The Nature and Excellence of Contemplation
In Islam, contemplation is one of the highest acts of worship that revives the heart and strengthens faith. Reflecting on creation to contemplate the greatness of the Creator, the immense order in the universe, and the truth of this transient world bestows profound divine wisdom upon a person 90, 91. Allah grants both worldly and afterlife knowledge to His servant in return for his contemplation. A person’s reflection on their own inadequacy, the inevitability of death, and the day of reckoning keeps them away from sins and leads them to true repentance 92, 93.
From Eye of the Head to Eye of the Heart (Insight)
The physical eye (sight) only perceives the outward appearance of things, while the spiritual eye called “insight” reads the divine secrets and truths behind things 94, 95. An intelligent person looks at things with the light of reason, and a knowledgeable person with the light of insight. A person whose insight is blinded only sees apparent causes; he cannot perceive the true originator (the Creator of the causes). On the other hand, a believer whose eye of the heart has been opened witnesses the mercy and instructive wisdom of Allah even in worldly troubles.
The Real Agent Beyond Causes
Those who contemplate realize that no event in the universe is coincidental and that every movement is dependent on Allah’s absolute will. The wise parable of the ant by Imam Ghazali summarizes this truth very clearly: “When an ant sees letters written on paper, it says that a pen wrote them; it does not look up to see the fingers holding the pen, the hand, the will, and the one who created them. Most people also only see the closest cause.” However, a contemplative person with insight sees the Absolute Power behind the scenes, surrendering all of their existence to His will, attaining endless peace and the truth of tawhid 56, 95.