What Does The Quran Teach Us About Meditation, Thinking, And Reasoning? – Concluding Part
By
Dr. Muhammad Waseh Zafar
Translated
from Urdu by Ghulam Ghaus Siddiqi, New Age Islam
28 June
2022
Ways to
Meditation, Thinking and Reasoning in the Holy Quran
Main
Points
1. Allah
commands people to consider the wisdom of His commands so that they may
comprehend them fully.
2. The Quran
promotes learning about jurisprudence (Fiqh) and purification (Tazkiyyah).
3. The Quran
calls for thinking over the Past Nations
-----
Thinking
over the Commandments
The fifth
way of contemplation is prescribed by the verses in which Allah commands people
to consider the wisdom of His laws so that they may comprehend them fully and
put them into practical use in their daily lives.
See for
example:
“They ask you about wine and gambling. Say,
"In them is great sin and [yet, some] benefit for people. But their sin is
greater than their benefit." And they ask you what they should spend. Say,
"The excess [beyond needs]." Thus Allah makes clear to you the verses
[of revelation] that you might give thought.” (2:219)
After
speaking about the laws of retribution (qisas), Allah Almighty said:
“And there is for you in legal retribution
[saving of] life, O you [people] of understanding, that you may become
righteous.” (2:179)
He Almighty
similarly described the element of fasting concession:
“[Fasting for] a limited number of days. So
whoever among you is ill or on a journey [during them] - then an equal number
of days [are to be made up]. And upon those who are able [to fast, but with
hardship] - a ransom [as substitute] of feeding a poor person [each day]. And
whoever volunteers excess - it is better for him. But to fast is best for you,
if you only knew.”
(2:184)
He Almighty
said in connection with Friday prayers:
“O you who have believed, when [the adhan] is
called for the prayer on the day of Jumu'ah [Friday], then proceed to the
remembrance of Allah and leave trade. That is better for you if you only knew.” (62:9)
There are
other verses on this subject, such as Al-Baqarah: 185, 230, 240, 241 and 282,
Surah Nisa: 23-26, Surah Maida: 89-100, Surah An’am:119, Surah Ankabut: 45,
Surah Hashr: 7 etc.
These verses
promote learning about jurisprudence (Fiqh) and purification (Tazkiyyah),
in which the arguments of the divine commands and spirit are discussed. But one
should look for Sufi knowledge that is based on the Qur'an and the Sunnah
rather than inventions (Bid'at) and superstitions.
Thinking
over the Past Nations
The verses,
which ask us to think about the methods of God Almighty, which permeated among
the nations throughout the epochs of history, reveal the sixth method of
meditation:
“Have they not seen how many generations We
destroyed before them which We had established upon the earth as We have not
established you? And We sent [rain from] the sky upon them in showers and made
rivers flow beneath them; then We destroyed them for their sins and brought
forth after them a generation of others.” (6:6)
“And the thunder exalts [Allah] with praise of
Him - and the angels [as well] from fear of Him - and He sends thunderbolts and
strikes there with whom He wills while they dispute about Allah; and He is
severe in assault. To Him [alone] is the supplication of truth. And those they
call upon besides Him do not respond to them with a thing, except as one who
stretches his hands toward water [from afar, calling it] to reach his mouth,
but it will not reach it [thus]. And the supplication of the disbelievers is
not but in error [i.e. futility].” (13:13-14)
This
guideline for believers is expressed elsewhere:
“Allah has promised those who have believed
among you and done righteous deeds that He will surely grant them succession
[to authority] upon the earth just as He granted it to those before them and
that He will surely establish for them [therein] their religion which He has
preferred for them and that He will surely substitute for them, after their
fear, security, [for] they worship Me, not associating anything with Me. But
whoever disbelieves after that - then those are defiantly disobedient.” (24:55)
There are
other verses on this subject such as: Surah Aal-e-Imran: 137-138, Surah
An'am:11, SurahAl-A'raf: 96, 136-137, Surah Hud: 18-20, Surah Yusuf: 109, Surah
Hajj: 40-41, Surah Naml: 69, Surah Qisas: 4-6, Surah Rum: 9 etc.
These
verses encourage the study of global history in order to comprehend the ways in
which God Almighty interacted with earlier civilizations. To put it another
way, what causes a nation to rise and develop, and what causes a nation to
decline? Achieving the highest level of advancement and prosperity is possible
if one is aware of these variables through historical research since, as the Qur'an
states in the aforementioned verses, Allah Almighty's ways never alter.
It should
be remembered that the universe's accidents and changes, which scientists refer
to as the Law of Nature, are continuations of the ways of Allah Almighty. In
reality, science is the process of comprehending and explaining the beauties of
these aspects of Allah, or the "natural laws."
These
details imply that the Quran has extended a reflection invitation to man. This
arrangement exemplifies the benefits of meditation in daily life. This
self-examination and reflection create the space for scientific investigation.
According to the Quranic perspective, he will find himself immersed in a great
ocean of knowledge no matter how he directs his thoughts. Since a Muslim is its
special addressee, it is imperative for him to demonstrate his abilities in
these fields, which have been highlighted in the above lines under various
subheadings, and to avoid wasting one's abilities in other inappropriate and
useless fields. Therefore, this emphasis on the reflection of the Holy Qur'an
is actually an invitation to knowledge and research that has been given to all
human beings.
The Quran
does not distinguish between religion and the outside world in terms of
knowledge. The only thing promoted is an advantage of knowledge. As a result,
the person who seeks the aforementioned knowledge does so with the intention of
understanding Allah's power and craftsmanship, finding the signs of Allah that
are scattered throughout the cosmos, and helping His creatures, especially the
human world, with the ultimate goal of obtaining divine pleasure. If he follows
through, his actions will be in accordance with Islam, making him eligible for
all of the advantages of knowledge outlined in the Quran and Hadith. There was
no such knowledge division in the past, not even in our religious seminaries
and schools.
The Quranic
verses, which encourage reflection and thinking with the necessary knowledge
and which brought Muslims to the apex of knowledge and progress and also led to
the European Renaissance which is also acknowledged by Western thinkers, served
as an inspiration for the intellectual capital that was created through the
efforts of Muslim scholars in the fields of jurisprudence, commentary,
principles of commentary, hadith, principles of hadith, mysticism,
lexicography, history, as well as various sciences and mathematics.
Unfortunately,
the majority of Muslims began to value different scientific fields rather than
the Quran as their source of guidance. As a result, they began to decline, and
today, despite having the second-largest population in the world, they have no
impact anywhere else. The community that formerly acted as the imam for other
nations now is now looking at others for every knowledge.
.....
Part 1 of
the Article: What Does The Quran Teach Us
About Meditation, Thinking, And Reasoning?
Urdu
Article: Several Ways to Meditation in the Holy Quran:
Concluding Part قرآن کریم میں غور
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