Wisdom (hikma)

Sha'rawi defines wisdom as placing a thing in its beneficial place, glossing the verse in al-Baqara 269 that whoever is given wisdom has been given much good ².

He says that all God commands of spending on weak descendants and of the good of the Hereafter is wisdom, because it secures life in this world and happiness in the next ².

He holds that the believer takes the command from God before knowing its wisdom, and that the reasons of the commands appear after the command is carried out, as the believer finds the effect of fasting in himself ³.

The definition here is Sha'rawi's and has not been checked against the works of tafsir and kalam. The academic view and any non-Sunni view have not been checked.

The Sheikh tells an anecdote about the Commander of the Faithful in Baghdad, who grew angry with his governor of Egypt, named Musa ibn Isa (needs_source) ⁴. He says the caliph ordered that the governor be killed when he reached Baghdad ⁵. He relates that one of the caliph's close companions at court wanted to warn the governor without the advice becoming a scandal if the letter fell into someone else's hands, so he wrote a letter that opens with the basmala and breaks off at the word "inna" ⁵. He says the letter was left unfinished on purpose, as a hint that those around the governor were plotting against him (needs_source) ⁶..

The Sheikh gives a saying, based on a hadith, that wisdom is the believer's lost property, and says that early scholars sought it in the Qur'an, in the Sunna, and from teachers who opened hearts. ⁷ He returns to the same saying that wisdom is the believer's lost property, and then offers a new piece of wisdom from the early righteous. ⁸ He reports a saying attributed to a wise man: would that people were created for knowledge, that they worked by what they knew and were sincere in it (needs_source: the saying is not sourced in the recording). ⁹

The Sheikh gives an example: a father restricts the spending of a foolish son and entrusts a wise son with his affairs. ¹⁰ He explains that the wise son trusts his father's promise and expects a return. ¹¹ He says that a person who fears God is wise, and that God makes time serve him so that it works for him. ¹²

The Sheikh holds that blessings must be credited to God's favour and not to one's own strength. He cites a verse (sura not named) that few of God's servants are grateful. ^{13 14} He gives the family of David as an example of thankfulness. ¹⁴ He cites a hadith about patience, then a line of verse attributed to an Arab sage, which says to turn away from one's worries and entrust one's matter to God (needs_source: the attribution of the line was not checked in the recording). ¹⁵ He quotes an Arab sage who says to turn away from one's worries and put one's affairs in God's hands, and that relief comes through prayer, sincerity, seeking forgiveness and charity. ¹⁶

He quotes the sages that if you want a friend with no fault you must live alone, since everyone has faults, so people should be judged with balance. ¹⁷ He says that the religion requires justice even toward others. He cites ease in worship, such as praying seated, dry ablution when water is unavailable, and relief for the sick, the pregnant, the nursing mother and the traveller. He names wisdom and uprightness among the traits. ¹⁸