The Wisdom of Umar: Principles for Intelligence, Knowledge, and Sustenance

Jumu'ah Khutbah — Wisdom of the Rightly-Guided Caliphs

Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Rahim. Alhamdulillah, Alhamdulillah wa kafa. Wa salamu 'ala 'ibadihi alladhina as-tafa. Amma ba'd.

My dear respected brothers and sisters in Islam, amongst the statements of wisdom that have been narrated from our Salaf — our pious predecessors — I wanted to share a few statements of Umar رضي الله تعالى عنه, and if we get through, then also from Uthman ibn Affan and Ali ibn Abi Talib رضي الله عنهم أجمعين.

The Wisdom of Umar ibn al-Khattab

Regarding Umar ibn al-Khattab رضي الله تعالى عنه, Rasulullah صلى الله عليه وسلم said:

Verily, wisdom springs forth from the tongue of Umar.

This is such an amazing statement — words of praise by Rasulullah صلى الله عليه وسلم testifying to his wisdom. Umar was known as mulham — that Allah would grant him ilham and inspiration, and particularly with respect to his farsightedness: how he would be able to look ahead and foresee different tests that may come, different trials, different tribulations, and prepare for them beforehand.

There are many attributes of Umar رضي الله عنه that he is well known by — amongst them is his wisdom, along with his adl (justice) and other beautiful attributes. Today we are sharing one of the words of wisdom that he said, and that is why I was speaking about his wisdom.

Three Statements of Wisdom from Umar

Umar ibn al-Khattab رضي الله عنه mentioned three points in this statement. He said:

Good interaction with people is half of intelligence; good questioning is half of knowledge; and good planning is half of sustenance.

We see in these three statements the common theme: he is using the word good. Good interaction with people. Good questioning. Good planning. Let us look at each one.

1. Good Interaction with People — Half of Intelligence

Nowadays there are all these studies that talk about emotional quotient and intelligence quotient — IQ and EQ — and how important it is to be successful in life. More important than IQ is EQ, to be able to progress up the ladder, whether it is in the corporate world, or in business in general, or even within family life with respect to interactions with spouse and children and extended families. Good interaction with people — this is half of intelligence.

One person studies theory in the books and may be considered very bright when it comes to the subject matter. But what will actually take a person forward — whether it is in deen or the dunya — on many occasions it is how he approaches people, how he presents himself, how he interacts with others. And the best example with respect to this is that of Rasulullah صلى الله عليه وسلم.

Allah swears by the pen that has written destiny, and by all that which is written in the Protected Tablet:

"You are not, by the favor of your Lord upon you, insane" — as these mushrikeen and polytheists were alleging, na'udhu billah, coming up with different titles about Rasulullah صلى الله عليه وسلم. "And indeed, for you is a reward unceasing. And indeed, you are of a great moral character." In fact, he is the manifestation of moral excellence.

So we see that Rasulullah's صلى الله عليه وسلم character in every given circumstance was the best, and he taught us those etiquettes and adab of how to address seniors, how to address juniors, and how to behave in any given situation of life. This good interaction with people is half of intelligence and will take a person far in life — as Umar رضي الله عنه is mentioning here.

2. Good Questioning — Half of Knowledge

This is refined in the narration:

Questioning is half of knowledge.

Allah speaks about questioning in the Quran:

"Ask those who have knowledge if you do not know." And Rasulullah صلى الله عليه وسلم also said:

Indeed, the cure for ignorance is to ask. (Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith 336)

But there are etiquettes in asking questions. One of the etiquettes is that, as mentioned in this ayah, we ask the one who actually has knowledge — we ask from a reputable source. Also, what is the intention when asking the question? The intention should not be to test the individual, or just to randomly survey what people are saying — what are the ulama or muftis saying — as a general survey. Even when it comes to a medical problem, if you're conducting a study that is fine, but if you have an issue, that is not the attitude you should have. You should try to select the physician that you trust, ask them, and go ahead with what they have prescribed for you.

So ask with the intention of practicing, not with the intention of — in a public gathering — putting the person on the spot, embarrassing the one being questioned, or embarrassing someone else in the gathering by pointing out his situation: "What do you say about so-and-so person who has such-and-such condition and is doing such-and-such thing? What is the ruling regarding him?" — even though that does not pertain to you; it could pertain to someone else who may be in the gathering. So good questioning, with sincerity, is half of knowledge.

One of the reasons people do not want to ask questions is because they are afraid it will show their ignorance — they are shy of expressing their ignorance and of others knowing that they do not know. As our elders mentioned, there are two places where you cannot remain shy: in front of the teacher you cannot be shy to ask questions, and in front of the doctor you cannot be shy to mention what your pain is — otherwise you will not be cured of your sickness, and you will not be cured of your ignorance.

And this is not only shyness — sometimes it is arrogance: "I don't need to ask, I don't need to learn from anyone, because I know better." That is arrogance. And arrogance and ignorance are very intertwined and linked to each other. The more arrogant a person is, the more ignorant he will remain. And the more ignorant a person is, the more arrogant he is. How are they linked to each other? Jahl and kibar — each one feeds off the other.

It has been explained very beautifully by our mashayikh: if a person is arrogant — starting with this concept — he is so arrogant that he feels he knows everything, he doesn't need to ask. And because he is not going to ask, he is not going to learn; he is closing the doors of learning. So his arrogance — the fact that he feels he does not need to ask — means he will not be asking, and if he is not asking he is not learning, so he will remain ignorant.

And the other way: if a person is ignorant, he is so ignorant that he does not know his limitations — he does not know how much he does not know. So he is ignorant about how ignorant he is. And because he is so ignorant about his own ignorance, he doesn't feel the need to ask, and he thinks he knows everything. This will lead him to be more and more arrogant. So the ignorance leads to arrogance, and arrogance leads to ignorance.

3. Good Planning — Half of Sustenance

The third statement of Umar رضي الله عنه is that good planning is half of having barakah in one's rizq. One person is working hard, earning well, trying to get the best job with the best pay — but no matter how well-paying the job may be, if a person does not plan his expenditure well, this is exactly what all of financial planning is about. This is what all the accountants will tell us: put aside the money, don't even count it as already spent the moment you earn it. Plan for your future. This is half of being able to lead a financially stable life. It is not only about earning — more important than earning is saving.

Words of Wisdom from Uthman ibn Affan

Moving forward, I will bring in a few statements of Sayyidina Uthman ibn Affan رضي الله عنه. He said:

Whoever leaves the dunya, Allah will love him. Whoever leaves sins, the angels will love him. And whoever has no craving for the possessions of others, the people will love him.

SubhanAllah. So if we leave the dunya, then Allah will love that person. Leaving the dunya does not mean we abandon worldly things and completely go into the mountains and the caves — rather, it means leaving the love of the dunya. We have to live in this world, but we have to take the love of the dunya out of our hearts.

And if we leave the sins, the angels will love us — the angels come near the individual and embrace the individual who leaves the disobedience of Allah. And if we stop craving what other Muslims and others have, then they will love us. The root cause of so much hatred amongst people is the hasad — the jealousy — that we have for each other.

Words of Wisdom from Ali ibn Abi Talib

And lastly, Ali ibn Abi Talib رضي الله عنه said:

Surely, from the blessings of this world, sufficient is Islam as a blessing. And surely, from the multitude of preoccupations, sufficient is obedience of Allah as a preoccupation. And surely, from the causes of reflection, sufficient is death as a cause.

From all the blessings of Allah, Islam is the greatest blessing. From all the different things we could be occupied with, obedience of Allah is the greatest occupation. And from amongst all the different causes of reflection that would give us advice, death is a sufficient form of advice — it reminds us that we are mortals and that we have to leave this world.

May Allah give us tawfiq to make amal on these words of wisdom and bring them into our lives.

Announcements

We have a few announcements, insha'Allah:

• Helping Hand has a booth outside for emergency Pakistan flood relief. Please see them on your way out. May Allah relieve those who are suffering.
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• Advanced Atheism Workshop: Please register for our advanced atheism workshop taking place on site, starting tonight until August 7th. You can register on our website. This is a very important seminar we have been announcing for several weeks — it is finally starting tonight. This is a program you definitely do not want to miss. Saad Fahad Taslim has been teaching the students for the last two days and the students can testify how much they have been benefiting from his presentations. This is a very great challenge we are facing — the greatest pandemic of atheism — and so many objections our youth have against Islam, questions they are learning in philosophy class or at school in general, from the environment. If we are unable to answer their questions as parents, that may lead them to continue having doubts in Islam, or in many circumstances, leave the fold of Islam — and we ask Allah's protection from that. This is the first time we are having such an in-depth course on all of the different objections of atheists. This is not a topic we can briefly discuss in a Jumu'ah or other gathering — it requires dedicated time allotted for this task where you pay attention, take notes, ask questions. There are interactive sessions, mock debates between atheists and Muslims, and students have given tremendous feedback about breakout sessions, objections of ex-Muslims and how to respond, how to give the elevator pitch, and how to give da'wah. I strongly urge everyone: please sign up for this program and join it. The cost is not an issue — anyone who cannot afford it, it is just around $20 or so, but if that is an issue please don't make that an issue — definitely come and benefit from this program. Saving your iman and saving the iman of others is the greatest deed we could ever do. Rasulullah صلى الله عليه وسلم told Ali رضي الله عنه:

"O Ali, if Allah guides one person through you, that is better for you than the entire world and whatever it contains." (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 2942; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2406)

This could insha'Allah be a means of saving people's iman.

• Tafim Weekend Program: This is a weekend academy. Enrollment for fall is open for adults — Saturdays and Sundays, adult classes from 10:00 to 1:00. Please register for these classes. It provides educational opportunities for eager learners of all ages on a part-time basis.
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• Tanweer One-Year Intensive Program will be starting next Monday. Our high school program registrations are open as well — August 25th is coming up.
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• IKHNA Relief is having their annual back-to-school drive.

Second Khutbah

Alhamdulillah, nahmaduhu wa nasta'inuhu wa nastaghfiruhu wa nu'minu bihi wa natawakkalu 'alayhi. Wa na'udhu billahi min shururi anfusina wa min sayyi'ati a'malina. Man yahdihillahu fala mudilla lahu wa man yudlilhu fala hadiya lah. Wa nashhadu la ilaha illallahu wahdahu la sharika lahu, wa nashhadu anna sayyidana Muhammadan 'abduhu wa rasuluh, sallallahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa 'ala alihi wa sahbihi ajma'in. Amma ba'd.

Indeed, Allah commands justice, the doing of good, and giving to relatives, and He forbids immorality, bad conduct, and oppression. He admonishes you that perhaps you will be reminded.

Remember Allah the Most High, the Most Great — He will remember you. Call upon Him and He will respond to you. And the remembrance of Allah is the greatest, and Allah knows what you do. Establish the prayer.