8-Wisdom (Al Hikma)

8-Wisdom (Al Hikma)

All praise and thanks are to Allah, The All-Wise, Who created everything with such perfection and began creating the first human being out of nothing more than clay. We praise Allah Who fashioned all the creatures in the most perfect way. I testify that there is no god but Allah, and that none is worthy of worship except Allah, the only God to Whom belongs whatsoever is in the Heavens and in the Earth, the All-Glorious, the All-Migthy, the All-Knowing to Whom Belongs all wisdom. I also testify that our Master Muhammad is His servant and His messenger, the wisest of mankind, the greatest sage among them, and the most skilful in resolving all issues. Allah, the Exalted, praises the Prophet (peace be upon him) in the Holy Quran:”God did confer a great favour on the believers when He sent among them a Messenger from among themselves, reciting to them His verses (The Quran), sanctifying them, and instructing them in the Book (The Quran) wisdom, before that, they had been in manifest error.”(3:164).O Allah, we implore you to sanctify, have perpetual peace, and bountiful blessings on our Master Muhammad to the extent of Your Signs and Knowledge. May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon his family, his companions, and all those who follow them in righteousness till the Day of Judgment.

O believers,
I urge myself first and all of you to be God-conscious, pious, and obedient to Him, the Exalted, Who ordains us in the Holy Quran:”O you who believe! Keep your duty to Allah and fear Him, and speak (always) the truth. He will direct you to do righteous deeds and will forgive you your sins. And whosoever obeys Allah and His messenger, he has indeed attained a great achievement (i.e. he will be saved from the Hell-fire and will be admitted to Paradise).(33:70-71).

O Muslims,
Wisdom (Al-Hikma) is one of the attributes of Exalted Allah. It is a great blessing which Allah bestows upon whoever He pleases (of His servants):” He grants wisdom to whom he wills, and he, to whom wisdom is granted, is indeed granted abundant good.”(2:269). Indeed, wisdom is one of the greatest gifts of Allah that man can enjoy:” But remember Allah’s favours on you (i.e.Islam), and that which He has sent down to you of the Book and the wisdom whereby He instructs you.”(2:231).
Wisdom has many interpretations (meanings) in the Holy Quran. In some Verses, it may denote beneficial knowledge. Allah, the Exalted says in His Holy Book:”We bestowed wisdom on Luqman: Show (your) gratitude to Allah.”(3:12). The same word, wisdom, is used in other Verses to mean prophethood as Allah refers to Prophet David:”And Allah gave him power and wisdom and taught him whatever (else) He willed.”(2:251).
A close contemplation of the honorable life of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) reveals his wisdom and competence in dealing with people and resolving their problems. He (peace be upon him) prevented, through his wisdom, an imminent war between the clans of the Quraysh during the reconstruction of the Ka’aba. Each clan claimed the honour of putting the sacred Black Stone in its place. However, the future Prophet (peace be upon him) spread his mantle on a piece of cloth on the ground and, putting the stone on it, invited the chieftains of the four major clans of the Quraysh to each take one corner of the cloth. It was an ingenious plan and provided yet another proof of his wisdom or gift for problem-solving. When He became the Prophet and Messenger of Allah, He showed his wisdom in dealing with both Muslims and non-Muslims. Emigration to Medina, despite its great significance in the history of Islam, was not an easy thing to achieve. The Prophet took wise steps to establish brotherhood between Muslims and signed a pact with Jews. He (peace be upon him) succeeded in establishing a secure, stable and merciful society in Medina. Indeed, Prophet Muhammad was following the divine path as Allah says in the Holy Quran:”Invite (mankind, O Muhammad) to the way of your Lord (i.e.Islam) with wisdom and fair preaching.”(16:125).

O servants of Allah,
Wisdom prevents man from committing wrong actions, and guides him to take the right way. It gives him wide perspective on everything in life, deepens his understanding, increases his awareness of the surrounding circumstances so he may reach the right and correct deeds and words.
Please note, dear Muslims, that the root verb of Hikma in Arabic language is Hakama which literally means to pronounce or deliver a judgment against or in favor of someone. Wisdom can also mean knowledge gained over a long period of time through learning, or good sense and judgment, wisdom may also mean perfection and excellence.
Dear Muslims, it’s wise to keep to yourself some of what you know, and not to open up completely. It’s wise to learn when to speak and when to remain silent. Educated and intellectuals must be wise enough to address everyone based on his/her level of intelligence or education.
It’s also crucial to resort to wisdom in resolving marital disputes or misunderstanding so as to keep love and mercy alive among the two partners. Wisdom may be the turning point that may save families and unable them to retain their coherence and stability. Hasty and unwise decisions, on the other hand, may destroy families by separation or divorce. After seeking refuge and help from Allah, we must resort to sage and wide people who can guide us to peace, resolve conflicts, and spread goodness. They will earn the respect and appreciation in this world and abundant blessings and reward in the Afterlife. It is indeed such a difficult life without wise people. Families, societies and even nations may crumble and fall without sagacity. Prudent and wise leadership and people are the guaranteed path toward development and prosperity.

O servants of Allah,
We are all eager to build coherent societies and highly developed nations. We implore Allah, the Exalted, to bestow upon us wisdom in deeds and words, and we beseech Him to help us obey Him and those He has ordained us to obey.
May Allah make the Quran the light of our heart. May Allah make us among those who recite the Quran and apply its rulings. O Allah make us of the followers of the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace be upon him).