THE ART OF THINKING
Result-oriented Thinking
The study of the Quran tells us that the actual target of the Book of God (the Quran) is to change the thinking of an individual. The Quran gives many principles to inculcate right thinking in a person. Thinking is a person’s greatest action. Right thinking is, in fact, a form of worship. After his death, someone asked the widow of Abu Darda, a Companion of the Prophet, what his greatest action had been. She replied, “Thinking and drawing lessons.” Likewise, after the death of another Companion of the Prophet, Abu Dharr, someone asked his widow what his special worship had been, and she replied, “The whole day, he would keep thinking.”
Thinking occurs at the level of the mind. It is the mind that is the biggest aspect of human existence. Thinking makes a person capable of effectively planning his actions, which is key to his success. Thinking is the means for one’s intellectual development. Thinking lifts a person to a higher level of humanity. The Quran says: “Be mindful of God; He teaches you.” (2: 282)
In this verse, the Arabic word ilm means understanding. The meaning of this is God-consciousness in a person will engender in him a proper understanding of the religion. (Tafsir al-Qurtubi) From this, we learn that it is possible for a person to possess knowledge or information about religion and yet not possess a proper understanding of religion. This is because the source of true understanding of religion is God-consciousness, not mere knowledge. There is a supplication in a Hadith as follows: “O God, I seek refuge with You from the knowledge that is of no benefit.” (Sunan an-Nasa’i)
If a person possesses knowledge (in the sense of information) but does not possess the insight of marifah (God-realization), he will not understand the difference between one thing and another. What he speaks will be based simply on the information that he possesses. But in fact, it will be based on ignorance, and nothing else. For God- realization, knowledge is necessary, but a person of marifah is able to go beyond external knowledge to see inner realities. He is able to properly analyze information. He can read between the lines. He can see events in their proper perspective. These are some of the attributes of a person of marifah. Only for a person of marifah can his knowledge become beneficial. Without marifah, knowledge will only lead to ignorance.
Right thinking is an art. Those who have learned the art can construct a successful life in this world. It is through right thinking that one understands the difference between one thing and another; one discovers solutions to difficulties; one discerns hidden realities. Through right thinking, one learns how to convert minus points into plus points. Another name for right thinking is positive thinking.
Positive thinking gives us the direction to use our intellectual capacity, while negative thinking acts as a check upon the development of that intellectual capacity. Those who have a tendency towards negative thinking, think and plan only under the influence of external situations, which may or may not be particularly good. By keeping a positive mind, one can rise above the psychology of reaction or retaliation, plan objectively, and arrive at rational conclusions.
The truth of the matter is that it is our level of thinking that determines our success or failure. Success is the result of right thinking. Think right, do right, and succeed, both in this world and the Hereafter.
