The Meaning of Hikma in Sūrat al-Baqara (Q.2:129)

Abstract

This article follows the concept of ḥikma (wisdom) in the Qur'anic verse: ‘Our Lord! And raise up in them an Apostle from among them who shall recite to them Thy communications and teach them the Book and the wisdom and purify them; surely Thou art the Mighty, the Wise.’ (Q.2:129) The notion of ḥikma is explained in the compilations of several Qur'anic commentators, representing different scientific methods and ideological groups. Moreover, the above-mentioned verse is the first to occur with this sense of ḥikma, in terms of the Qur'anic order. This study traces the different linguistic meanings and origins of this concept, through the compilations of famous ancient Arab linguists and poetic citations, especially from pre-Islamic poetry. In addition to the linguistic meaning of the term, the article also explores its metaphorical meaning. The study reaches the conclusion that the Qur'anic concept of ḥikma is specified through the context, in other words, through the literal and the versificational. The various meanings which the commentators attribute to the concept indicate that interpretative judgements are limited by the human capability to specify the meanings of Qur'anic concepts. Therefore the human language differs from that of God, who descended the Qur'an by revelation 'in plain Arabic language' (Q.26:195).