Praise be to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
All of Allah’s actions occur according to wisdom. He سبحانه does not do anything pointlessly or without a praiseworthy purpose. However, it is not necessary for people to know all the wisdom behind His actions, decrees, and laws. Allah may reveal some of His wisdom to some of His servants, while other wisdom may remain hidden from them. Therefore, the basic principle is to submit to Allah and think well of Him, while it is permissible to seek beneficial knowledge of the wisdom behind His actions and rulings.
We do not know of this wording being preserved from the Prophet ﷺ or from the early generations with this exact wording.
The basic principle regarding supplication is that a Muslim should strive to use the supplications reported from the Prophet ﷺ because they contain complete meanings and sound expressions.
Al-Qadi ‘Iyad رحمه الله stated that the Prophet ﷺ taught his Ummah how to supplicate, and that his supplications combined knowledge of Tawhid, knowledge of the Arabic language, and sincere concern for the Ummah. Therefore, one should not abandon his supplications in favor of invented supplications.
Accordingly, the point is not to declare this phrase prohibited merely because it is not reported from the Prophet ﷺ. Rather, it is preferable and safer to use clear and sound expressions in supplication and to ask Allah for beneficial knowledge, rather than asking Him to grant us comprehensive knowledge of the wisdom behind all His actions.
Allah سبحانه is Al-Hakim, the All-Wise, and His actions never fall outside wisdom.
Ibn al-Qayyim رحمه الله stated that Allah تعالى does not do anything pointlessly or without meaning and benefit, and that His actions proceed from profound wisdom, just as they occur through causes by which He brings them about.
When Allah gives a servant something, there is wisdom in it. When He withholds something from him, there is wisdom in it. When He tests him, there is wisdom in it. And when He gives him abundance, there is wisdom in it.
Allah تعالى says:
﴿Perhaps you dislike something while it is good for you, and perhaps you love something while it is bad for you. Allah knows, and you do not know.﴾ [Al-Baqarah: 216]
This verse demonstrates the difference between the servant’s knowledge and his Lord’s knowledge. A person may dislike something while it contains great good for him, or love something while it contains harm for him.
No.
It is not a condition of faith that a Muslim know the detailed wisdom behind everything Allah decrees or legislates.
The wisdom may become apparent to a person, increasing his faith and insight, or it may remain hidden from him. In that case, his response should be submission and trust in Allah’s wisdom and knowledge.
This does not mean that a Muslim is prohibited from reflecting upon wisdom. Rather, understanding sound wisdom is beneficial: it can increase faith and help a person remain patient and act upon what Allah has commanded.
However, there is a difference between a Muslim saying:
“What wisdom can I understand from this matter?”
and making his faith or obedience dependent upon knowing the wisdom first.
The believer obeys Allah’s command because it is Allah’s command, whether he knows the detailed wisdom behind it or not.
When a Muslim understands some of the wisdom behind trials, he realizes that hardship may be a means of developing patience, raising one's rank, and expiating sins. He therefore seeks reward from Allah and remains patient.
When he understands some of the wisdom behind wealth and poverty, he gives thanks when wealthy and remains patient when poor.
When he understands some of the wisdom behind charity, he recognizes how it purifies the soul and benefits creation, making him more eager to hasten toward it.
Thus, understanding wisdom is an increase in faith and righteous action, not a prerequisite for faith and obedience.
When the wisdom is hidden from a Muslim, he should not allow his lack of understanding to become a reason for thinking badly of his Lord.
Rather, he should say to himself: “Allah سبحانه is All-Wise and All-Knowing. I know my own weakness and limited knowledge, and the wisdom known to my Lord may be hidden from me.”
This is part of perfect servitude, because human knowledge is limited, whereas Allah سبحانه has complete and encompassing knowledge.
Ibn Abi al-‘Izz رحمه الله explained that the foundation of servitude and faith is submission and compliance, and that a servant should not make knowledge of the detailed wisdom a condition for obeying Allah’s command.
More precisely, it should be said: Seeking beneficial knowledge and understanding is permissible and encouraged. However, asking Allah to grant us comprehensive knowledge of the wisdom behind all His actions is not the preferable approach, because Allah may conceal some wisdom from His servants, and the human mind may be incapable of reaching it.
Excessive effort to discover the wisdom behind every decree can lead a person into speaking about matters of the unseen and divine decree without knowledge.
Therefore, among beneficial supplications is for a Muslim to ask his Lord for beneficial knowledge.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“O Allah, I ask You for beneficial knowledge, and I seek refuge in You from knowledge that does not benefit.”
And he ﷺ said:
“O Allah, I ask You for beneficial knowledge, good provision, and accepted deeds.”
This is more beneficial for a servant than occupying himself with trying to discover the detailed wisdom behind every divine decree and command.
Allah تعالى is All-Wise in all His actions and rulings. Nothing occurs within His dominion pointlessly or without wisdom. However, His servants do not know all of Allah’s wisdom. He may reveal some wisdom to them while other wisdom remains hidden from them.
When understanding of wisdom is granted, it increases faith and insight. But not knowing the wisdom does not harm one’s faith. When the wisdom is hidden, what is required is submission to Allah, thinking well of Him, and believing that He سبحانه is All-Wise and All-Knowing.
As for the phrase “O Allah, inspire us to understand the wisdom behind Your actions,” we do not know it as a supplication reported from the early generations. It is preferable for a Muslim to replace it with a clearer supplication, such as:
“O Allah, teach us what benefits us, benefit us through what You have taught us, and increase us in knowledge.”
And Allah knows best.