What Does The Quran Teach Us About Meditation, Thinking, And Reasoning?
Ways to Meditation, Thinking and Reasoning in the Holy Quran
Main
Points
1. The Holy
Quran Encourages Pondering Over the Quran, Universe, Self and Creation.
2. Allah has
elevated the rank of the servants who reflect on the creation of the heavens
and the earth, as well as the various mysteries and secrets of the universe.
3. Do The
Verses of the Quran not motivate individuals to learn cosmology, astronomy, and
physics, particularly astrophysics, geography, oceanography, and earth science?
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By Dr. Muhammad Waseh Zafar, Tr. New Age Islam
Translated from Urdu by Ghulam Ghaus Siddiqi, New Age Islam
22 June 2022
The Holy
Qur'an mentions various actions in the context of emphasizing the use of
intellect and the power of thought, such as understanding (Fahm),
consciousness (Idraak), thinking (Tafakkur), deliberation (Tadabbur),
refreshing (Tazakkur), reasoning (Dirayat) and comprehension (Tafaqquh)
etc.
Throughout
the Qur'an, the word 'Tafakkur,' which implies meditation and reflection,
is utilized the most. Similarly, the Qur'an has linked 'thinking' with
empirical observation in numerous verses, including Surah Yunus: 101, Al-A'raf:
185, and Al-Taariq: 5, among others. The most significant thing is that the
Holy Qur'an has provided several modes of thinking through which man can not
only comprehend where he should utilise his intellect, but also gain a great
deal of insight, and new pathways and fields are guided as a result.
The methods
of meditation promoted by the holy Quran can be divided into the following
categories.
Pondering
Over the Quran
Allah has
called for meditating on His book in several verses of the Holy Qur'an, as
mentioned in the following verse:
“[This
is] a blessed Book which We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], that they might
reflect upon its verses and that those of understanding would be reminded.”
(38:29)
“Then do
they not reflect upon the Qur'an, or are there locks upon [their] hearts?”
(47:24)
Other
verses on the subject can be found, for example in 2:219 and 4:82. These verses
demonstrate that the objective of the Holy Quran's revelation is for people to
reflect on its words and seek wisdom and direction from them. Furthermore, only
wise individuals are capable of making proper use of the Qur'an. Those who do
not reflect on the Qur'an are frequently the victims of doubt, according to
verse 4:82. On the contrary, people who meditate on the holy Quran
progressively realise the truth, and they continue to grow in faith and
certainty, eventually reaching the pinnacle of guidance and achievement.
Knowledge
of Arabic literature, lexicography, Tajweed, and Tafsir is essential for
reflection on the holy Quran. Aside from that, a thorough comprehension of the
Prophet's (peace be upon him) biography [Seerat], as well as Hadith and Fiqh,
is required.
Pondering
over the Universe
The second
sort of verses related to meditation and thinking are those in which Allah, the
Exalted, urges us to contemplate the universe, its solid system, and the
creatures that populate it. He, the Almighty, declared:
“Do they
not look into the realm of the heavens and the earth and everything that Allah
has created and [think] that perhaps their appointed time has come near? So in
what statement hereafter will they believe?” (7:185)
“Say,
"Observe what is in the heavens and earth." But of no avail will be
signs or warners to a people who do not believe” (10:101)
In the
Quran, He Almighty also says:
“Indeed,
in the creation of the heavens and earth, and the alternation of the night and
the day, and the [great] ships which sail through the sea with that which
benefits people, and what Allah has sent down from the heavens of rain, giving
life thereby to the earth after its lifelessness and dispersing therein every
[kind of] moving creature, and [His] directing of the winds and the clouds
controlled between the heaven and the earth are signs for a people who use
reason.” (2:164)
There are
numerous other verses on this subject, including 6:95-96, 16:10-17, 16:65-69,
16:78-81, 29:20, 30:19-25, 35:27-28, 36:32-44, 45:5, 88:17-20, and so on.
Allah has
elevated the rank of the servants who reflect on the creation of the heavens
and the earth, as well as the various mysteries and secrets of the universe,
and who come to know the reality of the cosmos and its maker.
In these
verses, Allah, the Exalted, has directed man's attention to the myriad
accidents and changes that occur in the cosmos, as well as their different
forms and effects. Those who sincerely meditate on them cannot live without
being convinced of the power of Allah, His Wisdom, Knowledge and perfect
creativity. Thus they discover proof of the oneness of God Almighty in the
universe. In this manner, they are instructed to submit to Allah's
commandments.
Consider
the above-referenced verses: do they not encourage and motivate individuals to
learn cosmology, astronomy, and physics, particularly astrophysics, geography,
oceanography, and earth science?
Pondering
over the Creatures
The third
type of meditation is the contemplation of Allah Almighty's creation. Allah,
the Exalted, has drawn man's attention to his creations, particularly the world
of animals and plants, in the Holy Qur'an, encouraging him to reflect on their
structure, method of existence, and benefits derived from them, and to
recognise Allah's strength and wisdom. Allah, the All-Powerful, said:
“And
indeed, for you in grazing livestock is a lesson. We give you drink from what
is in their bellies - between excretion and blood - pure milk, palatable to
drinkers. And from the fruits of the palm trees and grapevines, you take
intoxicant and good provision. Indeed in that is a sign for a people who
reason. And your Lord inspired to the bee, "Take for yourself among the
mountains, houses, and among the trees and [in] that which they construct. Then
eat from all the fruits and follow the ways of your Lord laid down [for
you]." There emerges from their bellies a drink, varying in colours, in
which there is healing for people. Indeed in that is a sign for a people who
give thought.” (16:66-69)
“Do they
not see the birds controlled in the atmosphere of the sky? None holds them up
except Allah. Indeed in that are signs for a people who believe.” (16:79)
“Then do
they not look at the camels - how they are created?” (88:17)
“It is
He who sends down rain from the sky; from it is drinking and from it is foliage
in which you pasture [animals]. He causes to grow for you thereby the crops,
olives, palm trees, grapevines, and from all the fruits. Indeed in that is a
sign for a people who give thought.” (16:10-11)
When a
person studies the worlds of animals and plants, it is not difficult to
conclude that everything is not only the result of organic evolution but also
the outcome of a strategic plan and purpose. All of this invites our observers
to know and grasp their Creator's might and wisdom. A man should also examine
whether the Lord, who made all of these animals for a single purpose, made him
in vain. These verses also encourage the study of zoology, particularly
ornithology, beekeeping, botany, and agricultural education.
Pondering
over Self
The verses
in which Allah, the Exalted, invites man to focus on Himself guide towards the
fourth way of meditation. There are some verses that mention both the soul and
the universe, such as this one:
“Do they
not contemplate within themselves? Allah has not created the heavens and the
earth and what is between them except in truth and for a specified term. And
indeed, many of the people, in [the matter of] the meeting with their Lord, are
disbelievers.” (30:8)
Our Lord
Almighty also says,
“We will
show them Our signs in the horizons and within themselves until it becomes
clear to them that it is the truth. But is it not sufficient concerning your
Lord that He is, over all things, a Witness?” (41:53)
At another
place in the Quran, Allah Almighty asks human beings to think about their
creation:
“So let
man observe from what he was created. He was created from a fluid, ejected, and
emerging from between the backbone and the ribs.” (86:5-7)
Furthermore,
Allah, the Exalted, has clearly defined man's creation and stages of life in
various verses of the Holy Qur'an, encouraging him to think on them, realise
his Creator, and finally believe in His precepts. Consider the following verses
from Surah al-Hajj:
“O
People, if you should be in doubt about the Resurrection, then [consider that]
indeed, We created you from dust, then from a sperm-drop, then from a clinging
clot, and then from a lump of flesh, formed and unformed - that We may show
you. And We settle in the wombs whom We will for a specified term, then We
bring you out as a child, and then [We develop you] that you may reach your
[time of] maturity. And among you is he who is taken in [early] death, and
among you is he who is returned to the most decrepit [old] age so that he
knows, after [once having] knowledge, nothing. And you see the earth barren,
but when We send down upon it rain, it quivers and swells and grows [something]
of every beautiful kind. That is because Allah is the Truth and because He
gives life to the dead and because He is over all things competent” (22:5-6)
Urdu
Article: Several Ways to Meditation in the Holy Quran قرآن کریم میں غور و فکر کے طریقے
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-spiritualism/quran-meditation-thinking-reasoning/d/127290
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