The Primacy of Wisdom
| Khatib : |
Sadullah Khan |
| Khutbah No: |
219 |
| Khutbah Date: |
12/08/06 |
[b]وَمَن يُؤْتَ الْحِكْمَةَ فَقَدْ أُوتِيَ خَيْرًا كَثِيرًا وَمَا يَذَّكَّرُ إِلاَّ أُوْلُواْ الأَلْبَابِ[/b][i]Whoever has been granted wisdom has indeed been granted something tremendously beneficial; but none reflect except people of insight.[/i][b][Qur’an 2:269] [/b]Responding to Prevailing PrejudiceMuslim Americans are greatly distressed by the unrelenting onslaught of suspicion, by the notion of being considered guilty by association of Faith, by being held in contempt due to the deviation of some; despite Muslims constituting 1,3 billion people worldwide and over 7 million in the USA. It is time to realize that we have become the unfortunate targets in this war on terror- gone on now for very long five years, that neither are the local people guilty of any wrongdoing, nor are the international wars fought in its name yielding any positive results (as is evidenced by this week’s Iraq Study Group report). In all of this, a sense of wisdom is totally lacking.
Need for WisdomMost important for all, especially for people of Faith, is to act with wisdom.
Wisdom has been defined as …[list][*]the ability to make correct judgments and decisions[/*][*]as foreseeing consequences and acting to maximize beneficial results.[/*][*]making the best use of available knowledge. [/*][*]thinking what is best and doing what is best in any given situation [/*][/list]
Hikmah (denoting ‘wisdom’) is a positive term used repeatedly in the Qur’an as a characteristic of the righteous [Q2:251; Q4:54; Q 5:110], as a quality of those who truly understand [Q 31:12]. - The Qur’an is referred to as
the Wise Qur’an [Q36:2]; the Book of Wisdom
the verses of a Book of Wisdom[Q 10:2; Q 13:2]- Wisdom is referred to as an integral component of the Message/Guidance provided by Divine Revelation …
[b]وَإِذْ عَلَّمْتُكَ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ وَالتَّوْرَاةَ وَالإِنجِيلَ[/b][i]… taught the Book, the wisdom, the Gospel and the Torah [/i][b][Q5:110][/b]- and even the Almighty refers to Himself
the Mighty , the Wise [Q 2:209]. - When Prophet Abraham (pbuh) prayed for the fulfillment of the mission of prophets, he prayed for one who would “ relate scripture to the people,
[b]رَبَّنَا وَابْعَثْ فِيهِمْ رَسُولاً مِّنْهُمْ يَتْلُو عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتِكَ وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ وَيُزَكِّيهِمْ[/b]convey
hikmah/wisdom and a provide means of purification.” [Q2:129] -
Hikmah is
ضالة المؤمن the lost property of the Believer; the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said and he encouraged us to take wisdom from any source. - in the case of debating and argumentation,
hikmah wal maw’izatil hasanah wisdom should be the primary instrument [Q 16:125]
Wisdom & The BelieverA true Believer synthesizes the values of
rahmah /compassion,
'adl /justice,
ihsan /benevolence,
'aql /reason,
hikmah /wisdom; and imbibes them as part of his/her character and manifesting these in all levels of his/her existence.Wisdom is reason synthesized with higher values of compassion, justice and benevolence.
Hikmah [Qur'an 16:125] is concerned with reason as an instrument for the promotion of higher values that lead to spiritual growth, inner peace and happiness. Allah thus informs us of the high estimation of wisdom by saying, whoever has been granted
hikmah has indeed been granted a tremendous goodness. [Qur'an 2:269]
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