The Most Prudent of Men
The text outlines the qualities of a prudent man, such as fearing God, maintaining balance, and avoiding excess.
Translated by Qiyas from السياسة — Original source
“[Allah] grants wisdom to whom He wills, and whoever is granted wisdom has indeed been granted abundant good. And none will remember except those of understanding.” (Al-Baqarah 2:269)
A wise man once said about the most sensible men: “Observe them in their ultimate outcomes, discern their adversaries, and be most cautious in dealing with them.” Among the other traits and behaviors that a sensible man is expected to embody at all times and in all places, we mention the following:
- God-consciousness: The most sensible man fears his Lord, Exalted and Mighty, in both private and public, because he believes that whoever fears God in his speech and actions will have his provision, family, and offspring blessed. Moreover, whoever is God-conscious, God will provide him an escape from worldly troubles, guide him aright, and protect him from the evil of his own soul that incites to wrongdoing.
- Avoiding excess and negligence: You will not find a sensible man who is excessive or negligent in his speech and conduct in his private life or in his dealings with others in the outside world, because he recognizes that excess is a trait of the psychologically immature, especially those lacking awareness commensurate with their age and life experience. The most sensible man is one who draws near or keeps his distance according to what sound judgment dictates, knows his true responsibilities, and does not neglect them.
- Subduing the self to reason: The most sensible man is truly wise because he consistently succeeds in letting his intellect prevail over his base, sin-inciting self. Desire does not overpower him, nor is he tempted by what tempts those of weak minds, nor does greed dominate him, because he knows his limits and, in particular, what is his right and what is his duty in his private life and in his relationships with people.
- The most sensible man does not trust those he has not tested: The most sensible man does not squander his trust, because it represents for him a moral capital that only those who deserve it should receive. In other words, he does not feel secure or place his trust in anyone he has not tested.
- The most sensible man learns and takes heed: The sensible man learns from life’s lessons and gradually changes, adjusts, or develops his personal behavior according to the lessons and insights he gains from what he hears and observes happening in people’s private lives and in public life. The most sensible man is the first to take heed, because he sees the future as revealed by the present.
A Kuwaiti writer
