Al hamdu lillahi rabbil ‘alameen. Was salaatu was salaamu ‘alaa ashrafil mursaleen. Sayidinaa wa nabi’na wamoulanaa Muhammadin wa’ala aalihee wa sahbihee wasallim.

My Dear Brothers and Sisters

Today’s khutbah is about Seeking Wisdom.

Consciously or otherwise, we all seek knowledge, understanding and wisdom, throughout our lives. It is a natural human condition, to seek, to know, to understand, to be wise. Just look at any growing child. A new-born baby tries to grab at everything and instinctively, to bring it to its mouth. Those early years are all about exploration and discovery. As the child grows and begins to speak, it will ask endless questions, and demand a great deal of attention, and patience, from parents and teachers. It’s all part of our genetic make-up. We are all programmed to seek knowledge, to make sense of the world in which we live.

Indeed, we all move step by step, from a state of ignorance, towards knowledge, towards understanding, and just sometimes, if we are fortunate, towards wisdom. Most people will have some knowledge and some understanding, but only a few are blessed with wisdom.

So, what exactly is wisdom? Most dictionaries define wisdom as: "accumulated philosophic or scientific learning, the thoughtful application of learning; good insight, the ability to discern inner qualities and relationships, good common-sense judgement". But dictionaries and encyclopaedias can tell us only a part of the answer. There is another kind of wisdom that goes beyond philosophy and science, and that is divine wisdom. This is the highest form of wisdom, and it cannot be acquired by human effort alone. Divine wisdom comes from Alláh, as a gift. Although many will seek this wisdom, only a few ever find it. Like all precious things, it is not easy to acquire, and therefore it is both scarce and precious.

The Holy Qur'an tells us in Sura Al Baqara:269 – "Alláh grants wisdom to whom He pleases; and he to whom wisdom is granted receives indeed a benefit overflowing; but none will grasp the message but men of understanding."

Let us now consider what The Holy Qur’án has to say about those fortunate people whom Alláh has blessed with wisdom.

Again, in Súra Al Baqara, v164, we read: "Behold! In the creation of the heavens and the earth; in the alternation of the night and the day; in the sailing of the ships through the ocean for the profit of mankind; in the rain which Alláh sends down from the skies and the life which He gives therewith to an earth that is dead; in the beasts of all kinds that He scatters through the earth; in the change of the winds and the clouds which they trail like their slaves between the sky and the earth; (here) indeed are signs for a people that are wise."

And then in Súra Yúnús, verse 5, the Holy Qur’án says, - "It is He Who made the sun to be a shining glory and the moon to be a light (of beauty) and measured out stages for her: that you might know the number of years and the count (of time). Nowise did Allah create this but in truth and righteousness. This is how Alláh explains his Signs in detail for those who understand."

Evocative and inspiring verses like these, stir our hearts and minds, and arouse our sense of curiosity and wonder. They urge us to reflect, to ponder, to weigh up the evidence all around us, and to recognise the loving, caring Hand of Alláh in all created things. These verses also tell us that we need understanding and wisdom to interpret the áyát, the Signs of Alláh, which we find all around us. Without that guidance from Alláh, we would be spiritually blind.

The Holy Qur’án asks us, in the most beautiful rhetorical manner,

And, in Sura Zumar, v 9: Say: "Are those equal, those who know and those who do not know? It is those who are endued with understanding that receive admonition."

This is how the Qur’án constantly appeals to our hearts, and minds. Muslims are not expected to believe blindly. We are constantly urged to weigh things up, to ponder, to reflect.

If Alláh’s wisdom is the peak of a high mountain, then to get there, we must take the path of Knowledge, over the foothills of Understanding, and proceed with patience and perseverance towards the summit. Whether or not we reach there, is another matter. The point is that we must constantly strive, in that direction. And, like any good mountaineer, we must prepare ourselves for the journey.

How do we prepare ourselves to receive Alláh’s wisdom?

First, we must cultivate the correct attitude. The keywords are: Sincerity, and Humility. No useful knowledge, understanding or wisdom is possible without Sincerity and Humility. Just consider, for a moment, those people who have the wrong attitude; the ones who are lack sincerity and humility. They are the foolish ones, arrogant, ignorant, full of false pride and vanity. Alláh forbid, we may even sometimes find the seeds of these tendencies within ourselves. Therefore, we must constantly cleanse and purify our hearts and minds, in order to be worthy of Alláh’s wisdom. A heart full of false pride, vanity and arrogance has no room for wisdom, so it will remain lost in the darkness. I am sure that we have all come across people, who know very little and they understand even less; yet they think that they know everything. Remember, "Empty vessels make the most noise."

In the words of the English poet Alexander Pope: " A little knowledge is a dangerous thing; Drink deep, or drink not from the Pyrenean Spring; whereby a little intoxicates the brain, and only drinking largely sobers it again".

The only cure for getting drunk on a tiny bit of knowledge, is to consume heavy doses of even more useful knowledge, so that understanding can develop, and wisdom can lead to real enlightenment. Our beloved Prophet Muhammad [sws] must have known this, when he said:

"Seek knowledge, from the cradle to the grave; seek knowledge, even unto China."

As we grow physically from youth to maturity, so also must we grow emotionally, intellectually and spiritually. Our advancing years should reflect some growing wisdom and understanding of life.

The road to wisdom, therefore, starts with a sincere and humble attitude.

The journey from ignorance to knowledge to understanding and wisdom, requires a constant and persistent cleansing of the heart and soul, from all impurities, all emotional, psychological and spiritual pollution. This is done by constantly reminding ourselves of our total dependence on Alláh.

When we see 2 people arguing bitterly, calling names and insulting one another, we are really witnessing the clash of 2 egos. Even well educated people can behave this way, and it is not a pleasant sight. The more we give way to your ego, the more arrogant and intolerant we become, the further we move away from understanding and wisdom. We loose the very prize we desire most: respect and admiration from others. In the spiritual world, one acquires wisdom, dignity, honour, not by inflating your ego, but by deflating it. Alláh, glorified and exalted is He, loves those who display noble conduct, sincerity and humility, those who control their anger, and instead of seeking praise for themselves, they say, and believe, that "Al hamdu lilláhi Rabbil ‘álamín", "All praise is due to Alláh alone, Lord of the Worlds." Therefore, a truly wise, sincere and just person, attracts the respect and affection which the arrogant and the foolish, so desperately seek, but cannot find.

The spiritual world works differently from the physical world. The best way to strengthen Faith, is to weaken Self. Strange as is seems, the more we subdue and weaken our ego, the more we increase our capacity for knowledge, understanding and Wisdom from Alláh.

Brothers and Sisters, let us tame the raging beast within our breast, that thing we call the ego. Let us subdue it and control it, so that our we may grow and flourish in Wisdom.

Dear Brothers and Sisters

In the Qur’án and Hadíth, light and darkness are used as symbols for wisdom and ignorance. This reminds us of 4 of the most inspiring, uplifting and soul-stirring verses in The Holy Qur’án. I refer, of course to Sura Núr, starting with verse 35: [24:35-38]

Brothers and Sisters, when we read these beautiful verses, do we not wish that we could be amongst those people described in Sura Núr? Do we not wish our houses to be raised in honour for the celebration of Alláh’s name? I am sure that each and every one of us here, would love to be honoured, to receive Alláh’s divine light, Alláh’s wisdom, in our homes, and in our hearts, and to be amongst those who are rewarded without measure. The Holy Qur’an offers us this hope, if we turn sincerely to Alláh for His mercy and guidance.

Let us pray. O Alláh, help us on our difficult journey out of the darkness of our own ignorance into the brilliant light of your Divine Wisdom. In the words of your beloved Prophet Ibrahim: Sura Ash-shu’aráh[26]v83 - O my Lord! bestow wisdom on me and join me with the righteous;

Let us also thank Alláh swt for safely returning our dear brothers and sisters to us, May Alláh accept their Hajj, and grant them forgiveness and answer their prayers. In this time of great hardship in the Balkans, Let us pray also, for all those who have been driven from their homes, who suffer injustice and cruelty. May Alláh relieve their suffering, and punish their oppressors. May some good, eventually, come out of this great human catastrophe.