The fruits of wisdom
Wisdom gives meaning to life and its judicious application is the means through which tranquility of heart is attained.
Advertisement
This assertion is buttressed by Quran Chapter 2:269 which says: “He (Allah) gives wisdom to whom He pleases, and he, whom wisdom is given, is indeed given abundant good”.
The Prophet Mohammed (Peace Be On Him), also commented that, “Wisdom is that which is sought by the believer, and wherever it comes within his reach, he eagerly grasps it.”
In Proverbs 3:13-14, The Bible says: “Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that findeth understanding. For, the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than the fine gold.”
The visible absence of the application of wisdom in our daily lives, which has unduly led to the loss of virtue in society, compelled Professor Maya Angelou, the renowned American author, to make the following comment in her book, “Wouldn’t Take Nothing For My Journey Now”:
“Curious, but we have come to a place, a time, when virtue is no longer considered a virtue. The mention of virtue is ridiculed, and even the world itself has fallen out of favour.
Contemporary writers rarely employ such words as purity, temperance, goodness, worth or even moderation. Students, except those enrolled in philosophy courses or those studying in seminaries, seldom encounter questions on morality and piety.
We need to examine what the absence of those qualities has done to our communal spirit, and we learn how to retrieve them from the dust-heap of non-use and return them to a vigorous role in our lives.”
The above is a fair reflection of the harm that is inflicted on society in the absence of wisdom. It further indicates how indispensable wisdom is in the life of man. What then is wisdom?
The Arabic expression for “wisdom” is “Hikma”. Dr Saeed Al-Qahtani, a Saudi writer, asserts that “wisdom” has two interrelated connotations - a linguistic connotation and a technical one.
He defines the linguistic connotation as justice, patience and having knowledge of that which is beneficial for man. This view is also shared by Dr Zaid Abdulkarim of Imam Mohammed ibn Saud Islamic University when he says in the book, “Wisdom”.
“Wisdom, linguistically, is the avoidance of injustice in society and the proper application of knowledge.”
Technically, it has been defined diversely. It is sometimes defined as prophethood and, in another sense, it is defined as knowing what is right and going by it.
The above two definitions indicate a clear interrelationship between the linguistic and the technical connotations of “wisdom”. At least, both have a link with righteousness and purposefulness in life.
Encyclopaedia Britannica also defines it as the ability to understand what happens and decide on the right action.
Two major schools of thought have emerged on the types of wisdom. The first school of thought looks at it from the angle of intellectualism and practicability. This school is of the opinion that wisdom could either be intellectual or practical.
By intellectual wisdom, it means the ability of the individual to perceive and understand an issue in its proper perspective to enable him to arrive at an appropriate decision. And, by practical wisdom, it means the individual’s ability to put things at their right places.
The second school of thought looks at wisdom from a more empirical angle. Thus, it gives wisdom a triangular perspective, namely problem-orientedness, moral-orientedness and strategy-orientedness.
Problem-orientedness implies the application of wisdom to arrive at a proper solution for a seemingly challenging problem.
Morality is classified as the social core of human development. When it is lost, society suffers. In the wisdom of moral-orientedness, therefore, the individual becomes aware of the fact that his very existence as a human being hinges on morality and strict discipline. Without it, his sense of humanity is lost.
Strategy-orientedness means employing “wisdom” in setting out ones goals in life and drawing up constructive plans and means to achieve those goals.
These analyses point to the fact that knowledge (acquired or through experience) and patience are essential elements of wisdom. None of these should be underrated in the practical application of wisdom.
Historically, application of wisdom was paramount in the lives of the Prophets and righteous men. The first orientation given to any Muslim missionary is Quran Chapter 16:125 which reads “Invite mankind to the way of your Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching...”
Very often, the task of applying wisdom in preaching hovers around knowing the one being addressed, how to address him and the address itself. These principles must be observed in the deliverance of God’s message to man.
The Prophet Mohammed’s life was full of wisdom. Three different people asked him the same question, “What is Jihad?” He gave three different answers based on the condition of the questioner.
To a Muslim woman, the Prophet (PBUH) answered: “Jihad is the proper performance of Hajj (Pilgrimage to Makkah);” to an old man, he responded: “Jihad is the remembrance of Allah through meditation” and to a young man with youthful exuberance, the Holy Prophet replied “Jihad is working hard to make a living, to be pious and to spread the Word of Allah”.
It is easily discernible from the above that the Prophet (PBUH) looked at the physical condition and need of each questioner and gave the answer that befitted him/her.
On another occasion, a young man came to the Prophet Mohammed, and asked to be granted permission to commit fornication. The Prophet (PBUH) wisely asked him, “Would you like others to commit fornication or adultery with your mother, sisters or aunts?” The young man’s answer was an emphatic NO.
The Prophet (PBUH) then told him, “In as much as you seek protection of the women in your household, others would also like to have the same protection for their women to save them from vanity” Eventually, the young man got greatly convinced and left with deep-seated disapproval for fornication from that day on.
In our present day situation, the application of wisdom in preaching and in our practical lives leaves much to be desired. Innocent lives have been lost due to the wanton neglect for wisdom. At the inter-religious levels, wisdom is hardly employed in the submissions of preachers and missionaries.
Instead of addressing common issues at any given time for social integration or addressing debatable issues with tact, patience and humble language and approach, preachers resort to insults, thus, arousing the animal instinct in man, annoyance. The results have always been fatal and unpalatable.
Wisdom must, therefore, be our watchword and guiding principle in all our dispositions and attitudes.
The writer is a Theologian/Educationist