Page 33 - The Basic Concepts in the Qur’an

Men of Understanding and
the facts that hinder wisdom

Wisdom is granted to man by Allah, and can be taken back whenever He wills.
(Intelligence is also bestowed by Allah; yet it is constant, it does not change with time)
The increase in wisdom is in proportion to one’s closeness to Allah. Whoever
occupies himself with the remembrance of Allah, acquires more wisdom.
(Al-Rad, 19)

What does “the men of understanding” mean, then? The answer to this question is
provided in the Qur’an. Vain desires and passions are the major factors that hinder one’s heart
from understanding. Envy is an example. One cannot expect one whose mind is occupied with
the feeling of envy to have wisdom. Under the influence of jealousy, he feels too distracted. He
cannot keep himself from thinking about the person he is jealous of, he becomes angry and has
a feeling of rancour towards him. In this state of envy, his mind is riven by jealousy, and he
remains deprived of the ability to think clearly, or make sound assessments.
All other ambitions and passions are also a hindrance to wisdom. The allure of possessions
and wealth greatly influences a man. An unbridled passion for possessions enslaves him willy
nilly. All mental capabilities are concentrated on ways of gaining more possessions and more
money.
Fear about the future is the main characteristic of an unbeliever. He lives a troubled life,
one fraught with concerns and fears of getting sick or losing possessions. Unbelievers spend
hours planning their future, surely a major hindrance to clear thinking. Fears and concerns
make them feel under pressure and block their mental capabilities to a great extent. Fear of
death influences man in the same way. Its thought fills the hearts of unbelievers with grief and
sorrow. Death comes in a moment, however. Despite this fact, it remains a source of pain for
unbelievers all throughout their lives. For believers, however, death is not an issue to feel sad
about.
These are the fears and passions that are a hindrance to understanding. Man, becoming a
slave to these passions, can never focus his attention on the main issues that he has to consider.
A person should divert all his thinking abilities to his Creator, who brought him from
nonexistence to glorious creation. However, a heart full of worldly ambitions fails to occupy
itself with the remembrance of Allah. Only those who are “endued with understanding”, in
other words, those who are purified of ambitions, fear and selfish greed can have a profound
understanding of Allah and obey Him.
The men of understanding are the people who take warning from Allah and who readily
accept the truth communicated to them. They never demonstrate arrogance. They do not insist
on their misdeeds; they change as soon as they feel something is erroneous. Their purpose in an
argument is to find out the truth; not to impose their opinion on others. That is why Allah states
that they are “those who listen to the Word, and follow the best (meaning) in it: those are the
ones whom Allah has guided, and those are the ones endued with understanding.” (Az-Zumar,
18)
Since unbelievers are devoid of wisdom and understanding, they cannot see the great signs
surrounding them. The heavens, the earth, and all that is in between are the signs of Allah.
However, an unbeliever can never see them; his sight is blurred with ambitions and worldly