Why would scholars of Islam and Sufism ask for the meaning of thinking, hundreds of years ago? Perhaps this Hadith (Prophetic Narration) needed much explanation:
An hour of thinking is better than 60 years of worship, said the Prophet peace be upon him.
http://untiredwithloving.org/fikra_thinking.html
Today this Hadith will rarely be mentioned in the mosques, but way back when people heard it again and again and pondered upon its meaning.
Shabistari versed: Thinking is a voyage, to travel from Batil to Haqq.
Batil means anything other than Allah:
22:62, 31:30. Anna Allah Huwa (IT, He) Al-Haqq Wa(and/while) what you invoke besides Hu (IT, He) it Al-Batil
ذَٲلِكَ بِأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ هُوَ ٱلۡحَقُّ وَأَنَّ مَا يَدۡعُونَ مِن دُونِهِۦ هُوَ ٱلۡبَـٰطِلُ
For meaning of Haqq see:
http://untiredwithloving.org/haqiqa.html
Mufradat
Isfahani
The original meaning of Haqq is conformity or congruity similar to something mechanically/geometrically fitting another thing e.g. a hinge’s pin fitting into the hinge’s socket or cavity (Huqqa) in such a way that the door could swing around the hinge’s pin firmly, when placed into the socket or cavity (Huqqa).
Dara: Door’s utility characteristics functionality and usage are all directly linked to the said ‘conformity’ of the hinge’s pin to hinge’s socket. Without this conformity the door ceases and its functionality and utility of swinging to open/close desist.
Irfan: All that which is from Allah is Haqq (Valid) and all that which is not from Allah i.e. from other than Allah is Batil (Invalid).
Batil produces nothing, engineers nothing, endeavors nothing, while Haqq gives everything its functionality and originates things into being:
34:49. Say: Came Al-Haqq and Al-Batil made nothing and reinstated nothing
قُلۡ جَآءَ ٱلۡحَقُّ وَمَا يُبۡدِئُ ٱلۡبَـٰطِلُ وَمَا يُعِيدُ
In conclusion Shabistari says: One sure bet to voyage towards Allah is via thinking! And to find new things and bring things to fruition and reinstate them is by Haqq and voyaqe to Haqq is thinking.
Answer: Fikrat/Tafakkur, is the means to reach knowledge of Allah, Ma’rifat; and thinking is of two kinds, logical demonstration, and spiritual illumination.
Verse 75, first row:
Tasawwur, conception, thought, “idea”.
Verse 75, second row:
Tazakkar, reminiscence, memorizes.
Verse 76, second row:
Ibrat, from ‘abr, passing over, to pass from one locaton to another, the thought can cross several different realms of knowledge, so they can learn something (about Allah). This corresponds Fikrat, within Irfan.
Verse 78, second row:
Tasdik, assertion, verification, proposal.
Verse 81, second row:
Tasdik, assertion, verification, proposal.
Verse 81, second row:
Taqlid, “To follow (someone)”, “to imitate”, blind faith, to consult a scribe in fiqh (jurisprudence/philosophy) concerning questions of law and so on. Without necessarily questioning scripture reference or reasoning of a decision.
Verse 82, second row:
Qu’ran, surah 20:11-13. And when he came to it (burning bush), he was called, “O Moses, Indeed, I am your Lord, so remove your sandals. Indeed, you are in the sacred valley of Tuwaa. And I have choosed you, so listen to what is revelead.”
20:19-24. Allah said, “Throw it down, O Moses.” So he threw it down, and there upon it was a snake, moving swiftly. Allah said, “Seize it and fear not; We will return it to its former condition. And draw in your hand to your side; it will come out white without disease (another sign), That We May show you (some) of Our Greater signs. Go to Pharaoh. Indeed, he has transgressed.”
Verse 84, first row:
Al-Haqq, The Truth, The True One, The One who verily exists, one of Allah’s 99 Names (Asma al-Husna).
Verse 86, first row:
Tajrid, undressing, standing bare, seclussion from the underworld, logical abstraction, purification from self. Lahiji Explains it as “Passing by the stages of carnal lusts, and mental operations, and human pleasures and relations, and emerging from the limitation of self, Which veils man’s real essence.”
Verse 90, first row:
He argues in a circle; Proves one contingent/temporary proposition by another contingent, which in. its turn is Proved by the first, and so in an endess circle.
Verse 93, second row:
Hu, IT. Huwa, He. Within the Sufi language there is a word, Hu. That is a form of a third person absent pronoun Which is the description-less identifiable Replacing the word GOD. One can talk about the GOOD without talking about the deification and without describing the actions of GOD, rather one identifies a peculiar feeling of a PRESENCE That is wrong by some people, a presence That is watching and is close. That is called Hu, IT.
Verse 101, first row:
Far-sighted reason goes astray Because it looks afar off for “The Truth”, Which is nearer to us than our neck vein. See Qu’ran, surah 50:16-17. And We have created man and know what his soul whispers to him, and We are closer to him than (his) jugular vein. When the two receivers receive, seated on the right and on the left.
Verse 102, second row:
The philosopher regards Necessary and contingent matter as two distinct entities, Whereas there is only the One.
Verse 104, first row:
The verse says that due to deep thoughts the musing mind, (about Allah and creation), falls into two categories:
First, Philosophical, which in. greek means love for wisdom.
Second, Hulul-i: Examples of beliefs for Allah being an incarnation into the person of Jesus or Nusairiya incarnation of God into Imam Ali, and Lahiji says some ignorant people from amongst the Sufis call these groups of beliefs as Hulul-i.
He then says These anomalous forms of thinking about Allah, are Caused by musing with instrumentations of other than Allah, ie using other than Allah to understand the deep essence of Allah (Dhat) and That is not possible! The Tauhid Haqiqi, i.e. the oneness of Allah as IT is with Allah is only possible through Allah uncovering (kashf) a ray of light from itself and thus expose the observed (shahid) to Mushahada (observation of the said uncovered light).
Verse 105, first row:
Tashbîh, assimilaton, anthropomorphism etc. Refers to a group called Mushab-bi-hi, They give some attributes of corporeality/ physicality to the Haqq, ie Allah. Lahiji says due to the blindness and lack of seeing the Nur/Light from Allah, this group has been misguided. He says that these two doctrines are erranous apart, but true together. Allah is remote contingency, but is connected with the phenomenal world in that it is His reflection.
Verse 105, second row:
Tanzih, to declare the Godhead to be unprecedented, unequaled and so on. This is the above MENTIONED opposing group, They have a single tone-eye, name coined by Shabistari, These are the true seer of Allah’s light, as if They have one eye and They see one light.
Verse 106, first row:
Tanasukh, transmigration of souls, metempsychosis.
Verse 109, first row:
Tauhid, Oneness (of God).
Verse 110, second row:
Mankind, in this case the individual.
Verse 111, first row:
I.e., from quantity, quality, and relationship. Lahiji: Hu is therefore incomprehensible by the mind of man so long as it is not “illumined” by Divine grace.
Verse 111, second row:
Qu’ran, surah 16:3. Hu created the heavens and the earth in truth. High is Hu above what they associate with Hu.