TAFAKKUR – تفکر

 

Literally: Thinking. Pondering. Reflecting. A thought. A reflection.

Reflecting on the universe and the beings within it, which are the creational âyahs of Allah, and the wondrous art and disposal of Allah that can be seen in the universe in order to know As-Sâni’ with His attributes and Names and understand the Ilahî hikmahs of the creation.

 

Yes, all the wondrous equipment given to man is not for this insignificant worldly life, but rather for an eternal life of great significance because, if we compare man with animals, we see that man is very wealthy regarding equipment and senses; he is a hundred times richer than the animals. However, regarding the pleasures of life of the world and his animal life, he falls a hundred times lower than the animals because within each pleasure he receives is a trace of pain. The pains of the past, the fears of the future and the pain of each pleasure's fade spoil his pleasure and leave a trace of pain in his joy, but animals are not like that; they receive pleasure without pain and enjoy without sorrow. Neither the pains of the past hurt them nor the fears of the future frighten them. They live with ease, rest and offer shukr to their Khâliq.

That is to say, if man, who was created in the form of ahsan taqwîm, restricts his thought to the life of the world, he falls a hundred times lower than an animal, like a sparrow, even though regarding his capital he is a hundred times higher than the animals. I explained this haqiqah in another place through a comparison. It is appropriate to mention it here, so I shall repeat it. It is as follows:

Giving ten pieces of gold to one of his servants, a man commanded him, “Order a complete set of clothing made from a special fabric!” He gave a thousand pieces of gold to the second servant, placed in his pocket a note on which certain things were written and sent him to a bazaar. The first servant bought excellent clothing of the finest fabric with ten pieces of gold. Looking at the first servant and not reading the account note that was put in his pocket, the second servant madly gave a thousand pieces of gold to a shopkeeper and asked for a complete set of clothing. The unjust shopkeeper gave him a complete set of clothing of the most flimsy fabric. The wretched servant came into the presence of his lord, received severe punishment and suffered terrible torment. Thus, anyone with an iota of conscience would understand that the thousand pieces of gold given to the second servant were not for buying a set of clothing but for some important trade.

In the same way, each of man’s ma’nawî equipment and subtle faculties has developed and expanded to a degree a hundred times greater than that of the animals. For example, is there any comparison between man’s equipment and senses, like his eye that perceives all degrees of beauty, his sense of taste in the tongue that distinguishes all the varieties of particular tastes of foods, his mind that penetrates all subtleties of haqiqahs, and his heart that yearns for every sort of perfection, and the very simple senses of animals that have developed only one or two degrees? There is only this difference: animals develop more in a particular function exclusive to that animal (especially a particular sense of an animal species). But this development is specific.

Man's wealth regarding equipment is from this mystery: man's senses and feelings have greatly developed and expanded because of the mind and thought; numerous various feelings were born in him because of the multiplicity of needs; his sensitivity has divided into many different sorts; the comprehensiveness of his fitrah has become the source of desires turned towards numerous objectives; his faculties and equipment have greatly expanded because he has numerous duties belonging to his fitrah; he has been given a disposition that comprehends the seeds of all kinds of perfections since he has been created with a fitrah able to perform every sort of ‘ibâdah.

Thus, the abundance of capital and this wealth regarding equipment to such a degree were certainly not given to obtain this insignificant temporary worldly life. Rather, the fundamental duty of such a man is to see his duties turned towards infinite aims, proclaim his impotence, poverty and fault in the form of ‘ubûdiyyah, observe and witness the tasbîhât of beings with his universal eye, see the help of Ar-Rahmân within the ni’mahs and offer shukr, gaze at the miracles of the qoudrah of Ar-Rabb on the creatures, full of art, and do tafakkur with an eye that receives lessons.

The Twenty-Third Word/Third Subtle Point

 

“وَاِنَّ لَكُمْ فِى اْلاَنْعَامِ لَعِبْرَةًۜ نُسْق۪يكُمْ مِمَّا ف۪ى بُطُونِه۪ مِنْبَيْنِ فَرْثٍ وَدَمٍ لَبَنًا خَالِصًا سَٓائِغًا لِلشَّارِب۪ينَ3 until,  ف۪يهِ شِفَٓاءٌ لِلنَّاسِۜ اِنَّ ف۪ى ذٰلِكَ َلاٰيَةً لِقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ 4

These âyahs point out that Janâb-i Haqq makes creatures of His like sheep, goats, cattle, and camels into springs of pure, delicious milk for man, and artefacts like grapes and dates into cauldrons and trays laden with deliciously sweet ni’mahs for him, and tiny miracles of His Qoudrah like the honey-bee into makers of a sweet, health-giving sherbet, and then conclude with the words, اِنَّ ف۪ى ذٰلِكَ َلاٰيَةً لِقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ 5 thus urging man to tafakkur and take lessons and compare these with other things.” The Words (433-434 )

 

“The Qur’an teaches us this argument:6 فَارْجِعِ الْبَصَرَ هَلْ تَرَى مِنْ فُطُورٍ By commanding us to tafakkur on creatures and mentioning their uses or benefits as ni’mahs, the Qur’an seeks to establish this proof (proof of ‘inâyah) in the human mind and then calls upon reason to ponder over them in the conclusions and divisions of âyahs. It illuminates the role of mind (aql) and stirs up the conscience in such âyahs as: 7 اَوَلاَ يَعْلَمُونَ، اَفَلاَ يَعْقِلُونَ، اَفَلاَ يَتَذَكَّرُونَ، فَاعْتَبِرُوا Al-Mathnawi Al-Nuri (374)

 

“KNOW, O FRIEND, that the decoration, perfection, beautiful spectacle, and majesty of Rubûbiyyah, as well as the splendour of Ulûhiyyah, seen in the universe require an observer to observe them in amazement. When doing tafakkur on them, such an observer must move from there to the Majesty (Jalâl) of their Sâni’ and Mâlik, and to His Power and Perfection.” Al-Mathnawi Al-Nuri (261)

 

“KNOW, O FRIEND, that tafakkur is like nûr, for it melts your frozen ghaflah. Being careful and attentive is like fire, for it burns your dried rubbish of doubts. However, when you tafakkur on your nafs, tafakkur deeply, as the Name Al-Bâtin wants you to do so. The perfection of art is seen in its details and ramifications. When you tafakkur on the âfâk8 , do so briefly and superficially, for you only need to understand the foundations upon which it is based. This is what the Name Adh-Dhâhir requires, for the splendour of art becomes more evident and more dazzling when looked on and examined as a whole. The outer world is very spacious and has no shores. If you dive into it, you may drown.

If you go deep in your nafs, but make a brief and fast journey in the outer world, you can approach wahdah. Individual parts acquire wholeness, compounds become composites, and composites become unified. From this unity issues the nûr of yaqîn (certain knowledge of wahdah). If you only make a brief and superficial examination of your nafs while going into detail during your travels in the outer world, the diversity of things will engender confusion and doubt. This will strengthen your ananiyyah and ingrain ghaflah in you, developments that will make you incline to naturalism and, eventually, away from the diversity of things and to dhalâlah. O Allah, do not include us among the people of dhalâlah! Amen.” Al-Mathnawi Al-Nuri (202 )