Wisdom is the marvel and purpose of the
soul: this is why it is its beginning and its end. The fields
of knowledge which one acquires prior to attaining wisdom are
just one of the means towards achieving it. Just as when an
individual obtains understanding of the basic components,
deduces knowledge of the whole and then examines the previous
knowledge of the components in light of the whole, the
weaknesses and positive points of these components become
clear. Similarly, when, after a person has attained wisdom, he
assesses the aspects of knowledge that had provided the basics
of the overall understanding, he realizes that many things had
been misinterpreted and many issues had been confused with
others.
After complete insight, understanding and
research, many matters that are based on opinion and
conjecture can be corrected. Several such matters that were
foggy earlier become clear. A person feels as if earlier
thinkers were viewing those matters with the eyes of animals.
When a wise man approaches them, he sees these with the eyes
of a human for the first time. In other words, things remain
devoid of meaning and context until a person approaches,
understands and opens them up and clarifies them. Hence, a
person cannot benefit from fields of knowledge that were
created for the purpose of attaining wisdom until he has
achieved divine knowledge. Taking benefit from them prior to
understanding the divine is not the right approach to
benefitting from them. Similarly, this form of knowledge too
is not real. It is merely awareness of diverse matters and
misconstrued feelings and emotions.
When a wise person casts his eye upon the
universe, he observes maturity, cohesion and unity in all
matters. He understands that this universe has been created
for a specific purpose. Hence, it is essential that it should
have a Creator who is taking all its matters to the
culmination of this purpose. This style of thinking of the
wise man is based on a solid connection between his thought
and deed. The person who does not have faith in a wise Creator
does not know that there is a purpose behind the universe.
When he recognizes his personal aims, attitudes and the
ability to distinguish between right and wrong, he is not
satisfied on whether these are based on a firm foundation. He
reasons them to be based on following the beliefs of his
predecessors, or traditions, or hidden needs of his
personality. In all cases, he is unclear about the existence
of good and evil. He is also dissatisfied with existence or
non-existence of anything because he does not believe in what
he observes. He accuses nature. When such a person takes
action, he does not know where it might lead him. His example
is that of a person who tries to see in a dark night. In
contrast, wisdom creates concomitance between the forces of
human will and knowledge. Consequently, one becomes satisfied
with the purpose of life and the motive towards which all
universe is headed. Thus, a wise person is at peace with what
his Creator wishes: the One who has designed everything with
great wisdom; who has established a motive and wisdom for
every creation and who has not created anything without an
objective. A wise Creator does not do anything uselessly. A
wise human is satisfied with the manner in which He is running
the universe: this is the purpose of his life and the highest
attribute of his nature. In this way, he becomes grateful,
happy with what His Lord desires and becomes the possessor of
a satisfied soul.
The Wise Man’s Approach to Teaching
Since wisdom is clear, closer to the spirit
and connected with rationality, not widely spread out but
still hidden behind many veils, to which people often do not
give attention, the wise men teaching it were not interested
in explaining the sciences related to it, because those fields
of knowledge were an open book for all. They were interested
in turning the attention of people towards wisdom, motivating
them to apply rationale and deliberation and taking them out
of the veils of darkness that surrounded them on all sides. To
this end, they took help from two aspects of the mind: one was
the ability to think and rationalize and the other was the
desire for achieving good and doing what was right. In other
words, they awakened the forces of thought and intention, for
it is through the force of thought using which a human can
rationalize the signs that are evident throughout the heavens
and spiritual world, and it is the force of intent through
which he is attracted towards good deeds. Both these forces
together make up all the attributes of humans and include all
forms of spirituality.
It follows, therefore, that while a teacher
of wisdom is not too interested in raising awareness of the
related sciences, he adopts a strict attitude with regard to
the training, clarification, purification and cleansing of the
mind. However, not everyone’s mind is ready for wisdom. This
is like a person who goes to a doctor, takes the prescribed
medicine, gets well but is never free from fear of a relapse.
Among such people are many good and saintly people who reap
the benefits of wisdom but are not themselves wise ones.
However, the person who develops expertise in the abilities of
rational thought and action achieves wisdom. By rational
thought, we do not mean logic, but the understanding that is a
consequence of intuition and inspiration. The example of such
a person is that of one who, when he tastes something, its
smell and taste become so manifest to him that, whether he
relishes it or gains satiety, his eye will never be empty of
its effectiveness nor will his tree be empty of its fruit.
Teaching through Parables
Jesus (sws) used the style of teaching
wisdom through the use of parables. When people could not
understand him, he became sorrowful. When people had only
perceptions about something and did not understand their
realities, Jesus (sws) would suggest various possibilities to
them so as to motivate them to develop the habit of analytical
thought. Plato used to say that the person who could not speak
in terms of parables was not a wise man. Solomon (sws) also
used parables to teach. Ancient wise men used to tell people
to understand themselves first.
The Qur’an also explains facts by use of
parables. The key characteristics of its explanation are as
follows:
1. The purpose of using parables is to
remind, so that people may return to their spiritual selves
and to their abilities for thought. The Qur’an has said about
parables: “and these are understood only by people of
knowledge.” (29:43)
2. The arguments used by the Qur’an are
mostly based on manifest signs and it has clarified that such
thinking can be applied only by those who ponder and reflect.
3. The parables and signs in the Qur’an
have been presented from various angles, and it has been
clarified that this has been done so as to show these issues
from all aspects. In this way, the Qur’an has shown the way to
ponder over the signs also.
4. The Qur’an has not allowed knowledge and
action to remain separate, but joined the two and has
emphasized both collectively.
5. The Qur’an has given guidance on the
status of wisdom, its entry points and its reasons.
6. The Qur’an has identified order and
unity to be the greatest requirement of thought and the centre
for all aspects of reflection.
Wisdom is a Collective of Knowledge and
Deeds
The knowledge that a wise man possesses has
been developed not by following others, but by relying on his
own observations. He heeds his nature in each and every
matter, because his spirit is closer to him than anything
else. His argument is neither based on surmises and guesses,
nor is his style such that he deduces overall principles
merely by observing a few elements. Instead, he attempts to
understand the relationships and requisites of various things,
therefore the result he arrives at becomes an aspect of his
own insight.
When a wise man is interested in something,
it is not as a result of something else, but he seeks
directly, that which is his utmost preference, which he
desires most and which becomes the ultimate purpose of his
life. Those who have reached the heights of knowledge and
deed have always adopted this approach. This is the reason why
the knowledge they gained calmed their hearts and the aims
they achieved brought them solace. They gathered both of these
bounties in plenty and gained satisfaction. These are the
people who are true and sincere scholars and motivators. Their
knowledge is neither just in name only, nor is it useless or
dead. The knowledge is life giving, embodying strength and a
combination of interest and deed. Hence, a wise man becomes
aware of the soul and its maladies, the world and its
impurities, piety and its joys and its healing properties and
recognises his merciful, compassionate and wise Creator. He
believes in God, turns to Him and holds His beauty and majesty
dear to his heart. He knows of the bitterness of oblivion and
negligence and turns away from it. His knowledge is living
faith and complete belief, as if he is observing the unseen
through the eyes of belief. Such an observation of the unseen
is clearer than if he was seeing it with his physical eyes.
When a person obtains a beautiful reality, how is it possible
that he does not make it his beloved? Hence, the love of God
is a result of faith. The Qur’an says: “Those who believe,
they are the ones who love God most.” (2:165) In this verse,
true faith is termed love. This means that whenever the people
of faith remember God, they become overwhelmed by His
greatness and power; their hearts tremble; God’s grandeur and
majesty become evident to them and they turn to Him and give
themselves up to His will.
Believers are those whose hearts tremble
when God is mentioned and when His verses are recited to them,
they enhance their faith. (8:2)
Requirements of Development of Wisdom
Wisdom is the life of the heart. When a
seed is sown within fertile soil, it sprouts. Similarly, the
seed of knowledge grows and develops within the living heart.
In other words, the heart in which knowledge finds life and
begins to bear fruit much like the seed that develops, is a
fertile heart. The life of knowledge means that a person
clothes his present with it and, as a result, adopts the habit
of virtue. As far as growth is concerned, it must be
remembered that life is not only the name of anything that
moves, but it is must also contain a particular system and
order. There is no living thing that does not have a system.
Hence, system-based knowledge is one that possesses beauty,
illumination and benefit. The demand of life of a heart is
that it has the ability to provide growth and development.
Thus, it is the life of the heart that is significant.
The matter of wisdom is that it is not
bestowed upon a person who does not deserve to receive it. The
reason for this is not that a wise man holds back the transfer
of it to another person due to his miserliness, but that he
honours it and does not allow it to be wasted if he gives it
to the wrong recipient. It is obvious that if a seed is sown
in untilled soil, it is wasted. A characteristic of knowledge
is also that if it does not provide benefit, it can cause
damage. This is why the harbinger of truth, Mohammed (sws)
used to say: “O’ Lord, I take refuge with you, from the
knowledge that does not benefit, and from the heart that does
not acquire humility.” (Muslim: 7081)
This prayer of the Prophet (sws) is also
evidence of the fact that if the heart is without the quality
of humility, a man’s knowledge does not benefit him at all.
From this, we can understand what helps us to keep our heart
alive and to organize our ability to receive wisdom. In
reality, the humility of the heart is the door through which
wisdom enters it. This is the first pre-requisite of wisdom,
and this is authenticated both by the Qur’an and Hadith. It
therefore becomes necessary for us to understand how humility
is developed and how the heart is prepared to receive wisdom.
When a thinking person observes the
greatness, providence, wisdom and mercy of God in the skies,
earth and the entire universe, he realizes as he looks at his
own soul that he has been placed between the greatest of
heights and the lowest of positions, and creates both fear of
God and hope in his heart. He realizes that this world has
come into being for some definite purpose. Its Creator is a
just and pure Lord. Compared to Him, he, himself is one who
commits wrong deeds, often gets lost and is rebellious. This
recognition creates within him such fear that he begins to
obey the boundaries of God, whether alone or in company. He
refrains from obeying his worldly desires. The qualities of
fear and piety cleanse his heart which becomes ready to
receive the light of wisdom. In the book of parables, Solomon
(sws) has said on this very basis that the key to wisdom is
fear of God.
As a result of this fear and piety, a
servant of God dons the cloak of humility and submissiveness.
He knows that all sovereignty belongs to his Lord, his
Benefactor and that he is powerless in front of Him. He is
afraid of being distanced from His Lord and tries to get close
to Him in all possible ways. He seeks help from and
supplicates to Him only. As a consequence of this humility, a
person develops respect for knowledge, he appreciates its
beauty and any tendencies within him to raise objections are
removed. This prepares him for development of wisdom and this
humility becomes a means to elevating him to great heights. As
the Qur’an says: “And when you are asked to get up (from the
gathering), leave. God will elevate those of you who have
faith and to whom knowledge has been bestowed.” (58:11)
A subtle reference to this point is also
given in this verse: “And then walk over the straight paths of
your Lord.” (16:29)
Wisdom is Achieved in Stages
It is important to understand that wisdom
is never achieved all at once, but at various times and
slowly, in stages. Just as when building a house, it is never
built at one go, but takes time and one has to face many
challenges in its building, so is the case when seeking to
achieve wisdom. If one tries to put a large quantity of food
inside one’s stomach, the latter does not accept it and the
food is wasted. The heart, too, does not have the ability to
receive wisdom at one time. This is why the Qur’an was not
revealed all at once. The reason behind its revelation piece
by piece has been explained as: “So that We strengthen your
heart through it and We have sent it down in stages and with
great planning.” (25:32)
The person who teaches wisdom also takes
this approach into account. He always talks briefly so that
his student does not cover it rapidly, but is desirous of more
explanation and detail, is dependent on the teacher and wants
to spend more time in his company.
The understanding of this reality has
guided me towards the wisdom behind the cohesion and order of
the Qur’an. The Qur’an has adopted various approaches to its
teaching, which include the fact that it has made each and
every verse a bearer of continuous and permanent teaching.
When a person makes a single verse the focus of his
reflection, he finds the opportunity to give it his full
attention. This is the same as when serving in a specific
department is considered to be adequate occupation for workers
in a factory. If the entire operational system of the factory
is revealed to the workers, they will be overwhelmed and will
not be able to do even the work which they possess the ability
to perform. The complete system is open only to the person who
is capable of understanding it. Like a factory worker, an army
soldier is sufficient to stand duty over his position, and he
does not cast his eyes over other places. The battle plan is
with the commander only and only he possesses the ability to
understand it. This is the reality behind many people becoming
satisfied with a superficial awareness of the Qur’an and not
making the effort to understand the mutual connections between
its various elements. However, a person who catches a glimpse
of a valley of wisdom is guided towards the collective
cohesion of the Qur’an. All matters, such as the collective
qualities of the verses; elevated facts based on knowledge;
the comprehensive meaning of all fields of theology and
benefits from the word of God are placed before his eyes.
Leader of Muslims must know about Coherence
in the Qur’an
It follows from the above discussion that
that there is no excuse for the person to whom matters of
Muslims have been entrusted to be ignorant of the cohesion of
the Book of God, because only the Qur’an can give him true
guidance. If his situation is such that he is only aware of
different subjects addressed in the Qur’an and ignorant of the
stages and system of its qualities, then such a leader will
only fumble and conduct his business through guesswork. His
reasoning and interpretation will be one-sided and far from
the truth. If you read the biographies of great people, you
will note that they created so much chaos as soon as they took
up the reins of the Caliphate that even the basic tenets of
Islam were in danger. It is clear that this was due to their
intensity of asceticism and an extremely beggarly style of
life, although they possessed the desire to support their
faith and also had the requisite valour and courage. Overall,
their balance of good deeds was on the lighter side, the
reason being that they kept their actions free of rationality,
considered the corollary as the main source and gave the
Sunnah the place of obligatory requirement, putting what was
the tail end in position of the head. Had these people
benefitted from wisdom and given the guidance contained within
the Qur’an due importance, people would have flocked to it.
The relationship between the observable
rituals of the shari‘ah and its principles and facts is the
same as that between ordinary people and their elite and
scholars. Just as people seem to be dominant over their
gentry, so do the rituals of the shari‘ah seem to dominate the
soul of religion. This fact has been explained clearly by the
great leader in the matter of Khawarij.
The system of a nation gets into trouble when villains become
predominant. Their attacks continue over regular matters of
ordinary people and they attempt to destroy their foundations
too, but later, they also gain acceptance from those people
who are low in wisdom, but quick in action. In this manner,
the evil doers become dominant and shatter the unity of the
nation.
We had explained above the impacts of
dominance of religious, but ignorant people and here we have
clarified the damage caused by dominance of mischief makers.
In principle, it can be said that the person in authority who
places the derivative in the position of the main and gives
the lowly a high status, he has dispersed the system of the
nation. This clarifies the benefit of understanding the
coherence of the Qur’an and the disadvantage of remaining
ignorant of the same. It is clear that the reform of this
nation (and of other nations) can only be carried out through
the wisdom to which the Qur’an gives guidance. The only route
to get to this wisdom is that a person try to understand the
fields of knowledge that God has placed within the grand
system of the Qur’an. The person who attempts to understand
this wisdom of the Qur’an without taking into consideration
its system will merely grope in the dark and stray from the
path in his foiled efforts.
Imam Hamiduddin Farahi
Hikmah Qur’an (82-96)
Translated by Khalid Masud from Arabic to Urdu
Translated from Urdu to English by Nikhat Sattar
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