Page 26 - Beauties for Life in the Qur'an

PRUDENT MEASURES
IMPLIED BY THE QUR'AN

The Qur'an frequently stresses the concept of wisdom. This
quality is unique to believers. However, people use the terms
wisdom and intelligence interchangeably, and thus often con-
fuse the difference between them by assuming, mistakenly, that
intelligent people are wise. Wisdom, however, is an under-
standing that Allah grants only to believers. It enables people to
analyze and understand the given issue correctly so that they
can identify a given problem's true nature and deduce the most
viable and appropriate solution. Contrary to common sense,
wisdom is not linked to one's intelligence; rather, it results from
the firmness of one's faith. In many verses, Allah refers to unbe-
lievers as "people devoid of wisdom."
One's intelligence manifests itself in one's reactions to unex-
pected events and complicated situations. Comparing the reac-
tions of those who do not have a profound comprehension of
Allah's Existence, and thus lack wisdom, with the reactions of
those who have strong faith reveals the difference of their wis-
dom. When encountered with abrupt occurrences, believers re-
main moderate and use their wisdom to produce prompt and
viable solutions, regardless of the situation's complexity. Such a
prudent stance results from being knowledgeable of the Qur'an,
which Allah revealed as a "criterion of judgment between right
and wrong," and living by its commands.