Book One: On Wisdom, An Abrogated Doctrine

The philosophers, in defining wisdom, have said: Wisdom is the perfecting of the human soul in its two faculties, the theoretical and the practical. The theoretical faculty knows the truths of things as they really are, while the practical faculty is the acquiring of a habit of the soul by which one can produce beautiful acts and avoid ugly ones, and this is called character. In other words, two faculties are set within the rational soul, and its perfection depends on completing them both: one is the theoretical faculty and one is the practical. The theoretical faculty is when a person's longing turns toward grasping knowledge and reaching understanding, so that, driven by that longing, one gains the knowledge of things as it truly deserves to be known. After that, one is admitted to the knowledge of the true beloved and the ultimate purpose that is the end of all beings, the Exalted and Holy, until, guided by that knowledge, one reaches the realm of divine oneness, indeed the station of union, and one's heart finds rest, for 'surely in the remembrance of God do hearts find peace.' Then the dust of doubt and the rust of uncertainty are wiped from the face of the inner mind and the mirror of the heart, as the poet has said: Wherever certainty arrives, all doubt takes flight. And the practical faculty is when a person orders and arranges his powers and actions so that they agree and harmonize with one another, and through that balance his character becomes pleasing. Whenever knowledge and action come together in a person to this degree, he may be called the perfect human and the deputy of God, and his rank is the highest of all human ranks, as God the Exalted said: 'He gives wisdom to whom He wills, and whoever is given wisdom has been given much good.' And after parting from the body his spirit becomes ready for lasting bliss, eternal happiness, and the acceptance of God's grace, and: This is a matter of fortune; who knows now upon whom it will fall. Up to this point, this is the doctrine of the ancients and the philosophers.