he majority of people say that they know Allah and believe in Him. In truth, however, they do not know and measure Allah with His true measure. For this, one needs to have “reason and wisdom.”
The point that needs to be recalled here is that when it is said that one needs “wisdom” in order to grasp Allah and know Him with His true measure, this does not mean “intelligence”. Wisdom and intelligence are two entirely different concepts. Intelligence is the brain capacity one possesses biologically. Intelligence neither increases, nor decreases. Wisdom, however, is a trait peculiar to believers alone. It is given as a great favour by Allah to believers who have taqwa (fear of Allah). Wisdom is a standard to judge between right and wrong, which Allah gives to His true servants. One’s ability to judge, that is, his wisdom, increases in direct proportion to his taqwa.
The most distinct characteristics of a wise person are his fear of Allah, his listening to his conscience, his assessment of every event he experiences in line with the Qur’an and his seeking Allah’s good pleasure at all times.
Even if someone is the most intelligent, wise and knowledgeable person in the world, he will still be “unwise” if he lacks these characteristics, and lacking the faculty of comprehension, he will be unable to grasp many facts.