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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Guiding the Youth of the New Generation Become a Scholar For The Time in Which You Are Living In There is a speech from Imam Jaʿfar ibn Muhammad as-Sadiq (a.s.) which is a very lofty speech.

The word “confused” used in this hadith is commonly used in Farsi in the meaning of a strong or forceful attack that is launched against another person. However in the ʿArabic language it is in the meaning of a person who is carrying something and all of a sudden, out of his own inability or unawareness, becomes negligent of his surroundings.

In this hadith the Imam (a.s.) has told us that, “If a person is fully aware of his own surroundings, then he will never fall prey or victim to the confusion and bewilderment of those things around him, such that one time he looks and forgets even his own hands and feet and he is not able to make use of his own strength and energy nor is he able to gather together his thoughts to solve a problem.” This is truly a great saying.

There are many such important phrases in this same hadith, although I have not memorized all of them, however another line states: لاٌ يُفْلِحُ مَنْ لاٌ يَعْقِلُ وَ لاٌ يَعْقِلُ مَنْ لاٌ يَعْلَمُ “That person who does not use his intellect will not be successful, and that person who does not have knowledge will not be able to use his intellect.” The meaning of intellect (عقل) is the power or ability to deduce and rationalize something and to establish a relationship between two arguments – meaning to bring about the prerequisites for an issue and then come to a conclusion.

The intellect takes its source of inspiration from knowledge and thus, intellect is the lamp whose oil which it runs upon is knowledge. The hadith then goes on to say: وَ سَوْفَ يَنْجُبُ مَنْ يَفْهَمُ This means that whoever understands (something), then his outcome will be that he will possess a virtuous, honourable character since the outcome of a treasure or priceless good is through the work which it puts forth.