Hikmat

The difference between artificial intelligence and human intelligence lies in the diversity of information and data that the two can absorb to make evidence-based decisions. The human mind uses information, training as well as the related memory of experiences to make decisions.

Science has shown that humans have an ‘emotional brain’ that plays a vital role in any reaction or response we may generate, helping us analyse information through our emotional and rational brains. In our part of the world, we understand this process as hikmat.

The concept of hikmat has deep roots in the Indian Subcontinent with a strong bond with monotheistic religions, originating in the Middle East. The Arabic word hikmat is a concept in Islamic philosophy and law. Various scholars interpret hikmat as knowing the best of things through the knowledge of sciences, experiences of the world, the use of justice in judging, and insight into the reality of things and collating them into their proper perspective.

Hikmat pertains to two branches. One relates to elements of mind and thought, consciousness, social, moral and spiritual values, and the quest for knowledge, while the other deals with health sciences and mathematics. The cultural connotation of the former category of hikmat, however, runs much deeper. Knowledge or information is the only quintessential element of hikmat.

Explaining the true meaning of the word hikmat has never been easy. The word wisdom does not do justice to the concept. It is more about insights into, and having sound judgement about, an issue with an understanding of the subsequent cause and effect. Hikmat involves a high degree of peace within the self, connectivity with the inner self, and an intergenerational sharing of experiences involving practical strategies on executing social functions. It encompasses vigilance, attentiveness and observational skills.

The obvious query in one’s mind is how to internalise this trait – indeed an uphill task. Hikmat comes with indulgence in life and a continued quest for solutions leading to vision and acumen. It comes to people who meditate, who look for guidance, who learn from their mistakes, and who are capable of changing their behaviour. It comes to those who have a keen eye for seeking the truth. The awareness of our emotions and of those around us, and their perspectives, helps us better apply hikmat.

Hikmat is the mannerism of the soul, which is attained by the processing of knowledge through rationality. It involves being in tune with the microcosm of the self, and the ability to understand the macrocosm of the universe – a philosophy that the Prophet (pbuh) taught himself and is mentioned in the Quran.

Hikmat can play a key role in all aspects of life, especially in decision making, both professional and personal. A good decision is based on sound information, but identical information can be processed and interpreted differently, leading to divergent conclusions and actions by people. It may be argued that there may never be a definitive interpretation of a set of information. The processing of information by the mind is vastly strengthened by the hikmat possessed by the decision maker. Tony Blair, the former prime minister of the UK, once shared that the most difficult part of his job was interpreting information and making decisions. CEOs of large corporations defend the multi-million-dollar packages they receive by arguing that the decisions they take have multi-billion-dollar consequences.

Hikmat is practical knowledge – it is experience and knowledge. The process for acquiring hikmat is supplemented by being knowledgeable about sciences, art, the history of past civilisations, and the contemporary world. Wise words of elders, especially my father’s, seldom echo in my mind: “Knowledge is acquired mainly from two sources: the scholastic source and the study of nature, especially humans”. Successful people are known to spend extended hours a week reading and contemplating. Anne E Cunningham, a well-known professor of education, in her paper ‘What reading does for the mind’ finds that reading, in general, makes us smarter, and it keeps us sharp as we age. Reading has cognitive consequences that are reciprocal and exponential in nature and carry profound implications for the development of a wide range of cognitive capabilities. The knowledge we acquire nurtures the elements of hikmat within us. What turns information and knowledge into hikmat is the complex process of thinking: a process unique to humans.

Making decisions based on al-hikmah is fulfilling much of the inter-dimension of Islam. Al-hikmah dictates that a true Muslim is a person who manages his/her work with reason and rationality. S/he must thoroughly, precisely, and earnestly study and evaluate each circumstance or situation and then apply what is appropriate at the right time, in the right place, and in the right manner. Decisions based on this approach will not fail.

Hikmat is a useful practical tool in the management of daily affairs – it allows us to make wise and well-thought-out decisions. It helps us manage our relations with our family, friends, foes and co-workers in an even better manner. It teaches us where to be flexible in our approach, when addressing people. It helps us to respond, rather than react. One finds that graduating to a level of possessing some form of hikmat helps us adapt to ever-changing conditions, and the sense that comes with hikmat can be used to handle any issue, at any given moment, in any place, and under any situation. Such is the power of being a person with hikmat.

The writer is former advisor, Ministry of Finance, Government of Pakistan.

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