People, with respect to wisdom, fall into four groups:

1. A person to whom Allah has given wisdom yet who withholds it—even from himself. He gains no personal benefit from it, neither obeying Allah nor refraining from His disobedience. Such a man is a loser, and we seek Allah’s protection from that. He resembles the Jews who knew the truth but arrogantly turned away from it.

2. Another has been granted wisdom and acts upon it himself, but he does not use it to benefit Allah’s servants. He is better than the first, yet still deficient.

3. A third has been given wisdom, so he judges by it, applies it in his own life, and teaches it to the people. This is the best of all categories.

4. The fourth possesses no wisdom at all; he is ignorant and has been deprived of great good. Nonetheless, he is in a better condition than the one who received wisdom but failed to act upon it, for there is hope that, once he learns, he will practice what he knows. As for the one whom Allah endowed with knowledge but whose inaction turns that knowledge into a burden against him—Allah’s refuge is sought.

We ask Allah the Exalted to grant us and you wisdom, beneficial knowledge, and righteous deeds.

1/553 – Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was never asked for anything for the sake of Islam without giving it. A man once came to him, and he gave him a flock of sheep that filled the space between two mountains. The man returned to his people and said, “My people, embrace Islam, for Muhammad gives with the generosity of one who does not fear poverty!” Indeed, a man would embrace Islam seeking nothing but worldly gain, yet before long Islam would become dearer to him than the world and everything in it. Related by Muslim.