Aslam

We shall confine ourselves with modes of thinking in connection with religious affairs which concern with God. These are two - thinking with regard to one's virtues and vices and thinking with regard to God, His existence, His attributes and names and with regard to His creations, sovereignty, heavens and earth and what is in them. To give an illustration, the travellers towards God and those who desire to meet with Him are like lovers. A lover is always engaged in thoughts of his beloved, his beauty and figure. He also gets enjoyment in meeting with him. This pleasure is increased by his remembrance of his qualities and conduct. He thinks, how to correct himself for getting his love. Similarly his thoughts are confined within three divisions. (1) He thinks over his conducts and actions, what is good and what is bad. This is concerned with worldly learnings.

(2) He thinks over spiritual matters. This includes what is dear to Allah and what is not. This is again open like virtues and vices and secret like virtues of salvation and vices of destruction. Virtue and vice keep connection with seven organs of the body.

There are three matters for thinking about what is not dear to God - (1) to think whether a particular action is dear to God or not. Defects of many actions are not disclosed and await deep thinking, (2) to find out a way by thinking to remove a bad thing,

(3) and to think whether the thing not dear to Allah is concerned with the past, present or future from which precaution is to be taken.

OBJECTS OF THOUGHTS ARE FOUR - (1) vices, (2) virtues, (3) vices of destruction, and (4) virtues of salvation.

Vol-IV PONDERING OVER GOOD 375

(1) Vices: A man rising early in the morning should think what organ of his body has sinned. If it is a fact, he must abandon it immediately and must repent for its commission. If there is likelihood of its being committed, he shall take every precaution for not committing it again. Tongue. Tongue is an instrument of vices like back-biting, lies etc. Think first that there are vices prohibited by God in the Quran and that these will meet with severe punishment not only in this world but in the world next also. Think how to save yourself from these sins - whether by having recourse to loneliness or companionship with good people. Ear. Think how to save the ears from hearing back-biting, falsehood, frivolous talks, etc. Stomach. Think about temptations of taking unlawful foods, think wherefrom these are coming, whether from lawful source or unlawful source. Think in a similar way about your house, dress, acquired wealth and other riches. Think about the methods of lawful earnings and the ways of saying yourself from unlawful ways and means.