All praise is due to Allah The Almighty; we praise Him, ask His help and forgiveness and repent to Him. We seek refuge with Allah The Almighty from the evil of our souls and the consequences of our evil deeds. No one can mislead a person whom Allah The Almighty guides, and no one can rightly guide a person whom Allah The Almighty misguides. I testify that there is no deity worthy of worship but Allah Alone, who has no partner; and I testify that Muhammad, , is His slave and Messenger.
Religious wisdom is a well-known term. Those who read or study the biographies of our righteous predecessors or listen to their instructions frequently hear about it. Some people might read their biographies and feel as if they are reading about a historical matter that does not concern them. Also, when we read the biographies of the righteous predecessors and narrations concerning their religious wisdom, asceticism as well as inspiring narrations, we may judge them as being weak or fabricated, or may even accuse their narrators of overstating or extremism; likewise, we might even think they are incorrect, despite the fact that some of these narrations are true and correct. Rarely do we blame ourselves for failing to understand these meanings; likewise, many hearts may not be pure enough to comprehend that the state of the righteous predecessors was a result of their fear of Allah The Almighty. Their state was also the result of their following the guidance of the Prophet, , and those who preceded them.
In truth, I hesitated before writing about this topic to the extent that while I was reading and collecting its references I decided not to talk about it at all. This decision was not because the topic is not significant or important but because I felt that only the people known for their religious wisdom should talk about it; just as only those who are humble, pious and truthful should talk about truthfulness.
A person who pretends to have something that he does not own is blameworthy, just like a person who wears two stolen garments, therefore, I will talk about religious wisdom, but with no comparison to my own state. My role will only be to convey the sayings and words of wisdom excerpted from the biographies of the righteous predecessors of this Ummah (Muslim nation), and try to connect them with our reality. We ask Allah The Almighty to grant us righteousness and piety as well as religious wisdom. If we cannot attain their lofty status, let us at least try to imitate them, for the person who imitates a particular group is one of them. Indeed, imitating noble people brings about success.
Religious wisdom is a prophetic term found in the Sharee‘ah. Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet, , instructed him, saying: “Be religiously wise so that you would be the most devoted person in worship; be content so that you would be the most grateful person; love for people what you love for yourself so that you would be a believer; act kindly towards your neighbors so that you would be a Muslim; and do not laugh too much, for this makes the heart wither.” [Al-Bayhaqi]
In a Hadeeth on the authority of Huthayfah, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet, , said: “The merit of knowledge is dearer to me than the merit of worship. Religious wisdom is the best act in Islam.” [Al-Bazzaar, Al-Haakim, At-Tabaraani in Al-'Awsat and Al-Haakim on the authority of Sa‘d, may Allah be pleased with him]
In these authentic texts, the Prophet, , mentioned the term “religious wisdom”, thus, it is a prophetic term related to the Sharee‘ah, even though such terms are not necessarily required to be explicitly mentioned by the Prophet, . As long as there is no contradiction between these terms and the texts of the Sharee‘ah, there is no problem in using them.
There is plenty of evidence in the Quran and Sunnah of the Prophet, , supporting the meaning of religious wisdom. For example, there is a comprehensive and great Hadeeth that many scholars consider to be a pillar on which Islam stands. In a Hadeeth on the authority of An-Nu‘maan ibn Basheer, may Allah be pleased with him, he heard the Prophet, , say: “Both lawful and unlawful matters are evident, but between them are certain doubtful [suspicious] things which many people have no knowledge of. Thus, whoever guards against these doubtful things keeps his religion and his honor safe. On the other hand, whoever indulges in these doubtful things [will eventually] indulge in unlawful matters, just as a shepherd who grazes his cattle near the Hima [private pasture] of someone else and at any moment is liable to stray into it.”
This Hadeeth is well-known and memorized by people of all ages and is mentioned in the books of Sunnah with many narrations. This Hadeeth also establishes a rule for doubtful matters, where a person should be religiously wise. Avoiding doubtful matters is only one aspect of religious wisdom that has a much wider meaning.
Another Hadeeth in this regard is what An-Nawwaas ibn Sam‘aan, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet, , said: “Righteousness is good morals, and vice is what rankles in your chest and you fear that it might be revealed to people.”' [Muslim] Also, there is a narration when Waabisah ibn Ma‘bad, may Allah be pleased with him, came to the Prophet, , who said: “Have you come to ask about righteousness?”Waabisah said, “Yes.” The Prophet, , said:“Consult your heart; righteousness is what your soul and heart are assured of. Whereas, vice is what rankles in your heart and chest, even if people tell you again and again that it is permissible.” [Ahmad and Ad-Daarimi] There is another Hadeeth, which was narrated by Ahmad on the authority of Tha‘labah, may Allah be pleased with him, that supports this Hadeeth.
This Hadeeth indicates how highly sensitive the righteous slaves of Allah The Almighty are; to the extent that their souls become reassured and comforted by virtue, while at the same time they are repulsed by misdeeds, even if the people tell them that they are permissible acts. This Hadeeth definitely encourages us to refrain from doubtful matters and to perform what the hearts are assured of. It also describes the state of the righteous people and their hearts that follow the truth by virtue of the light given to them by Allah The Almighty. Such hearts are comforted by virtue, guidance, piety and righteousness. On the other hand, they feel repulsed and doubtful about sins and all that cause them, even if people gave them different opinions that permit them to commit these sins. Only the true slaves of Allah The Almighty can make this distinction between virtue and vice, and perhaps we can use this as a way to test our hearts; whether they are comforted by virtue, righteousness and piety or are averse to disobedience and evil deeds. They would be righteous hearts – Allah Willing. Otherwise, their hearts would require refinement and purification. Obviously, this does not concern the rejecters whose hearts are totally covered, as their souls have become fettered by their fancies and desires and their souls are only comforted by disobedience of Allah The Almighty and harming His righteous believers.
There are many people whose judgments are no longer sound and who view misdeeds to be good deeds and vice versa. Therefore, such distinction between virtue and vice is only given to righteous people whose hearts have totally turned to Allah The Almighty. Such a heart loves no one except for the sake of Allah The Almighty, and hates no one except for the sake of Allah The Almighty. It turns to Allah Alone and faces Him without deviation, just as the person turns towards the Qiblah during his prayers and stands before Allah The Almighty five times a day. Thus, Allah The Almighty is his sole direction. This person loves no one except Allah The Almighty, and turns towards Him Alone. Such a soul has no will that contradicts the orders and Sharee‘ah of Allah The Almighty. For that reason, such a heart has attained a high degree and is comforted by virtue and repulsed by vice. Accordingly, Allah The Almighty confers on him this light and criterion to make the distinction between right and wrong. Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {O you who have believed, if you fear Allah, He will grant you a criterion [to judge between right and wrong] and will remove from you your misdeeds and forgive you.}[Quran 8:29]