In this age of information explosion, the knowledge of man has reached as high as several light years into the universe and as deep as several microns into the cell. Yet humanity needs saving, as it is wrecked with corruption and terror.
When mankind is taking leaps in the journey of knowledge advancement there is something missing which is keeping it back from real and complete development. It is neither the scarcity of resources nor the deficiency of skills for this deterrence. Knowledge without wisdom leads mankind to everything but peace and development. To fill this lacuna, one is thus required to understand what ‘wisdom’ is and appreciate it as a gift.
Wisdom has apparently become an irrelevant term today when only skills to earn is what is on people’s mind. When people live in their fantasy empires built on their whims and desires, wisdom is no more a gift but a forbidden kingdom. The people who are wise are in minority, but they are really gifted.
“He grants wisdom to whom He wills; and whoever is granted wisdom has indeed been granted abundant good. Yet none bear this in mind except those endowed with understanding.” (Quran 2:269)
Wisdom is a state, a disposition and not a mere collection of information. It is not a degree that is earned, but it is a life-time process which includes the following consequentially related components.
- The mind which provides insight into the reality, sets the vision of real success and gives the ability to differentiate between right and wrong.
- The strength and perseverance to adopt and follow the righteous path. Unlike general subjects taught at school which may have only the information component, wisdom is a blend of knowledge and action, like the similitude of the sun and its light, and of the fire and its heat.
- Developing an insight of knowledge and treading that path alone isn’t enough. Instead, an important component is required, the Speech, which is upright and which invites and encourages others to be also pious.
Condensing the above, to be wise one is required to understand and develop an insight into the reality, identify the righteous path and perseveringly stick to it and, act and speak according to it.
To become wise is a continuous process which develops with life experiences, and also requires maintenance. To achieve wisdom, one is required to do two things with purer intentions- Ponder for intellectual growth and secondly, gather determination to be righteous.
To become wise is a continuous process which develops with life experiences, and also requires maintenance. To achieve wisdom, one is required to do two things with purer intentions- Ponder for intellectual growth and secondly, gather determination to be righteous. Sadly, our education system is hectic and tense to just make students clear the examinations, and that does not leave much time to indulge in the pondering process or even provides any motivation to do so; and the teachers (with exceptions), unfortunately, do not have an effect on the student’s life beyond the answer sheet. The idea that education is transferring of knowledge along with wisdom is being narrowed to just information loading. Moreover, there are seldom scopes that invite the student to ponder and question the content, instead they are fed with theories which can, at times, be very different from facts.
Being wise does not require certification from anyone but the personality itself, as wisdom molds a characteristic personality. A wise person is characterized by humbleness, honesty and piety, patience to face problems, thankfulness to every good, forbearance and forgiveness to every one, helpful and kind.
Wisdom gives a sense of when to speak and when not to. It teaches when to signify the separating lines and when to overlook them. From wisdom springs the spirit of life. It frees the mind from the slavery of desires and directs it towards an ethical path to entertain one’s innate desires. It gives the vision to an eternal life.
“Wise is he who controls his desires and prepares for the eternal life. And cast down is he who lives for the love of this world and has false expectations from God.” — Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)
To be a part of a wise society, one needs to build it starting with oneself and with the people around and by developing a system which makes wise people with talents to drive the world.
“My son! Sit with the learned men and keep close to them. God gives life to the hearts with the light of wisdom as He gives life to dead earth with abundant sky rain.” –Luqman al-Hakim.
