002:270

The Holy Qor-aan                                                                                                               002:270

يُؤۡتِى الۡحِكۡمَةَ مَنۡ يَّشَآءُ‌‌ ۚ وَمَنۡ يُّؤۡتَ الۡحِكۡمَةَ فَقَدۡ اُوۡتِىَ خَيۡرًا كَثِيۡرًا‌ ؕ وَمَا يَذَّكَّرُ اِلَّاۤ اُولُوا الۡاَلۡبَابِ○‏

Yoe-til-hik-ma-ta-mun-ya-shaa-o                                                                                                  Wa-mun-yoe-tul-hik-ma-ta                                                                                                               Fa-qud-oo-tay-ya-khai-run-ka-thee-raa.                                                                                      Wa-maa-yuz-zuk-ka-ro-il-laa-o-lool-ul-baab.

He grants wisdom to whomever He chooses.                                                              And whoever is given the wisdom                                                                                     Has indeed been given a lot of good.                                                                              And none heeds except those with the understanding.

• يُؤۡتِى — Yoe-tee…(l) — He grants (= v., pr., Awards; bestows; blesses; confers; gifts; gives)
• الۡحِكۡمَةَ — Hik-ma-ta — Wisdom   *    (= Ability to distinguish good from bad, right from wrong.  Administered appropriate instruction. Comprehension;  intelligence; understanding; shrewdness.  See the Note below and our Commentary “The Wisdom”)
• مَنۡ — Mun…(ya) — Whomever (= Anyone; what; which; who; whoever; whom)
• يَّشَآءُ‌‌ — Ya-shaa-o — He chooses (= Decides; decrees; desires, destines, dictates; mandates, likes, orders, pleases; prefers; rules; selects; wants; wills; wishes)
• وَ — Wa — And (= Conj., links words, phrases or clauses; additionally; but also; more over; though; when; while; yet; whereupon)
• مَنۡ — Mun….(yo) — Whoever (= Anyone, what; which; who)
• يُّؤۡتَ — Yo-ta…(ul) — Given (= v., past., pl., 2^nd person. Awarded; bestowed; blessed; conferred; gifted; got; granted; handed down; received)
• الۡحِكۡمَةَ — Hik-ma-ta — Wisdom (= Ability to distinguish good from bad, right from wrong.  Administered appropriate instruction. See  الۡحِكۡمَةَ  above
• فَ — Fa — Then (= Consequently; resultantly; so; thereafter; therefore; yet)
• قَدۡ — Qud — Indeed (= Certainly; definitely, surely; verily)
• اُوۡتِىَ — Oo-tay-ya — Is given (= v., pass., Awarded; bestowed; blessed; conferred; gifted; granted; handed down; has received)
• خَيۡرًا — Khai-run — Good (= Appreciably happy or pleasant acts, benefits, blessings, bounties, deeds, favors, goodness, persons, occasions, richness or things.  2. Comparatively superior; of best,  greater, higher or more value.  3. At apex; noblest; tops)
• كَثِيۡرًا‌ — Ka-thee-raa — Lot of (= Abundant; abundantly; again & again; a lot; ample; in exceeding quality & quantity; great deal; many; much more; multitudes; plenty; plentifully; plump; overflowing; repeatedly; repetitiously; several times. A/t/a Done a great favor)
• وَ — Wa — And (= Conj., links words, phrases or clauses. See وَ   above)
• مَاۤ — Maa — None (= Nobody; no one; none at all)
• يَذَّكَّرُ — Yuz-zuk-ka-ro — Heeds (= v., Bears in mind.  Calls to mind.  Comprehends. Gets admonished,  forewarned or reminded.  Grasps the meanings.  Pays attention.  Ponders.  Recalls.  Receives admonition. Recollects.  Reflects.  Remembers.  Takes heed. Thinks about. Understands. Undertakes to analyze, celebrate, discuss, dissect, elaborate, extol, extrapolate, grasp, glorify, interpret, join, mention, participate, remember, share, talk, translate, teach or tutor in academic discussions, community prayer groups, congregational gatherings and similar situations of invocations that follow the famous Hadeeth (quotation of the Holy Prophet, s.a.w) to the effect that Angels invoke prayers for those who sit in the gatherings that glorify Allah)
• اِلَّا — Il-laa — Except (= Apart from; besides; excluding; save; unless)
• اُولُوا — O-loo…(ol) — Those with (= Endowed with; master; owner; possessor; who have. Also, ‘Men of senses or understanding’)
• الۡاَلۡبَابِ‏ — Ul-baab — Understanding (= n., Awareness; balanced view; common sense; comprehension; high intellect; pure wisdom; real sense; with clear and sound mind and wisdom. A/t/a, ‘Men of senses’ and ‘Men of understanding’)

* Note 002:270.  The word الۡحِكۡمَةَ has been translated in many different ways.

The literal meanings of word الۡحِكۡمَةَ (Ul-hik-mah) include the following.  Ability to distinguish good from bad, right from wrong. Administered appropriate instruction.  Balancing ability.  Comprehension. Intelligence.  Understanding.  Shrewdness.  Many verses including the 002:130, 002:152 and 002:232 have been translated with those meanings of the word.

But quoting the Tafsir At-Tabari, the eminent scholars Dr Al-Hilali and Dr Khan have translated this word in the verse 002:252 as the ‘Prophethood’ and stated as follows.

“Allah gave him[Dawud (David)] the kingdom[after the death of Talut (Saul) and Samuel] and Al-Hikmah (Prophethood) and taught him of that which He willed.”

The word الۡحِكۡمَةَ (Ul-hik-mah) has also been translated as the ‘Knowledge of Islamic laws and jurisprudence.’  Such interpretation is supported by the verse 003:066 because Abraham (a) had prayed that way many centuries before Islam and b) had practically made a forecast about the coming of the Holy Prophet s.a.w and advent of Islam.

Construing Abraham’s aforesaid prayer and forecast to translate this word as ‘Knowledge of Islamic laws and jurisprudence’ is open to the criticism (albeit unjustified in spirit) that what Abraham had sought by his invocation many centuries before Islaam could not be about Islam.

All above extrapolations are plausible in translating الۡحِكۡمَةَ as used in the verse 002:270.