tadabbur

Started by HOPE, August 31, 2013, 04:57:10 AM

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HOPE

peace,


"5% think, 10% think they think, 85% would rather die than think." — Anonymous


In Islam "enlightened thinkers" are known as Raushanfekran.

"Afalaa utadabbaroon al-Quran?

(4:82)" Do they not do tadabbur in the Quran?

So says Allah in the Quran. Tadabbur means highly concentrated goal-oriented critical thinking like the way scientists do when challenged to find something new or when they embark upon solving a difficult problem.

Qur'anic view of creative reflection is called al-Basira. In Islam Ijtihad or independent thinking is used as a principle of creative and critical thinking; rationality and scientific rationality in a secular perspective.

The Quran encourages us over and over again to think, reflect, ponder, understand and analyse. However, very rarely do parents encourage children to question. Our response to difficult inquiries from our children is to say "do it because I said so." This discourages the children from developing critical thinking. They become lazy and complacent and easy prey to cult type following. To take things at face value makes us vulnerable.

Reason is the common bond of all humans, a means of connecting to the world and to others, the same reason through which Plato and Aristotle communicated their views. Reason and intellect represent the only way of understanding this world, even though this understanding is too relative to guide us to ultimate truths. Our great thinkers, while aware of the indispensability of reason, knew that reason alone could not discover all of reality. Our religious tradition claims that it is ultimately faith of the heart, not the intellect that comprehends the whole of reality. (11)

If we think of reason and faith as contradictory and opposed to one another, because reason achieves more instrumental impact in this world, faith will be sidelined. It is important to note that the faith I am talking about exists alongside and parallel to reason, not in opposition to it.

Reason can merely take us to the gates of the afterlife. Even though it is aware that the world is not limited to the material, it cannot go farther than this world. It is here that faith must step in. Humans cannot do without reason in their lives as they encounter practical matters, and if they have to choose between faith and reason, they will choose the latter. Interpretations of the world based on reason are relative, a relativity that also permeates our perceptions of religion. But if our understanding of religious tradition and the Quran gets moribund (declining) and in need of transformation, this does not mean that tradition and the Quran have aged themselves. Our intellect is capable of adapting to the current world while also remaining attuned to tradition and the Quran, such that the solid essence of religion is not harmed. Our religious thinking is bound to evolve. (12)

Due to the regime of taqlid or blind imitation, imposed in the name of religion from about the 12th century until the end of the 19th century, the Muslims swallowed the teachings of the so-called `Four Great Imams', even the wholesale medieval theology and jurisprudence, in toto.

There were many factors that gave rise to this blind imitation regime of that period and we cannot discuss them here. Nevertheless, it is important for us to realize that after nearly a hundred years since the reopening of the door if ijtihad or critical thinking by Muhammad Abduh's reform movement, this taqlid regime is still with us. (13)

One should develop critical thinking ability in one's studies first: in science, mathematics, computers, and economics, whatever subject one has chosen. If you cannot develop this ability most probably you would not understand the Quran.

Also, understanding of the Quran is a long and hard and a lifelong process. And it requires lot of patience and perseverance plus it demands sacrifice. Therefore, you should first try to take few important verses of the Quran (the ones dealing with human relationships and character building) and try to integrate them in your life and studies. Of course it will be very hard and there will be lot of temptations to skirt. But try to avoid them. But keep in mind that we are human beings. We make mistakes. So, don't feel too bad or don't be too hard on yourself if you make mistakes. Just make sure that next time you are careful. (14)






by Ibrahim B. Syed, Ph. D.
President
Islamic Research Foundation International, Inc.
=========================================
"Hope is like a bird that senses the dawn and carefully starts to sing while it is still dark"

Ismail

Salaam.

"...Therefore, you should first try to take few important verses of the Quran (the ones dealing with human relationships and character building) and try to integrate them in your life and studies..."

towards this end, the following release may be helpful:

                                                            THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
                                                  (Al Quran, Chapter 6, Verses 151, 152,
153)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Values evident in man's pristine, pure nature.   Spiritual  Legacy of All Mankind.    Values that define all other values.                                                                                                       

"Say, (O Messenger,): 'Attention! (O Mankind,) I recite The Inviolable Commandments of your Providence. They are, precisely, that ye

join not anything with Him,
and be eminently kind and considerate to your parents;
and kill not your children because of poverty – We provide for you and them;
and approach not the obscenities – be they explicit, or implicit;
and kill not the being that God has made inviolable – except with absolute justification.
                       Thereby He entrusts you – for you to reason'.  (6: 151)   

'And approach not the orphan's wealth, but for the best, until they become capable;
and fulfill weights and measures equitably; We don't burden anyone beyond their scope;
and be impartial when you speak, even if it's about a near relative;
and The Covenant of God! – that fulfill!
Thereby He entrusts you – for you to realize'. (6: 152)

'And that this is my path – it is the path of steadfast righteousness. Therefore follow it.
And, follow not The Ways. For, they will separate you from, and scatter you off His Way.
Thereby He entrusts you – for you to remain alert.' " (6: 153)

'join not...': "And fear a Day when no soul will suffice for another soul, nor will intercession be accepted from it, nor will compensation be taken from it, nor will they be aided."(2: 48).    '...parents': "...Be grateful to Me and to your parents..."(31:14).    '...reason': "He allows filth to form upon those who do not endeavor to reason."(10: 100).    Commandments 2, 3 & 4 teach priorities, responsible behavior, and dignity.   Commandment 5 proclaims unequivocally the inviolability of every human being, in every respect. Evident in the language of the Arabic original in 6:151, is the fact that it is ghastly even to think of killing a being that, being inviolable, should not be harmed or forsaken even in the ordinary sense. "And worship God, and associate not aught with Him; and be kind to parents, and also to relatives and orphans and the needy and the nearby neighbor and the distant neighbor and the companion by your side and the stranded traveler and your subordinates. Verily, God loves not the proud and the boastful."(4:36).   'Thereby...': These commandments He commits us to, in order that we  adhere to them with the most passionate diligence.  Commandments 6, 7, & 8 are sterling examples of fortitude, equity, and unfettered commitment.   Comms 9 & 10 safeguard Comm 1.    'that fulfill!': The Covenant of God – "You alone we worship and serve, and You alone we resort to for help."(1:4) – is what we are ultimately required to fulfill, following the aforementioned examples, in all the multifarious situations and contexts of whatever we do in life.   'realize': intellectually as well as practically. '...scatter...': "Dedicate yourself exclusively to His Commandments (Al Deen) – God's pattern – upon which He fashioned Man. There is no altering (the pattern of) God's creation. That is the Precise Religion. But most people know not. Repairing to Him, and be cautious of your duty to Him, and be earnest in prayers, and be not of the Imputers – the ones who rent their religion and became splinter groups – each sect exulting in its own tenets!"(30: 30, 31, 33)


For a tour of the different, yet homogeneous versions of the Ten Commandments, look up: Al Quran, 2: 83-84,  2: 177,  4: 36,  6: 151, to 153,  13: 20 to 22,  17: 22 to 39,  23: 1 to 11, plus 57 to 61,   25: 63 to 84,  31: 13 to 19,  33: 35,  42: 36 to 40,  70: 22 to 35. Revised, 8th edition, November 29, 2012. Compiled by: A. Ismail Sait, Punganur. Dial: 9502986955
                                                                                              READ ATTENTIVELY TIME AND AGAIN. REFLECT, COMPREHEND, REALIZE.

Since the release was copied and pasted, the original elegant format was lost. But the matter remains intact.

Regards,
A. Ismail Sait.