Fikr means thinking. Like many other human activities, fikr can be for good or evil. There are many people whose thinking is directed towards harming others or in the service of falsehood and injustice. An example of this is mentioned in the Qur`an:
For he thought and
he plotted;
And woe to
him! How he plotted! (74:18-19)
A story that is
said to provide the background for this verse is that when the mission of the Prophet
(sall allah ‘alayhi wa sallam)
started and the season of hajj came, the Quraysh were concerned that the
Prophet would preach his message to the pilgrims and in this way turn them
against the Quraysh. So they decided that one of them, Walid bin Mughirah, should speak to the pilgrims and try to discredit
the Prophet. Walid thought hard about
what accusations he should fabricate against the Prophet. He applied logic,
listing many possibilities and then excluding them for various reasons. He
finally decided that he would defame the Prophet before the pilgrims as a
magician.
These days there
are missionary and zionist individuals and organizations that are similarly
busy thinking about how to harm Muslims and to discredit Islam and its Prophet,
not by fair use of the evidence but by manipulating it. The past few centuries
have also produced in the West people called “orientalists” who carry out
studies of other societies and religions in order to assist their countries in colonizing
other people and/or taking away their lands and/or attacking them and/or
exploiting their labor and resources.
Apart from the
passage cited above, fikr is used in the Qur`an in a positive
sense. It is closely related[1]
with ‘aql, which is always used in a
positive or neutral sense. ‘Aql means: sense, reason, understanding,
discernment, rationality, intelligence[2].
Fikr and ‘aql lead to
fiqh, which means understanding and in
the Qur`an usually refers to the understanding of religious principles.
Fikr and ‘aql take
place in our minds or brains but it is closely related to our hearts, that is, our
motivations and emotional reactions to events. Our hearts to a large extent determine
what we will think about, how we will think about it and what conclusions we
will reach. Likewise, our thinking and reasoning can influence our hearts, modifying
our motivations and emotional reactions. Enough of our thinking and reasoning needs
to be specifically directed towards our motivations and emotional reactions, so
that they become more reasonable. We also need to think more about the short-term
and long-term consequences of our actions for ourselves and others. Islam is
primarily concerned with this type of thinking and reasoning. Walid bin
Mughirah used thinking and logic to devise a plan to discredit the Prophet but
he did not think and reason enough about his motivations and emotions or
consequences of his actions. In Islamic terms he would be considered among
“people who do not reason” (qawm la
ya‘qilun) or “people who do not understand” (qawm la yafqahun).
We cannot really
become reasonable people unless our hearts also become reasonable. An obvious characteristic
of a reasonable person is that s/he does not ignore or suppress or deny any of her/his
observations and experiences and does not rashly jump to conclusions on the
basis of some others. But this would not be the case if our motivations and
emotions are unreasonable. In some specific matters we may be able to carry out
a very rational and profound analysis but if our motivations are misguided and
our emotional reactions are unsound, then in some other important matters we
would incorrectly use our observations and experiences. We would ignore some of
them, build too much on some others, and as a result arrive at erroneous and
possibly disastrous conclusions.
To be a thinking/reasoning
person with overall reasonable approach to life, one does not have to be a
great philosopher or scholar or scientist. Even a simple uneducated person can have
such an approach. After all many of the early ashab of the Messenger
of Allah were uneducated slaves. And if a simple uneducated person can be
essentially a reasonable person, a great philosopher or scholar or scientist may
be essentially an unreasonable person. For example many philosophers, scholars
and scientists supported Hitler’s mad enterprise of establishing supremacy of
German race over other nations and races just as many others now support the
equally mad Zionist enterprise of emptying a country of its inhabitants and
making it a racist Jewish country.
HUMAN BEINGS ARE MEANT TO GROW TO BECOME THINKING/
REASONING PEOPLE
The Book of Allah
says:
It is he
who has created you from dust then from a sperm-drop, then from a clot; then he
brings you out as a child for you to reach your age of full strength, then to
become old -- though some of you die before that -- then to reach a time (of
death) appointed and in order that you may reason. (40:67)
The concluding
words of this verse, “in order that you may reason” show that just as a human
being, starting from a sperm-drop, should normally develop into a child, then
reach the age of full strength, then to become old, and then die, so also he
should become a thinking/reasoning person.
FIKR AND ‘AQL ARE A PRIMARY MEANS TO RECEIVE RELIGIOUS GUIDANCE
The Holy Qur`an
makes it clear that normally fikr and
‘aql are a necessary as well as a sufficient
means to receive religious guidance. That is:
1)
As a rule, thinking and reasoning should
by themselves lead to the basic religious truth taught in Islam. Every sane
human being makes enough observations in the world outside and in his own self
and has sufficient mass of information stored in his subconscious that if he has
a thinking/reasoning attitude he should normally be led to the basic message of
Islam, though not to all of its specific teachings.
2)
Thinking and reasoning are normally
required before a person can receive religious guidance. People who do not
think enough and do not use their reason enough get lost into serious error.
The basic religious truth
The basic
religious truth taught in Islam may be expressed as follows (2:62, 91:7-10,
98:5 etc):
a)
Reality has an internal harmony and unity,
it is transcendent and mysterious, and it is purposeful (belief in one God).
b)
Man’s actions have consequences even
beyond his death (belief in the hereafter).
c)
Right and wrong are generally known to
human nature; man needs to do what is right and avoid what is wrong (leading a
righteous life).
d)
The above three beliefs should not simply
be professed but affect our motivations, emotions, and actions.
Fikr and ‘aql can by themselves lead to the basic religious truth
The Holy Qur`an says that when the disbelieving people will
be brought to hell:
They
will say: "Had we but listened or
used our intelligence, we should not be
among the companions of the blazing fire!" (67:10)
This verse
mentions two ways for safety from the fire of hell: sam‘ and ‘aql. Sam‘ refers to listening to and
understanding the message brought by the Messenger while ‘aql refers to using one’s reason. This suggests that fikr and ‘aql can by themselves lead man to guidance. The same conclusion is
suggested by verses in which some basic Islamic teachings are introduced with
words like:
afala t(y)a‘qilun (do you or they not reason)
in kuntum ta‘qilun (if only you reason)
afalam takunu ta‘qilun (did you not reason)
afala tatafakkarun (do you not think)
tatafakkaru (think!)
awalam yatafakkaru (do they not think).
in kuntum ta‘qilun (if only you reason)
afalam takunu ta‘qilun (did you not reason)
afala tatafakkarun (do you not think)
tatafakkaru (think!)
awalam yatafakkaru (do they not think).
For example:
Do they
not reflect on their own selves? Not but for just ends and for a term
appointed, did Allah create the heavens and the earth, and all between them.
Yet
are
there truly many among men who deny the meeting with their Lord! (30:8)
Here it is
understood that if people reflect on their own selves, i.e., on their
motivations, feelings, pursuits etc they can reach the conclusion that there is
purpose in this universe, that the universe is moving towards an appointed
time, and that we will meet with our Lord (for reward and punishment). Other
similar verses are: 6:32 ,
7:169, 7:184, 10:16 , 11:51 , 12:109, , 21:10 , 21:67, 23:80, 26:28, 28:60, 36:62,
34:46.
Fikr and ‘aql are normally necessary to realize the basic religious truth
The Holy Qur`an often
says that the signs that Allah shows us in nature (2:164, 13:3-4,
16:10-12, 16:67-69, 30:24, 28, 39:42, 45:5, 13), or in history (29:35), or in
our own selves (30:21, 39:42), or in the Qur`an (10:24) are
for those who are in the habit of thinking and reasoning: li qawm yatafakkarun and li qawm ya‘qilun. This shows that thinking and reasoning are normally necessary to
find guidance. This is also clear from several verses stating that those who do
not use ‘aql are not guided:
Among
them are some who listen (with their physical ears) to you (O Prophet). But can
you make the (mentally) deaf to hear (with the ears of their hearts),
considering that they do not reason? (10:42 ; see
also 6:25, 17:46 , 18:57 , where the verb used is faqiha)
This verse shows
that one needs to be in the habit of using one’s ‘aql before one can be guided by the message brought by the
Prophet.
Indeed,
the worst of living creatures in the sight of Allah are the deaf and the dumb
(human beings), those who do not reason. (8:22 )
According to this
verse human beings who do not use their ‘aql
are worse than all living creatures. This is because other living creatures
grow to realize the potential of development with which Allah created them
while human beings who do not think and reason fall ruefully short of their
potential.
The idea that
those human beings who do not use their faculties of thinking and reasoning are
worse than animals is also stated in the following verse:
Many
are the jinns and men we have made for hell. They have hearts wherewith they
understand not, eyes wherewith they see not, and ears wherewith they hear not.
They are like cattle, nay more misguided. These are the ones who are heedless.(7:179)
A common way to
reject the use of ‘aql is to insist
on ideas received from past generations without question. The Qur`an condemns
this and once again uses a comparison with animals:
When it
is said to them: "Follow what Allah has sent down:" They say:
"Nay! we shall follow the ways of our fathers." What! even though
their fathers did not understand a thing and were not well-guided? The example
of those who reject faith is as if one were to shout like a goat-herd, to (creatures)
that listen to nothing but calls and cries: Deaf, dumb, and blind, they do not
reason. (2:170-171)
The following
verse also makes clear that without fikr
and ‘aql the guidance does not come.
No person
can believe, except by the will of Allah, and he placed rijs on those who do not reason.
(10:100)
The statement that
faith does not come without Allah’s leave does not mean that thinking and reasoning
done in the right way do not lead to faith. It rather means that like other
human efforts, there are many possibilities of things going wrong. The right
way of thinking and reasoning, as mentioned before, is to ignore none of our
observations or experiences and jump to premature conclusions on the basis of
none. This is easy to say but difficult to achieve. The tendency to ignore some
evidence and to overuse some other is extremely strong in human beings. History
shows that even in science very clever
and intelligent people think and reason for years only to reach completely
wrong conclusions. And the possibility of error in the matter of religion is much
greater because: a) religious truth is much more illusive than scientific
truth, especially before it has been expressed in a revelation; b) religious
truth demands a radical change in the way we live and is therefore resisted much
more by man’s own self than scientific truth.
Hence for an
overwhelming majority of people guidance comes in two steps: They develop a
thinking/reasoning attitude. This leads them to listen to the message of the
Prophet with some open-mindedness, which then makes them accept his message.
Afterwards they direct a good part of their thinking and reasoning to the
Qur`an itself and develop further in the understanding and practice of Islam.
The meaning of rijs
The verse 10:100
quoted above says that Allah places rijs
(dirt or filth) on those who do not reason. But what is this rijs?
The following
verses give weakness, fearfulness, defeats, divisions, and hypocrisy as the
results of not using ‘aql and it is
natural to think that these negative results constitute rijs:
They
will not fight you (even) together, except in fortified townships, or from
behind walls. Strong is their fighting amongst themselves. You would think they
were united, but their hearts are divided. That is because they are a people
who do not reason. (59:14)
O Prophet!
Rouse the believers to the fight. If there are twenty steadfast amongst you,
they will overcome two hundred and if a hundred, they will overcome a thousand
of the unbelievers. For these are a people who do not understand[3].
(8:65)
Whenever
there comes down a Surah, they look at each other, (saying with their eyes),
"Does anyone see you?" Then they turn aside: Allah has turned their
hearts (from the truth); for they are a people that do not understand. (9:127)
Some Muslims
discourage thinking/reasoning on the grounds that this will mislead people or
create divisions. The above verses teach the exact opposite. They tell us that thinking/reasoning,
far from misleading people is necessary for receiving guidance and that it is
lack of thinking/reasoning that leads to all types of rijs, weakness, cowardice, hypocrisy, and yes, even divisions. I
would say that differences among people who think and reason is rahmah or mercy from Allah. And
agreement among people who do not think and reason is la‘nah or curse from Allah.
The meaning of deaf, dumb, and blind
Several verses
describe those who do not think and do not use their ‘aql as deaf and/or dumb and/or blind. In case of blindness the
Qur`an clarifies the meaning:
Do they not
travel through the land that they may have hearts with which to reason and ears
with which to hear? (In most cases), it is not the eyes that become blind, but
the hearts that are in the breasts. (22:46 )
Thus blindness is
the failure to apply ‘aql to what one
sees and as a result fail to see a great many important truths. For various
reasons we ignore or suppress or deny some of what we observe and experience.
This makes us blind to some very important religious truths. Similarly, we can
speak of deafness as the failure to apply ‘aql
to what one hears. But what is dumbness? Dumbness is not to speak the truth as
one sees it but as a habit say what serves one’s interests or the interests of
one’s group or repeat the generally or traditionally accepted views without
thinking. When one does that over a long period, one’s ability to perceive
truth is all but lost.
Notice that in
this verse reasoning is said to be done with the hearts. Non-Muslims have
objected to this as a proof of the Qur`an’s ignorance of the fact that thinking
and reasoning is done in the brain (see also 7:179, where fiqh is associated with the heart). Muslims have replied by saying
that the Qur`an uses the language of literature and not of science. But while
this reply is valid, there is probably more to the Qur`anic reference to hearts
doing the reasoning. It is probably drawing attention to the fact, noted earlier,
that brain cannot reason adequately in all important matters unless our
motivations and emotional reactions, often associated with the heart in
literature, also become reasonable. Moreover, reaching the basic religious truth
involves not only cerebral thinking and reasoning but also some intuitive
sense, which is likewise associated with the heart.
FIKR AND ‘AQL AND REVELATION
One may ask: If fikr and ‘aql can by themselves lead to religious truth, then what is the
function of the Qur`anic revelation? The answer to this question is:
n
There are so many possibilities of our
thinking and reasoning going astray due to the unreasonableness of our
motivations and emotions that relatively few people reach the basic religious
truth on their own. An overwhelming majority of people need revelation to guide
their thinking and reasoning towards the truth. Revelation provides the
clearest possible expression of the basic religious truth and in this way makes
the journey of thinking/reasoning people towards the truth much easier.
n
Even those who do reach the truth on their
own, their sense of it in most cases is so hazy and their hold on it so weak
that they can loose it under the pressures and influences that they must
inevitably face. Revelation helps such people stay on the guidance and not fall
back into error under various pressures and influences.
n
Revelation creates social environment in
which realizing the truth and staying on the path indicated by it becomes much
easier.
After Allah leads
thinking/reasoning people to the revelation given to the Holy Prophet, they
realize that he must be obeyed, since otherwise it would be an
unacceptable loss of opportunities to do good in the world. Also, their thinking/reasoning
does not stop but continues except that a major part of their thinking/reasoning
is now done using the Qur`an.
The Qur`an is very
concerned about its basic message being understood and not simply
accepted as a revealed mystery, although it does contain mysteries. Thus it says
that its revelation is in Arabic so that you, its first recipients, may
understand (la‘allakum ta‘qilun: 12:2, 43:3). And after giving laws
(2:219, 242, 6:151, 24:61), parables (2:266, 7:176, 59:21, and mentioning signs
from nature (57:17) it often says “that you or they may understand or use ‘aql (la‘allak{h}um
t{y}atafakkarun or la‘allak(h)um t{y}a‘qilun). Then in some verses it states the
same for the whole book:
(This
is) a book that We have sent down unto you (O Prophet), full of blessings, that
they may reflect on its verses, and that men of understanding may receive
admonition. (38:29)
The word for “reflect”,
tadabbara, always used in the Qur`an
(4:82, 47:24, 23:68) in connection with reflection on the Qur`an itself, also means: to be prepared or organized or
planned and to treat with care. It has thus a sense of thinking in a careful,
organized and thorough way.
… We
have sent down unto you (O Prophet) the Message that you may explain clearly to
men what is sent for them, and that they may think. (16:44 )
The words “that you
may explain clearly to men what is sent for them” are often correctly used to
argue that the authentic ahadith are a source of Islamic guidance. But we
should also not forget the last words, “that they may think”. These words show
that there are really three sources of guidance in Islam: the revealed message,
its explanation by the Prophet and man’s
own thinking/reasoning.
CONCLUSION
The verses I have
quoted show that Allah expects man to think about nature, history, basic
philosophical questions such as whether there is a purpose in the universe,
about our motivations and emotions and about the Qur`an itself. In early
Islamic centuries this inspired Muslims, on the one hand, to study, develop or
initiate all kinds of fields of knowledge, and, on the other hand, to devise
spiritual systems of tasawwuf
for inner development. The Qur`an demands us to do this in all ages. But in the
past few centuries we have not been doing enough thinking and making enough use
of ‘aql about the world around us and
about the Qur`an itself. And tasawwuf
has largely degenerated into superstitious deviations from Islam. So as a
result, just as the Qur`an says, the rijs
of weakness, fearfulness, cowardice, hypocrisy, and divisions has been placed
on us. May Allah forgive us and enable us to pay heed to his call to think and
reason.
By: Dr. Ahmad Shafaat
http://www.islamicperspectives.com/Fikr.htm
[1] The Qur`an
several times puts fikr and ‘aql in parallel verses next to each
other, e.g.
13:3-4, 16:10-12, 16:67-69, 30:21, 24.
i)
To intern, to arrest, confine, overcome
(in wrestling and throw down the opponent). Thus ‘aqala al-ba‘ira means he
tied (the feet of) the camel and ‘aqala
lisan hu means he tied his
tongue, that is, made him speechless.
ii)
To be or to bring something within the
grasp of the mind, to comprehend, to understand. Also, to be reasonable, have
intelligence, to be in one’s senses, to be conscious. The word can also mean,
to have memory of something Thus la a‘qal hadha means “I have no
memory of this.”
iii)
To pay blood money.
In the Qur`an the meaning of the
world is “understanding” or “reasoning”. In 2:75 it is said that the Jews used
to hear the word of God and then after understanding (‘aqalu) its meaning used to change it. In other verses, the meaning
is mostly reasoning.
