Mention of Encouragement to Adhere to Reason and the Qualities of a Wise and Intelligent Person (II)
Click here for Part I
Al-Qattan told us in Al-Raqqah, saying: Musa ibn Marwan narrated to us, saying: Baqiyyah narrated from Abdullah ibn Hassan, who said Ibn Aamir told me:
"I said to Ata ibn Abi Rabah, 'O Abu Muhammad, what is the best thing a servant of Allah is given?' He replied, 'Intellect from Allah.'"
Ahmad ibn Abdullah Al-San'ani recited to me a poem by Abdullah ibn Ukraash:
A man is esteemed among people by the soundness of his intellect
Abu Hatim said: It is incumbent upon a wise person to be more concerned with nourishing his intellect through wisdom than nourishing his body with food, for the sustenance of the body is food, while the sustenance of the intellect is wisdom. Just as bodies die from a lack of food and drink, so too do intellects perish when deprived of wisdom.
Traveling through lands and contemplating Allah’s creation increases a person's intellect, even if he lacks wealth in his travels.
Abdur-Rahman ibn Muhammad Al-Muqaatili recited to me:
A person with intellect sees wealth in the absence of wealth,
Muhammad ibn al-Musayyib told us, saying: Ahmad ibn Isma'il al-Madani narrated to us, saying: I heard Hatim ibn Isma'il say,
"Whenever Allah entrusts intellect to a servant, He rescues him with it one day."
Abu Hatim said:
"Intellect is the remedy for hearts, the mount of the diligent, the seed for cultivating the Hereafter, the crown of the believer in this world, and his tool in times of hardship. Whoever lacks intellect will not gain honor from authority, nor will wealth elevate his status. A person who is distracted from his Hereafter by the pleasures of this world has no true intellect. Just as ignorance is the gravest disability, so is the lack of intellect the greatest poverty.'
Intellect and desire are at odds with each other. Therefore, a person must be quick to support his reason and slow to follow his desires. If he faces two confusing choices, he should avoid the one closer to his desires, for avoiding desires purifies the inner self, and intellect refines intentions.
Amr ibn Muhammad al-Ansari told us, saying: Muhammad ibn Ubayd Allah al-Jushami narrated to us, saying: al-Mada'ini said: Mu’awiyah ibn Abi Sufyan once said to an elderly Arab man,
"Tell me the best thing you have seen." He replied, "An intellect that seeks nobility along with piety and the pursuit of the Hereafter."
Abdul-Aziz ibn Sulayman al-Abrash recited to me:
When a person’s intellect is complete, his affairs are complete,
Al-Hasan ibn Sufyan told us, saying: Abu Kamil al-Jahdari narrated to us, saying: Imran ibn Khalid al-Khuza’i narrated, saying: I heard al-Hasan say,
"A servant’s faith is never complete until his intellect is complete."
Abu Hatim said:
"The best position among people of intellect is held by those who are most constant in self-accountability and least negligent in this regard.
With intellect, hearts are filled, just as knowledge brings forth dreams, and the foundation of happiness is intellect, the essence of wise choices. If intellect could take a physical form, its light would overshadow the sun. The company of a wise person is always expected to bring good, while the company of an ignorant person is always feared for potential harm.
It is not appropriate for an intelligent person to be distressed, for distress brings no benefit, and too much of it diminishes intellect. Nor should he be sorrowful, for sorrow does not reverse misfortune, and its persistence weakens the intellect.
The wise person addresses a problem before it arises and prevents the issue before it occurs. But if he finds himself in it, he accepts it with patience. A wise person never frightens anyone if he can avoid it, nor does he dwell in fear when he can escape it. When he fears humiliation, he willingly parts with his wealth, both new and inherited, while adhering to chastity, for chastity is the foundation of an intelligent person’s character.
Al-Muntasir ibn Bilal ibn al-Muntasir al-Ansari recited to me:
Don’t you call for chastity and piety,
