Epigraph

يُؤْتِي الْحِكْمَةَ مَن يَشَاءُ ۚ وَمَن يُؤْتَ الْحِكْمَةَ فَقَدْ أُوتِيَ خَيْرًا كَثِيرًا ۗ وَمَا يَذَّكَّرُ إِلَّا أُولُو الْأَلْبَابِ

He gives wisdom to whom He wills, and whoever has been given wisdom has certainly been given much good. But none will remember except those of understanding. (Al Quran 2:269)

Written and collected by Zia H Shah MD

Introduction

The Qur’an extols ḥikmah – wisdom or sound judgment – as one of the greatest divine blessings. Surah Al-Baqarah 2:269 proclaims: “He gives wisdom to whom He wills, and whoever has been given wisdom has certainly been given much good. But none will remember except those of understanding.” surahquran.com surahquran.com. In a complementary vein, Surah Al-Qaṣaṣ 28:14 describes the moment when Prophet Mūsa (Moses) reached full maturity: “When Moses reached the age of full strength and maturity, We granted him wisdom and knowledge; thus do We reward those who do good.” This commentary will explore the nature of divine wisdom (ḥikmah) and insightful knowledge in the Qur’anic worldview, drawing on classical exegesis (al-Ṭabarī, Ibn Kathīr, al-Rāzī), contemporary scholarship, and the reflections of Zia H. Shah MD thequran.love. Blending theological, philosophical, and psychological perspectives, we will see how ḥikmah in the Qur’an is not mere intelligence but a holistic synergy of cognition, moral virtue, and alignment with the divine will. We will also reflect on how understanding the Qur’an in depth and exercising good judgment shape one’s character and spiritual discernment, and how the gift of wisdom relates to human development and prophetic maturity. Throughout, a tone of academic rigor and reverence is maintained, linking the Qur’anic ideal of wisdom to the lived pursuit of understanding and righteous action.

Wisdom as a Divine Gift and Great Good (Qur’an 2:269)

In Qur’an 2:269, Allah highlights wisdom as an immense bounty, greater than worldly wealth. Classical commentators note that God’s conferral of ḥikmah is an act of divine grace: “God gives ḥikmah – the ability to speak and act correctly – to whom He wills” tafsir.app. The verse explicitly states that whoever receives this gift “has been granted abundant good,” underscoring that true wisdom is among the most valuable of blessings. No envy is justified among believers except in two cases, the Prophet ﷺ taught: one, a person whom Allah grants wealth and who spends it righteously; and two, “a person whom Allah has given wisdom, and he judges by it and teaches it to others.” surahquran.com. This ḥadīth (recorded in Bukhārī and Muslim) elevates ḥikmah as a quality worthy of admiration: the wise person uses God-given judgment to benefit others through justice and teaching surahquran.com.

Classical exegesis offers rich insights into what ḥikmah entails. Ibn ʿAbbās – a Companion famed for Qur’anic knowledge – explained that ḥikmah in 2:269 refers to deep understanding of the Qur’an itself surahquran.com. It is, he said, knowledge of the Revelation’s intricacies: knowing the clear versus allegorical verses, the abrogating and abrogated rulings, the lawful and unlawful, and the parables of the Qur’an surahquran.com. In other words, the highest wisdom is to comprehend the Book of God thoroughly – an ability to grasp its guidance in depth and apply it correctly. Other early authorities offered complementary definitions: ḥikmah was described as “ الإصابة في القول والفعل” – correctness in speech and action tafsir.apptafsir.app. Al-Ṭabarī reports various views: some said ḥikmah is “the Qur’an and the understanding of it (fiqh)” tafsir.app; others said it is “knowledge in religion” or “sound reason” in deen tafsir.app; some identified it with “deep understanding (fahm)” tafsir.app; and a few even equated it to “prophethood” in its loftiest form tafsir.app. Notably, the famous exegete al-Suddī held ḥikmah to mean prophethood, but Ibn Kathīr clarifies that wisdom is more general than prophethood – prophethood is its highest degree, yet “the followers of prophets have a portion of it” as well quran.ksu.edu.sa. Thus, while all prophets are granted supreme wisdom, ordinary believers too may receive wisdom according to their faith and understanding.

Across these interpretations, there is no contradiction quran.com quran.com. Wisdom encompasses rightly-guided knowledge and the ability to act on that knowledge quran.com. Imām al-Rāghib al-Isfahānī summarized that for humans, ḥikmah means “rightly-guided knowledge of what exists, and action which corresponds to it.” quran.com It is to “place everything in its proper place” quran.com – aligning one’s judgments and actions with truth and justice. In Qur’an 2:269, Allah ends the verse by saying “none will take heed except people of understanding (ulū al-albāb)”. Indeed, only those with sound intellect and insight recognize the true value of wisdom surahquran.com. Those “of understanding” are mindful of Allah’s signs and open to guidance; they “benefit from the reminder” of revelation and appreciate wisdom’s worth surahquran.com. In short, wisdom is a divine light cast into the discerning heart, enabling a person to navigate life in truth.

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