Bayaan from Masjid Un-Nur - Knowlege or Wisdom?

Knowledge or Wisdom?

Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim. Respected friends and elders. Asaalamu Alaikum. Thanks to Allah I stand here today to deliver a Bayaan. It is about the world we live in. The reality we face. All praise to Allah for having granted us another day. A day where we can fulfil His will.

Today we look at two great concepts. Knowledge and wisdom.

It is inspired by the Bayaan I heard last Friday. It is really a good idea to also go and listen to other people. The danger by not getting input from others is exactly … that we can gain a lot of knowledge by studying, but it may not turn us particularly wise.

So, I try to learn from others. To see the motivation and to apply the bit of knowledge I have.

If done correctly, these small Bayaans might end up worth listening to.

Let us look at definitions: Wiki says: “Knowledge is a familiarity, awareness, or understanding of someone or something, such as facts, information, descriptions, or skills, which is acquired through experience or education by perceiving, discovering, or learning” This is obviously great. Look at a few of the words here: education, learning.

“Wisdom, sapience, or sagacity is the ability to think and act using knowledge, experience, understanding, common sense and insight. Wisdom is associated with attributes such as unbiased judgment, compassion, experiential self-knowledge, self-transcendence and nonattachment, and virtues such as ethics and benevolence” Let us look at the Holy Quran as well:

Surah 96:1 Read! In the name of your Lord, who created There it is: Gain knowledge! Knowledge is the foundation of everything we do as Muslims.

But is it enough?

Let us look at a few examples: Surah 64:16 So be mindful of Allah as best as you can…

And Surah 73:20 Your Lord knows that you stand up praying for nearly two-thirds of the night, or onehalf of it and sometimes one third of it, as do others among your followers. God determines the measure of night and day. He knows that you will not be able to do it, so He has turned to you in mercy. Recite, then, as much of the Quran as is easy for you. He knows that there will be some among you who may be sick and others who Page 1 of 3

will be travelling throughout the land seeking God’s Bounty, and yet others who may be fighting for the cause of God. So, recite, then as much of it as you are able, and be constant in prayer, and spend in charity and give to God a goodly loan.

See, a knowledgeable person may demand of you that you pray the entire night to be Holy.

But Allah in his wisdom knows you so well and is encouraging you to be the best you can.

Not all can stand up the entire night and go to work at 08h00 next day. And Allah knows.

Knowledge or wisdom?

36:2 By the Quran, full of wisdom, […]

It is an interesting distinction. The Quran does not teach you to like read and write. It guides you in your spiritual journey: “Wisdom is associated with attributes such as unbiased judgment, compassion, […]”

Allah, the most compassionate, wants you to be compassionate. That means using your knowledge.

Surah 26:83-85 My Lord, bestow wisdom upon me […]

This is Abraham!

Here is another one: A bully walked up to the wise person, having a bird in his hands. He asked the wise person: “I have a bird in my hands. Is it alive or dead?” The wise one knew that if he said “dead”, the bully would let it fly. If he said “alive” the bully would just squash the bird.

This is all knowledge.

So the wise one said: “the answer is in your hands”.

And a bit more along those lines: A little boy walks out on the beach one morning and sees the entire beach covered in jellyfish. That happens from time to time. He also sees a man picking a random jellyfish and chucking it back in the water.

He walks up to the man and says: “What’s the point? There are millions of them. It doesn’t matter” The man tells him: “It matters to this one”.

The boy is right. It probably doesn’t matter in the bigger picture. According to his knowledge.

But the compassionate knows it matters to one individual jellyfish.

Wisdom! It transcends knowledge.

What can we learn?

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I think we can learn a lot from all of this.

It is important for us to understand that the Holy Quran can show us wisdom. It can show us how to apply knowledge. The knowledge we are obliged to learn.

It is also true that for more practical examples and guidance we have the greatest teacher: Our prophet Muhammed (SAW) through the Sunnah.

The other prophets offer wisdom as well. And that is rather important.

But how do we see wisdom? There are a few warnings in all of this as well.

Surah 2:78-79 There are among them unlettered people who have no real knowledge of the scriptures, knowing only their own wishful thinking and following only conjecture.

Woe to those who write the scripture with their own hands, and then declare, ‘This is from God’.

Surah 2: 176 […] And those who pursue differences in the scriptures go much too far in dissension.

Surah 3: 78 There are some among them who distort the Book by the way they speak to make you think it is from the Book, whereas it is not. They say it is from God, whereas it is not.

Surah 2: 256 There shall be no compulsion in religion; true guidance has become distinct from error. But whoever refuses to be led by Shaitan and believe in Allah has grasped the strong handhold that will never break […]

Enough of the warnings. We have to be able to see the difference between man-made rules and what is coming from Allah.

We can do that by applying the knowledge we have and gain by being wise. By emulating our Prophet Muhammed (SAW) in his wisdom.

All for the pleasure of Allah.

I am grateful to the Almighty for having granted me this opportunity to address you today and I thank you for having given me the time to talk to you. First give me hidayah and to all mankind success, only on the command of Allah and the lifestyle of the Prophet Mohammed, Sallaalahu Aleihi Wasalaam. Ameen.

Asaalamu alaikum Ilyaas Otterstrom, 076 503 1282

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