Seadet-i Ebediyye - Endless Bliss Second Fascicle

the thoughts to new conditions of life.” That is, it is the power of
solving problems, matters. And Terman, an American, says,
“Intelligence means to think with concrete thoughts.” All these
definitions show that intelligence is a state of mind which is
above instincts and below wisdom. The intellect, which is the
executant of wisdom, is developed before wisdom. Owners of
wisdom put forward theoretical methods and rules. An
intelligent person practises, executes them. But if he is not wise
enough, he only uses what he has learned from the owners of
wisdom, and cannot reach the necessary and universal principles
by himself. In other words, his mind does not function well, and
he cannot deduce correctly. The intellect is the power of
thinking. But wisdom is necessary for the thoughts to be correct.
An intelligent person needs a number of principles for having
correct thoughts. It is wisdom that formulates these principles.
Then, it would be incorrect to think that every intelligent person
is wise too. An intelligent person can become a great
commander. By adapting the methods which he has learned
from the wise to new situations of war, he can conquer
continents. But, if he has little wisdom, one error may turn his
accomplishments into disasters. Obvious examples of this are
Napoleon’s intellectually brilliant military plans and victories,
versus the disasters that were the results of his lack of wisdom. It
is written on the pages of history how Napoleon fled from Syria
after the defeat he had suffered against Muslim armies in the era
of Sultan Selîm Khan III. If the lion’s intellect were as strong as
the human intellect it would be ten thousand times as dreadful
as it is now. Likewise, the more power and intellect an unwise
and irreligious person has the greater will be the danger that he
constitutes for society.]
Reading these statements with attention will show clearly
that wisdom cannot be relied on in every matter, particularly in
religious matters, which cannot be measured with wisdom.
Religious matters cannot be built upon wisdom. For, wisdom
does not remain in the same state. Every person does not have
the same wisdom, and, while a man’s wisdom which is not selîm
finds what is right occasionally, it errs more often than not. Let
alone religious matters, a person who is said to be the wisest
makes many mistakes even in the worldly affairs in which he has
an expertise. How can wisdom, which is so prone to err, be
relied on? How can wisdom be followed in the matters
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