Assalamu’alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh
Bismillahir- Rahmanir-Rahim
1. Opening
Psychologically, human happiness is often mistakenly linked to an abundance of material things. Yet modern research in positive psychology has discovered a phenomenon called the _Hedonic Treadmill_—a condition in which the fulfillment of physical comforts provides only fleeting pleasure, then a person returns to the same baseline level of satisfaction and keeps feeling lacking.This is where the beauty of the concept of Hikmah, or wisdom, in Islam lies. Wisdom is the spiritual and intellectual ability to see the world through the lens of faith. It works like an immune system for the soul. When a servant is granted wisdom, his mindset shifts from “possessing what is desired” to “being grateful for what exists.” Wisdom guides the soul toward firm emotional stability. The scientific effect is extraordinary: stress levels drop, cortisol decreases, and the chest feels spacious—even if he lives on a limited income or with very modest facilities.Allah Subḥānahu wa Ta‘ālā says about the greatness of this gift of wisdom:يُؤْتِي الْحِكْمَةَ مَنْ يَشَاءُ ۚ وَمَنْ يُؤْتَ الْحِكْمَةَ فَقَدْ أُوتِيَ خَيْرًا كَثِيرًا ۗ وَمَا يَذَّكَّرُ إِلَّا أُولُو الْأَلْبَابِ
“He gives wisdom to whom He wills, and whoever has been given wisdom has certainly been given much good. And none will remember except those of understanding.”
[QS. Al-Baqarah: 269]The Messenger of Allah ﷺ also affirmed the reality of true wealth born from wisdom of the soul:لَيْسَ الْغِنَى عَنْ كَثْرَةِ الْعَرَضِ وَلَكِنَّ الْغِنَى غِنَى النَّفْسِ
“Richness is not an abundance of worldly goods, but true richness is the richness of the soul.”
[HR. Bukhārī and Muslim][contentment]2. Lessons and MessageThe greatest moral message of this topic is about self-dignity of the soul—‘iffah and qanā‘ah. Wisdom teaches us to cut the chain of dependence on creation. Placing hope in people is the widest opening for disappointment, while placing hope in Allah is the anchor of tranquility.When we possess wisdom, we will not demean ourselves before others for the sake of this world, nor will we become greedy servants. A stable and honorable life is when our hands are busy giving, our hearts are busy being grateful, and our faces stand upright because we bow only to Al-Khāliq. This is the provision for salvation—not only to survive in this world, but also to be safe in the eternal realm.There is a story about a Qur’an teacher in a remote village who lived in a bamboo house with a worn-out mat as flooring. His income from farming was uncertain; often he and his wife had to fast because there was no food. One day, a wealthy merchant came to visit and felt pity seeing his extremely limited condition. The merchant handed him a large sum of cash.Yet with a profoundly serene smile and tears of deep emotion, the teacher politely refused. He said, “Thank you, my brother. Keep this money for those who need it more. Allah has already given me extraordinary sufficiency. Every time I see children able to recite the Qur’an, my chest trembles with joy. This house is small, but every corner of it is a place where we prostrate. I’m afraid that if I accept this wealth, it will displace the contentment that already rests calmly in my heart.” The merchant wept, realizing that before him stood a man poor in facilities, yet a “king” because of the richness of his soul’s wisdom.Let us liken this life to a ship sailing across a vast ocean. Worldly facilities—money, houses, vehicles—are merely decorations and paint on the ship’s walls. Meanwhile, Hikmah, or wisdom, is the lantern, the compass, and the rudder of the ship.No matter how magnificent a ship is, if it has no rudder or compass, it will easily be tossed by storms, crash into reefs, and finally sink to the seafloor. Conversely, a simple wooden boat, if steered by a wise captain with an accurate compass, will be able to pass through waves however high and reach the harbor safely. Material limitation does not determine whether your life sinks; rather, it is the loss of the lantern of wisdom from your soul.Funnily enough, people today often confuse the meaning of “enough.” Many have houses as big as a soccer field, yet they need sleeping pills at night because their minds are anxious over installments and business competition. Meanwhile, there are people whose homes are “RSSS” type—Rumah Sangat Sederhana Sampai Selonjoran Saja Susah, “An Extremely Simple House Where Even Stretching Out Is Hard”—yet at 8 p.m. they are snoring successfully, sound asleep until dawn!We busy ourselves buying watches worth billions, even though the time available is still 24 hours for everyone. We busy ourselves buying beds costing hundreds of millions, even though what we buy is only the “place” to sleep, not the “sound sleep” itself. Wisdom makes us realize: what’s the point of chasing the world until we’re gasping for breath, if in the end our food menu is restricted by the doctor due to age? Eating rice with salt, if enjoyed with gratitude, tastes like dining at a five-star restaurant!3. Conclusion and ClosingMy blessed brothers and sisters, in conclusion, wisdom is the Divine lamp that must never be extinguished in our chests. It is the key to life’s stability. With it, a limited income will not make us beg, and simple facilities will not diminish our nobility before Allah. Let us attach our hopes only to Allah, so that we are freed from worldly servitude and guided toward eternal salvation
. والله أعلم بالصواب
الحمد لله رب العالمين
Wassalamu’alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.
Abu Sultan Al-Qadrie
