To Be Intelligent, Work Hard to be Virtuous

In this post I would like to remind us all of an important issue regarding intelligence (عقل) and virtue (ادب). Both of these terms are loaded with meanings and history. Many books and articles have been written to clarify what these two terms are supposed to denote and connote. When we examine the nature of intelligence, we learn that it is much more than “reason” and it is directly linked to our contemplative and intuitive capacities. It should not be confused with “mind” or “brain.” Similarly, the term “virtue” has been the subject of many studies. “Virtue” does not necessarily imply “moral excellence.” 

Nevertheless, this post is not about describing the true nature and meaning of these terms. This post is meant to serve two purposes. First, it is intended to encourage you, the reader, to study these terms further and realize their depth. Second, it is aimed to present to you the proper way to gain intelligence.

The following tradition is graded good like authentic.

Arabic Text:

عَلِيٌّ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ أَبِي هَاشِمٍ الْجَعْفَرِيِّ قَالَ:

كُنَّا عِنْدَ الرِّضَا ع‏ فَتَذَاكَرْنَا الْعَقْلَ وَ الْأَدَبَ فَقَال‏:

يَا أَبَا هَاشِمٍ الْعَقْلُ حِبَاءٌ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَ الْأَدَبُ كُلْفَةٌ فَمَنْ تَكَلَّفَ الْأَدَبَ قَدَرَ عَلَيْهِ وَ مَنْ تَكَلَّفَ الْعَقْلَ لَمْ يَزْدَدْ بِذَلِكَ إِلَّا جَهْلًا.

Farsi Translation:

ابو هاشم گويد: خدمت حضرت رضا عليه السّلام بودم و از عقل و ادب گفتگو ميكرديم حضرت فرمود:

اى ابو هاشم عقل موهبت خدا است و ادب با رنج سختى بدست آيد پس كسى كه در كسب ادب زحمت كشد آن را بدست آرد و كسى كه در كسب عقل رنج برد بر نادانى خويش افزايد.

English Translation:

Ali has narrated from his father from abu Hashim al-Ja‘fari who has said the following:

We were in the presence of Imam al-Rida (pbuh) that a discussion about intelligence and virtue took place and the Imam said:

"O abu Hashim, intelligence is a gift from Allah and virtue has a cost [and must be worked for]. So, whoever works hard to [achieve] virtue, it is decreed upon him, and whoever works hard to [achieve] intelligence will not gain anything except ignorance.”

Source:

Al-Kafi, Volume 1, Page 23, Tradition #18

Here are a few important points to take from this tradition:

Many of us, due to misunderstanding the nature of intelligence, confuse it with reasoning ability, thinking or being knowledgeable or smart. However, these qualities and abilities are different from intelligence in the following way: we can work and practice to strengthen and improve them. For example, reading books, watching documentaries, listening to informative lectures and participating in constructive discussions, help us bolster our reasoning and thinking abilities and increase our knowledge. Nonetheless, none of the aforementioned activities can help us to directly attain intelligence. We may read numerous books yet remain unintelligent.  

Unlike intelligence, we have the opportunity to increase our virtue. What is virtue? Typically, “virtue” is defined as “goodness” or “righteousness” or “moral excellence.” However, a better way to understand “virtue” is by seeing it as a “capacity”: an ability to receive or contain, being susceptible to a given treatment or action, or having the power to receive impressions.

In the context of the above tradition, we can better understand the relationship between virtue and intelligence. In order to receive the gift of intelligence, we must first have the capacity for it. The larger the cup, the more water it can contain. Similarly, the larger our “virtue container”, the more intelligence we are able to receive as a gift from God. God is The Most Merciful, The Most Generous. If we have the capacity for it, we will receive the gift. Likewise, if we work hard to increase our virtue, our virtue will be increased; it will be decreed upon us.

This tradition ends with a warning for the one who does not take heed. The one who pursues intelligence over virtue, will gain only ignorance.  In other words, ironically, striving to be intelligent, makes one ignorant. How must we understand this?

One way to understand it is the following:

If we do not strive for virtue, if we are apathetic and negligent towards virtue, instead of increasing our capacity, we decrease it. We become less virtuous As a result, in the absence of intelligence, ignorance prevails.

Another way to understand the paradox is the following:

If we understand virtue as a capacity to obtain intelligence, vileness can be understood as a capacity to obtain ignorance. There is an inverse relationship between the two containers. As the former decreases in size, the latter increases in size. As we lose the opportunity to gain intelligence, we increase our capacity for ignorance.

There are perhaps other ways to understand the paradox. If you can think of more and better ways to understand it, then please leave a comment and do let me know. I look forward to reading your comments and feedback.

In a nutshell: strive hard to do good deeds, and you’ll be rewarded with intelligence.

"Those Who Have Knowledge"

Who are “those who have knowledge?”

The term “الْعُلَماء” [Ulama] can be interchangeably defined as “scholars” or “those who have knowledge.” when we check the translation for the following line, “إِنَّمَا يَخْشَى اللَّهَ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ الْعُلَمَاءُ” (35:28) we notice that the term “الْعُلَماء” [Ulama] is almost unanimously translated as “those who have knowledge” and not “scholars.”

Let us put these two possible translations side by side and try to understand why most translations have chosen the former and not the latter.

“only those who have knowledge among His slaves fear Allah.” (35:28) versus “only scholars among His slaves fear Allah.” (35:28)

Nowadays, those who we consider as official “scholars” are a minority group amongst believers, namely, those who have attended a hawzah for many years and have attained the official permission to teach and give lectures. Yet, many believers may have an immense amount of religious knowledge but not be such scholars, officially.

In other words, our contemporary use of the term “scholar” is very exclusive, whereas “those who have knowledge” is much more inclusive. It would be unreasonable to assume that this verse was revealed about a group of people who had formal, institutionalized education, especially since there was not any official religious institution when this verse was revealed.  Therefore, it is very reasonable to accept the more inclusive translation, “those who have knowledge” for the term “ulama” / “الْعُلَماء” .

The term “الْعُلَماء” [Ulama] is in its plural form, and its singular form is “عَالِم‏” [Alim].  Based on the aforementioned logic, the term “عَالِم‏” [Alim] must be defined as “a person who has knowledge,” according to the Holy Quran.

Therefore, an Alim / “عَالِم‏” could be any individual, whether he or she is a student, a carpenter, a doctor, an engineer or unemployed.  The term “عَالِم‏” [Alim] does not automatically entail an official hawzah-educated scholar. 

Therefore, my first point is that, based on this line from the Quran, we should disconnect the association between the term “عَالِم‏” [Alim] or “الْعُلَماء” [Ulama] with a very specific group of people.  In simple words, and I’m repeating myself, we should not automatically assume that an Alim / “عَالِم‏” must have officially studied in a specific institution and have a specific certificate of some sort. 

Following the aforementioned point, we can now return to the question that I asked at the beginning of this post.  Who are “those who have knowledge?”

In the following Authentic tradition, our Imam, peace be upon him, tells us about a necessary quality of an Alim [a person who has knowledge].  This quality is necessary because without it a person cannot be said to have knowledge.  

After stating this tradition, I would like to bring your attention to a few crucial points.

Arabic text:

عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنْ يُونُسَ عَنْ حَمَّادِ بْنِ عُثْمَانَ عَنِ الْحَارِثِ بْنِ الْمُغِيرَةِ النَّصْرِيِّ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع فِي قَوْلِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ إِنَّما يَخْشَى اللَّهَ مِنْ عِبادِهِ الْعُلَماءُ (فاطر: 28) قَالَ يَعْنِي بِالْعُلَمَاءِ مَنْ صَدَّقَ فِعْلُهُ قَوْلَهُ وَ مَنْ لَمْ يُصَدِّقْ فِعْلُهُ قَوْلَهُ فَلَيْسَ بِعَالِمٍ

Farsi Translation:

امام صادق (ع) در تفسير گفته خداى عز و جل (28 سوره 35): «همانا مى‏ ترسند از خدا بندگان عالمش» فرمود:

مقصود او از علماء كسانى است كه كردارشان گفتارشان را تصديق كند و هر كه كردارش مصدق گفته ‏اش نباشد عالم نيست .

English Translation:

Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from Yunus from Hammad ibn ‘Uthman from al-Harith ibn Mughirah al-Nasri from abu ‘Abd Allah, peace be upon him, who about the words of Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Gracious, has said the following:

“ ’only those who have knowledge among His slaves fear Allah’ (35:28) means that those who have knowledge [ulama] are those whose deeds testify to the truthfulness of their words; otherwise, whoever, whose deeds do not testify to the truthfulness of his words is not a person who has knowledge [alim].”

Source:

Al-Kafi, Volume 1, Page 36, Tradition #2

This tradition and this Quranic statement are much deeper than they may initially seem. 

Firstly, as it is clear, only those whose deeds testify to the truthfulness of their words are people who have knowledge. This is a necessary condition.  It implies that, whoever, regardless of how much information he has obtained via various means, is not a person of knowledge until his actions follow his words. For example, an individual may have read hundred books, yet his deeds do not reflect the information that he has read.  Based on this tradition, this person cannot be considered a knowledgeable person.  Islam, vividly, distinguishes between information and knowledge [ilm]. An individual’s Knowledge is visible and can be known only through his or her deeds and actions. 

Secondly, based on this tradition, fear of God is linked to one’s actions and not the information that one has read in books or heard in lectures.  I may have read much about God’s punishments and hell fire and etcetera, but I begin to fear Allah only when I begin to follow His ordained laws.  Until I follow His commands, fear of Allah will not enter my heart.

Thirdly, based on this tradition and two of my previous posts (1 & 2), fear of Allah is directly linked to our faith, and both are directly linked to our deeds and actions.   Those who have gained faith in their hearts, through their pious deeds, fear Allah. 

Lastly, this tradition teaches us that we should not be fooled by those who talk much but act little, because if they do not act according to their words, then they themselves do not really comprehend or understand what they are talking about.   We need to always be quite vigilant as to whom we learn from, especially when it comes to learning about the path to Allah.

Deeds Establish and Display Faith

In this post, I would like to briefly tie three of my other posts together, and paint a very clear picture about the link between deeds or actions and faith. 

            In “Submission Precedes and Strengthens Faith” the central difference between Islam or submission and Iman or faith was clearly displayed by our Imam, peace be upon him.  As we learned, in order for Iman to enter our hearts, or in order for us to attain faith, we, first, need to submit to God’s commands and enter faith through the gates of Islam.

            In “A Believer’s Natural Disposition,” it was, very briefly and in a simplified manner, mentioned how our repetitive actions lead to formation of habits.  I briefly attempted to explain this through natural sciences or more specifically cognitive sciences. It is important to remember and keep in mind that it is our actions that create our characteristics and shape our dispositions and feelings.  In other words, through our actions, we have the opportunity to change or affirm who we are. We are what we do, habitually.

            In my post, “Unwilled Offences,” it was shown that habit formation takes time, and one or two disconnected actions cannot be considered to be an indication of one’s character.

            These three posts vividly signify that your actions, your character and your faith are directly interconnected.  Another integral point that is established in these posts is that your actions are the foundations upon which your character and your faith are built on and depended on.   Therefore, we must constantly be vigilant of our actions and consider them extremely important and consequential.

            In this post, I will present two very relevant and important traditions.  The first one is Authentic and the second one is Good.

            In the first tradition, the inseparability of faith and action is vividly emphasized.  This tradition should be sufficient to put an end to the “faith only” or “action only” debates and discussions.  According to the teachings of Ahlul Bayt (peace be upon them) and recent findings in cognitive sciences, one cannot separate his actions from his faith and beliefs.  The former establishes and stabilizes the latter.  In other words, you believe what you do and you perceive as you do, because of your previous actions and your environment.

            The main point is the following, actions without faith are useless and having faith without practicing the commanded actions is ridiculous and meaningless.

             The second tradition, very intelligently and concisely conveys and puts into perspective the value actions, regardless how small they may be, and the significance of continuing to practice those small actions.  The continuation is what leads to habit formation, which in turn leads to character formation, which in turn and simultaneously permits faith into our hearts.

            Now, without any further ado, here are the two traditions.

6) Authentic

Arabic Text:

مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي عُمَيْرٍ عَنْ جَمِيلِ بْنِ دَرَّاجٍ قَالَ سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع عَنِ الْإِيمَانِ فَقَالَ شَهَادَةُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَ أَنَّ مُحَمَّداً رَسُولُ اللَّهِ قَالَ قُلْتُ أَ لَيْسَ هَذَا عَمَلٌ قَالَ بَلَى قُلْتُ فَالْعَمَلُ مِنَ الْإِيمَانِ قَالَ لَا يَثْبُتُ لَهُ الْإِيمَانُ إِلَّا بِالْعَمَلِ وَ الْعَمَلُ مِنْهُ

Farsi Translation:

جميل بن دراج گويد: از امام صادق عليه السّلام ايمان را پرسيدم.

فرمود: شهادت به يگانگى خدا و رسالت محمد است.

عرضكردم: آيا شهادت عمل نيست؟

فرمود: چرا.

عرضكردم: پس عمل هم جزء ايمانست؟

 فرمود: ايمان براى مؤمن جز با عمل ثابت نماند و عمل جزئى از ايمانست.

English Translation:

Narrated by Mohamed Ibn Yehya from Ahmed Ibn Mohamed Ibn Eissa from Ibn Abu Omeir from Jamil Ibn Darraj who said:

We asked Abu Abdullah (peace be upon him) regarding faith.

He said: “It is testifying that there is no God but Allah and that Mohammed is the Messenger of Allah.”

I said, “Is that not a deed?”

He said, “Verily”

I said “Deeds are parts of faith?”

He said, “A Man’s faith is not established [or stabilized] except through deed, thus deeds are of faith.”

2) Good

Arabic Text:

عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ حَمَّادِ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنْ حَرِيزٍ عَنْ زُرَارَةَ عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ ع قَالَ قَالَ أَحَبُّ الْأَعْمَالِ إِلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ مَا دَاوَمَ عَلَيْهِ الْعَبْدُ وَ إِنْ قَل‏

Farsi Translation:

امام باقر عليه السّلام فرمود: دوست ترين اعمال نزد خداى عز و جل عملى است كه بنده آن را ادامه دهد، اگر چه اندك باشد.

English Translation:

Narrated by Ali Ibn Ibrahim from his father from Hammad Ibn Eissa from Huraiz from Zurara from Abu Ja’far (peace be upon him) who said:

“The most pleasing of deeds to Allah, the Most Exalted, is that which a servant continues to practice, even [if it is] in small measure.”

A Quick Reminder: 

If your deed is not due to or part of your faith in Islam, then it is based on your faith in something else, your faith in something else aside from Allah’s religion and commands.

Source:

Al-Kafi, Volume 2, Page 38, Tradition #6

Al-Kafi, Volume 2, Page 82, Tradition #2