Page 15 - True Wisdom Described in the Qur'an

13
About Wisdom...

life. As a result, he believes that he treads the most righteous
path. As he sees no possibility of leading a better life, a better
way of thinking, he cannot compare and realize the difference.
Whereas in the Qur’an, the gift of wisdom is mentioned as a
great blessing which provides a superior way of life, the ability
to comprehend greater issues, and thinking capability. So, this
book will define wisdom according to the Qur’an and show that
wisdom presents us with a clear consciousness and the ability to
comprehend. In one of the verses Allah commands:
This is a warning to mankind. Let them take heed and
know that He is but One Allah. Let the people of under-
standing bear this in mind. (Surah Ibrahim: 52)*

WHAT IS REAL WISDOM?
As we mentioned at the beginning of the book, the word
"wisdom" in society is generally used to mean a person’s level of
intelligence. However, wisdom is a greater and a more profound
way of understanding than innate intelligence is.
Intelligence, as is most commonly defined, is the sum of the
human being’s ability to think, perceive realities, and reach con-
clusions. The ability to adapt to first-time or suddenly encoun-
tered situations, to understand, learn, and analyse, the

* The concept of “people of understanding” which appears in the
English translations of the verse is a translation of the Arabic ulul
albab, which literally means “possessors of wisdom” or “those who see
into the core of a thing” (albab is the plural of lubb which also means
“the core of a thing”). It is generally agreed in commentaries that this
concept expresses a deep intelligence and conceptual ability. That is
why it appears in the form “people of understanding” here.