Allah, the Almighty, said:

{He gives wisdom to whom He wills, and whoever has been given wisdom has certainly been given much good…} [al-Baqarah 2:269]

Wisdom is to place everything where it belongs.⁴⁴² It is of three levels:

The first level:

1. to give everything its due right,⁴⁴³


2. without exceeding its limit,⁴⁴⁴


3. or advancing it before its time or delaying it after it⁴⁴⁵

The second level:

1. to behold [the judiciousness of] Allah’s cause in His promises and threats


2. to recognize His justice in His judgments


3. to observe His graciousness in His withholding⁴⁴⁶

The third level:

1. your exploration becomes guided by insight⁴⁴⁷


2. your guidance is to the truth⁴⁴⁸


3. your pointing is to the ultimate goal⁴⁴⁹

⁴⁴² Wisdom is needed in both judgment and action. Wisdom in action is to do the right thing at the right time and place and in the right measure and form, thus placing it where it belongs. Where firmness is warranted, one is firm, and where leniency is warranted, one is lenient.
⁴⁴³ Knowing the importance and ranks of different deeds and prioritizing accordingly.
⁴⁴⁴ The two extremes of excessiveness and laxity are condemnable. Moderation is the way of this religion.
⁴⁴⁵ Doing the right thing at the wrong time may cause as much harm as doing the wrong thing. Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah be pleased with him) says in Madârij that the pillars of wisdom are knowledge, forbearance, and deliberation. Forbearance (ḥilm) rids us of emotionality, biases, and prejudices. One should try to attain these while imploring Allah to give them ḥikmah.
⁴⁴⁶ If you only knew His wisdom in withholding what you desire, you would be as grateful for His withholding as you are for His giving.
⁴⁴⁷ The quest for the truth not only requires cleverness or a sound intellect to examine the evidence, but also an unbiased and enlightened insight. There is a difference between the sophist and the philosopher. Also, philosophers may be biased, hasty, or arrogant and thus deprived of the blessings of Divine guidance. ‘Faqeeh’ may be used now to refer to someone who knows the technicalities of fiqh and memorizes the rulings without knowing their sources, contingencies, nuances, and purposes. In the past, one was not considered a faqeeh until they had mastered all that and acted upon their knowledge as well.
⁴⁴⁸ Ibn al-Qayyim says in Madârij that this could mean either your finding the truth when people guide you, or you guiding the people only to the truth.
⁴⁴⁹ The goal is Allah.