wisdom since it discusses the real nature and aims of things. However, if a philosopher does not introduce a lifestyle or a moral acquisition which people can apply in their lives, then it is not wisdom in its true sense. Wisdom is knowledge and acting on that knowledge. The one who cannot combine them is not called Wise. (Elmalılı Hamdi Yazır)

For an individual, being a person of wisdom depends on being a servant with whom his Lord is pleased. Otherwise, if he does not make his Lord pleased, it is not sufficient to become a person of wisdom to observe his creatures and discover their advantages for mankind. Let us imagine a man comprehends the secret mysteries in the Quran but does not act in accordance with them. He is a scholar but not wise. The status of people, who do not read the book of the universe on behalf of Allah and do not benefit from it are no different from that man in this aspect.

Wisdom also has the meaning of prophethood. Prophethood is a Divine institution. The messengers of Allah read the book of the Universe and taught it and demanded some duties from men, at Allah's command. They taught human beings completely that everything was created in the bounds of wisdom and that they all had thousands of functions. Then, they thoroughly established in the hearts of people that men, whom all of the beings serve, must have an important duty; otherwise, all those creatures which are created wisely would serve purposelessness, aimlessness and nothingness. Therefore, the true wisdom is in prophethood, not in philosophy. Knowledge and acting in accordance with it is taught together in the school of prophethood. And in this school, the wisdom of beings is learned from their Creator directly. Estimations, assumptions or personal and subjective feelings are not needed.

It is mentioned in the Nur Treatises, a commentary on the Quran, that things have three faces:

the face that looks to God Almighty's names,
the face that looks to the hereafter and
the third the face that looks to the existence and life of that thing.

We discuss the third point when wisdom is mentioned. We say beneficial for an apple and vain for a thorn. We see the wisdom easily on the former, or we think that we see it, but we do not even think about the latter.

Wisdom is the most significant basis in all the fields including conveying the truths to people. Conveying or proclanmation (tabligh) carried out unwisely, that is to say not appropriately in terms of time and place, not suitably based on mercy, not seeking the assistance of science and especially not acting in accordance with what one preaches will not yield a good result.

The command of the Holy Quran:Invite (all) to the Way of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching (the Bee (An-Nahl), 125), teaches the need of being on the path of wisdom to the people who are in charge with proclaiming Islam.

Meaning of Wisdom in Quran 33:34

Many scholars of Tafser (exegesis) interpreted wisdom to mean the Sunnah in the verse in which Allah says (what means):

"Certainly did Allah confer [great] favor upon the believers when He sent among them a Messenger from themselves, reciting to them His verses and purifying them and teaching them the Book and wisdom, although they had been before in manifest error." [Quran 3:164]

This is the same in regard to similar verses; for instance, the Tafser of Imam Ash-Shafi'i (1/496) reads:

“Allah says (what means):

"Certainly did Allah confer [great] favor upon the believers when He sent among them a Messenger from themselves..." (and he mentioned other verses in the same context, then he said:) Allah mentioned the Book, which is the Quran, and then He mentioned wisdom and the trustworthy scholars of the Quran say: wisdom means the Sunnah of the Prophet .

This is the correct view – and Allah knows best – because after the Quran was mentioned, the wisdom was mentioned straight after it. Then Allah mentioned His favors upon His creation by teaching them the Book and wisdom, so it is not permissible to say – and Allah knows best – that wisdom here means something other than the Sunnah of the Prophet because of what we have discussed, that Allah made the belief in the Prophet linked to the belief in Him. And the Sunnah of His Messenger clarifies the meaning intended by Allah, and it is a guidance and clarification of what is specific and what is general (of the texts of the Quran).”

Besides, Ibn Rajab said in Lataa’if al-Ma’aarif about the verse in which Allah says (what means): "He gives wisdom to whom He wills, and whoever has been given wisdom has certainly been given much good. And none will remember except those of understanding." [Quran 2:269]; whoever interprets the wisdom to mean the Sunnah, then he has said the truth because the Sunnah interprets the Quran and clarifies its meaning and urges us to follow it and act according to it.”

Allah knows best...

THINGS that YOU have to THINK of...

DUA FOR LEARNING, SCHOOL, KNOWLEDGE & WISDOM

The Exercise of Wisdom (Hikmah)

https://www.islamicity.org/3092/the-exercise-of-hikmah-wisdom/

Concept of Wisdom in Islam

https://www.amda.us/index.php/khutba/287-concept-of-wisdom-in-islam-august-5-206

Words of wisdom from Imam Ash-Shaafii (rahimahu Allah)

TOP 20 QUOTES BY IMAM AL-SHAFII

1. “Some people have passed away, but their character kept them alive. Others are alive, but their character has killed them.”

2. “Knowledge without action is arrogance.”
3. “I never debated with a knowledgeable person except that I won the debate, and I have never debated with an ignorant person except that I lost.”
4. “I never once argued with an opponent except that I made dua to Allah to show me the truth on his lips.”
5. “Knowledge is that which benefits, not that which is memorized.”
6. “All humans are dead except those who have knowledge. And all those who have knowledge are asleep, except those who do good deeds. And those who do good deeds are deceived, except those who are sincere. And those who are sincere are always in a state of worry.”
7. “Let not your tongue mention the shame of another for you yourself are covered in shame and all men have tongues. If your eye falls upon the sins of your brother Shield them and say: “O my eye! All men have eyes!””
8. “I wish that people learnt this knowledge from me without ascribing one letter of it to me.”
9. “Three things will increase your intellect: sitting with the scholars, sitting with righteous people, and leaving off speech that doesn’t concern you.”
10. “When the foolish one speaks, do not reply to him, for better than a response (to him) is silence, and if you speak to him you have aided him, and if you left him (with no reply) in extreme sadness he dies.”
11. “Support me with your advice in private, and avoid advising me in public. Surely giving advice among the people is a kind of reproach, which I would rather not listen to. If you disobey and ignore my wish, don’t be saddened if you are not obeyed.”
12. “To admonish your brother in private is to advise him and improve him. But to admonish him publicly is to disgrace and shame him.”
13. “Intercession is only sought by one of a lower status before a superior and no one is superior to Allah.”
14. “The foolish one addresses me with words of disgrace, but I hate to respond to him in a similar manner. The more ignorant he proves, the more patient I become. Just like the incense; the more it’s burnt, the more it releases its fragrance.”
15. “When it comes to my provisions, I rely upon Allah, my Creator; and I know with certainty that He will no doubt provide for me.
16. “I complained to Imam Waqic of my weak memory; he advised me to abstain from sins; for, verily, knowledge is a light from Allah; and this light of Allah is not awarded to sinners.”
17. “I heard Ash-Shaafii say, “A man does not become complete in this life except when he has four [qualities]: religiousness (al-diyanah), trustworthiness (al-amanah), safeguarding [from sin] (al-siyanah) and sobriety (al-razanah).” – Imam Al-Buwayti (raximahu Allah)
18. “Be hard on yourself, easy on others.”
19. “Were this world to be sold on the market, I would not buy it for a loaf of bread, for all the troubles it contains.”
20. Imam al-Shafi’ in his final sickness said:

When my heart was hardened

and my courses constrained

I made my hope a stairway

to Your forgiveness