True intelligence seeks truth and submits to Allah
“Our job is to trust in the decision of Allah, trust in the planning of Allah.”
True intelligence is using Allah’s gifts of hearing, sight, and reason to seek truth, control desires, recognize Allah’s wisdom, and submit to His plan.
The khutbah in 6 steps
- Interprets the regret of Hell’s inhabitants as misusing the blessings of hearing and intellect.
- Defines aql as a restraint that governs desires, speech, senses, and actions.
- Explains that intelligent people observe creation and recognize its Creator.
- Uses the story of Yusuf to teach trust in Allah’s connected plan.
- Presents humility about limited knowledge as a mark of intelligence.
- Connects submission to Allah’s wisdom with accepting commands such as the rites of Hajj.
In the khateeb's words
“Only if we had used these blessings and these bounties in avenues to search for the truth and use it in avenues that were pleasing to Allah”
“Our aql controls our actions. Our aql controls our speech. It controls our eyesight. It controls what we listen to.”
“Our job is to trust in the decision of Allah, trust in the planning of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.”
“Accepting that I will always be in a state of ignorance. Because my knowledge is incomplete. My knowledge is deficient.”
For the dinner table
The khutbah teaches that true intelligence is not just knowing many facts; it is using our senses and minds to seek truth and obey Allah. We should look carefully at creation and at the stories of earlier people, especially Yusuf, to recognize Allah’s wisdom and trust His plan. We should also be humble about what we do not know, because our knowledge is limited while Allah’s is complete. Some acts of worship, such as the details of Hajj, may not make sense to us immediately, but they train us to submit to Allah’s wisdom. This week, we can reflect on creation, connect our life events to Allah’s plan, and practice controlling our desires.
- What is something in nature that helps you think about Allah?
- How can we show trust in Allah when we do not understand what is happening?
- What is one desire we can practice controlling this week?
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