To discuss the value of the mind in our life, we must return to the Holy Quran and the Sunnah. We must determine Islam's view of the mind. We have neglected the mind and resorted to our instincts. These instincts have become the basis of our politics and relations. The mind is thus alienated in our societies. We have opened up to myth and abandoned truth. We have opened up to backwardness and forsaken prayer. We have opened up to ignorance and ignored knowledge.
Imam Ja'far As-Sadiq (a.s.) narrated from Imam Ali (a.s.): "By the mind, I can reach the core of wisdom, and by wisdom, I can benefit from the core of the mind." We also know the Holy Quran couples wisdom with the Book. It made wisdom part of the Messenger's Message.
"He it is Who sent among the unlettered a Messenger from themselves, reciting to them His verses and purifying them and teaching them the Book and wisdom..." Surah Al-Jumu'ah (62:2)
"And Allah has revealed to you the Book and wisdom..." Surah An-Nisa (4:113)
Wisdom, linguistically, means to put everything in its place. The term "wisdom" opens up to life in its entirety. Putting this word in its place is the function of the mind. Putting the mind in its place is based on proof and arguments. When you announce what you have reached, people will find it truthful and correct.
This applies to putting everything in its place in our movement in life. When you start any project, you will find it associated with many circumstances and people. If you are wise, you must study your project's compatibility with the circumstances and the results you wish to reach. You must put everything in place. You must envisage all the steps of the project, so it becomes productive and consistent with your objectives. This project can be related to organizing your family matters and their internal relations. It can be related to your political beliefs; you must study the reality of the lines you believe in. You must keep an eye on the internal, regional, and international situations. You must take all that into consideration and act realistically, without distancing yourself from principles. You must be wise when taking a political step or engaging in a security project. In all these matters, you must be wise and not study only one side. You should take all sides into consideration to ensure the safety of the project you are trying to realize.
The same is true for your personal and private life. You might feel pessimistic sometimes and optimistic at others. Certain events can make you feel desperate, while others give you hope. We should not completely fall under the effect of either pessimism or optimism. Life is governed by limits, not absolutes. Therefore, you must mix optimism and pessimism. You must be realistic. Give optimism a dose of pessimism so you act cautiously. Give pessimism a dose of optimism so you do not fall into despair. Even when facing inner problems or psychological complexes, you should not fall. Try to study the reasons and consequences of each case to know how to solve it.
That is why Allah, the Most Exalted, described Himself as the Wise. He has put all things in their proper places, in the cosmic systems or the human system. He made everything move for a wise reason.
"Indeed, all things We created with predestination." Surah Al-Qamar (54:49)
"And He has created everything and has measured it exactly according to its due measurements." Surah Al-Furqan (25:2)
The universe is organized according to laws embedded in each phenomenon.
"You see no discrepancy in the creation of the Most Merciful. So return [your] vision [to the sky]; do you see any breaks?" Surah Al-Mulk (67:3)
He has made it run in the best possible way according to the laws He has set.
It is narrated that Imam Ali (a.s.) says: "By the mind, I can reach the core of wisdom." This mind that Allah granted us is the tool that distinguishes between good and bad and studies everything thoroughly. It is the mind by which one can reach the core of wisdom. The mind tells man to strike a balance between positive and negative factors. It tells him to put everything in its place to succeed in life and avoid mistakes.
The Imam continues: "And by wisdom I can benefit from the core of the mind." This means that if I possess wisdom, it tells me to open up to the mind and not freeze it. I should not give it a vacation or lend it to someone else. I should let it be open to the minds of others. Wisdom advises me to use the mind, which, according to Imam Ali, "does not cheat who consults it." The mind is the balance that can balance all matters, whether theoretical or practical.
Reason and Insight
"And good guidance (politics) gives birth to good bearing and social decorum (good morals)." When you live in a society, you ought to know how to guide it. Politics is the methodology that enables one to open up to the entire reality and all people. You must study their minds, their circumstances, their psychological states, their habits, traditions, and their education. You should study all that and try to improve how you deal with and respect them. This will make their minds open up to you. They will be attracted to you, and you to them. This is what good morals mean—the ethical and spiritual values.
Imam As-Sadiq (a.s.) also narrated from Imam Ali (a.s.): "Contemplation is the life of the heart of the one who sees." The Imam is talking about thinking that gives life to the heart. Here, the heart means the mind or the inner conscience that joins the mind and feelings. The Imam says you must open the "eyes" of your mind if you want your mind to live. It is what enables life to develop and be open. Allah has given the mind a freedom He did not give to any other organ. He has ordained laws for all the organs, like the tongue, mouth, hands, eyes, and ears. But He did not set limits or barriers that would prevent the mind from thinking. He told the mind to think freely and shoulder the results of its thinking. Allah will hold one responsible for how the mind was used.
But we have seen some people who are not ready to think. Others say they do not have the time and ask others to think for them. This is wrong. When someone thinks, he does so according to the knowledge and methods in his mind. The correct thing to say is: think with us so we will think with you. That is why the honorable Hadith considers that consulting people amounts to sharing their minds.
Allah does not want man to freeze his mind. He wants him to think with the Infallibles, who possess the highest degrees of knowledge and wisdom. Thus, he would be guided by faith, doctrine, and Shariah. All scientists in various fields must teach the people; they have no choice.
The Honorable Hadith says: "Once innovation appears in my religion, it is incumbent on the scholar to make his knowledge public, otherwise Allah will condemn them." The scholar and the thinker are responsible for developing the nation's mind. A part of their minds is dedicated to the nation. The Honorable Hadith says: "Allah had no commitment from the ignorant to seek knowledge before having a commitment from the scholars to give knowledge."
We must bear our responsibilities by giving our mind life through thinking. If you do not let something move and work, it will die. Thinking gives life to the mind and develops and innovates it. Those who do not use their mind live in a state of mental death, although they are physically alive.
According to Imam Ali (a.s.), "light helps man to walk in darkness, with ease and without waiting for a long time." One who walks in darkness holding a light can reach his destination quickly and without problems. He can overcome all obstacles. He would not have to wait, for the road is open ahead. The same applies to the mind as you walk in the light of thought that is broad, open, and creative.
Imam Ali (a.s.) then talks about the rational being who responds to society's needs. He cannot be indifferent when faced with intellectual, spiritual, social, and political needs that he can respond to. Every scholar, regardless of his rank, should take part in closing the gap of ignorance in society. It is not as some say that the scholar is like a tree; you cannot eat from it if you do not shake it. Scholars should take the initiative and give knowledge to the people to solve their problems.
Three are the signs of a scholar!
The first is "He would answer if he is asked." If he is asked about something he knows, and nothing prevents talking about it, he should answer. He also must be up-to-date with any intellectual development. He must read and educate himself so he can answer people's questions, especially if he is in a cultural, political, social, or religious position.
The second is "He would speak when others cannot." When he is in a society and there are critical issues that must be studied and resolved, and others cannot talk about them, he must come forward with his solution. He should not say that since others are not talking, he will not talk either.
A Contemporary Truth
Some people may study one side of a problem and neglect others, even though each side affects the others. This is a problem we suffer from in the East. We must know an important fact: In politics or political planning, nothing is separate. The local is tied with the regional, and the regional is linked with the international. Political problems are linked with economic problems, and security problems are linked with both. That is why we always say that just as we need an Islamic culture and awareness, we also need a political culture and awareness. People are deceived by many "consummatory" words. An outstanding poet from Iraq, Ahmad As-Safi An-Najafi, reversed a saying by Imam Ali. The Imam called for adopting wise advice regardless of who says it. The poet called on people to judge by looking at who is saying it, not what is said. What is said in our reality nowadays no longer represents the truth. You must look at who is saying it. Consider whether he is faithful, truthful, and honest. He might be saying something to fool and deceive people.
The third characteristic of a scholar, according to Imam Ali, is: "He imparts advice which is good for his people." If you have experience in certain matters in life, it is your responsibility to take the initiative and offer advice. Your opinion is God's trust, and you must give the trust back to the One Who entrusted you with it.
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