10/06/2025
Wisdom: A Gift from Allah (swt)
يُؤْتِي الْحِكْمَةَ مَن يَشَاءُ ۚ وَمَن يُؤْتَ الْحِكْمَةَ فَقَدْ أُوتِيَ خَيْرًا كَثِيرًا ۗ وَمَا يَذَّكَّرُ إِلَّا أُولُو الْأَلْبَابِ
Yu’til-hikmata man yashā’u, waman yu’tal-hikmata faqad ūtiya khayran kathīrā. Wamā yadh-dhakkaru illā ulul-albāb
He grants wisdom to whomever He wishes; and whosoever is given wisdom, is certainly given an abundant good, and none takes admonition except those who possess intellect.
(Sūrat al-Baqarah, No 2, Āyat 269)
When a person tries to keep the heart pure and strives to obey Allah ‘azza wajall, the Almighty grants him wisdom – a discerning knowledge that allows him to distinguish truth from falsehood and make the right choices. Hikmah as mentioned in the verse above is a great gift from Allah subhānahu wata‘ālā. It is a particular type of knowledge that leads to cognition of hidden matters, awareness of true facts, and comprehension of subtle realities. Those who are wise recognize the difference between the Satanic temptations and godly inspirations. Wisdom is like an inner light that illuminates the path clearly for the one who possesses it. Allah grants wisdom to whom He wishes. It means those who are worthy of receiving it will get it. The actions and purity of the person are the cause of the effect of Allah granting wisdom.
The second part of the verse is in the passive voice and the giver of wisdom is not mentioned in this part. According to Allāmah in Tafsīr al-Mīzān, this is because of two reasons:
Allah as the giver of wisdom has already been mentioned in the first part of the verse.
It is to show that wisdom, in itself, is the source of great good. The good is not necessarily because it comes from Allah. When giving is attributed to Allah, it does not always mean that the thing given is good or that it will end in good. Wealth, for example, Allah grants it but it being good depends on how the person uses it. Allah says about Qārūn: . . . and We had given him