Chapter IX: Meditation
PONDERING OVER GOOD
The Holy Prophet said: Good thinking for an hour is better then divine service for one year. The Holy Quran gives encouragement to Tadabbar (efforts to recognise attribute), I'tebar (to take lessons), Nazr (deep insight) and Iftekar (thinking). It is no secret that good thought is the key to light, beginning of deep insight, door to various knowledge and path to Ma'rfat and understanding. Many men have understood its excellence, but have not known its real nature, its effects, its root and ways. How to think of God, what to think, why to think, with whose help to think are the things that were unknown to them. We shall try to give their details.
MERITS OF GOOD THINKING
The Almighty enjoined us to do good and He praises those who think good. He says: They remember Allah standing, sitting and lying on their sides and think of the creation of the heavens and earth: O God, Thou hast not created this in vain. Hazrat Ibn Abbas said: A party of men were thinking of God, when the Prophet said: Ponder over the creation of Allah, and don't ponder over Allah because you cannot realise His power.
The Prophet said that he came to a company of men and saw that they were in a pensive mood. He asked them: What do you talk? They said: We are thinking of the creations of Allah. He said: Do it and think over the creations of Allah. Don't think over His self or existence. There is a white land near the western hemisphere. It's light is white and whiteness is its brilliance. It's distance is the path of sun's movement for forty days. There are some beings there whose eyes are not disobedient to Allah for the twinkling of an eye. The companions asked: O Prophet of Allah, how far does the devil live from them? He said: They don't know whether the devil was created or not. The companions asked: Are they the children of Adam? He said: They don't know whether Adam was created or not.
Ata said: One day I and Obaid-bin Amer went to Hazrat Ayesha and were talking with her. There was a screen between her and us. Hazrat Ayesha said: O Obaid, why don't you meet me? He said: For a saying of the Prophet. He said: Meet me\jff
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