In another āyah He says...

In another āyah He says: “ Therefore, narrate the narratives [ qasas ] that they may reflect.” [^4] There are so many āyah s of this like or almost the like, as well as narratives [ riwāyāt ] which invite to reflection.

The Messenger of Allah ( s ) is quoted to have said, on the revelation of the āyah “ Surely in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of the night and the day there are signs for men of understanding” [^5] “Woe to the one who reads it and does not reflect upon it.”[^6] An important point in this respect is that one should know what the commended reflection is, as there is no doubt in the fact that it is praiseworthy to think about the Qur'an and the hadīth s**.** The best expression for it is that of the Khājah 'Abdullāh al-Ansārī (may Allah sanctify his soul).

He says: “Do know that reflection is the insight's attempt to understand the purpose.”[^7] That is, reflection is a seeking by the “insight” [ basīrat ] , which is the eye of the heart, wanting to attain the aim and the result, which are the utmost perfection. It is quite clear that the destination [ maqsad ] and the aim [ maqsūd ] are the absolute happiness, attainable through theoretical and practical perfection.

Therefore, it is man's duty to obtain the humane objective and result, being happiness, from the noble āyah s of the divine Book and from its stories and tales. And, since happiness is to attain absolute safety, the world of light and the straight path, man should find through the honored Qur'an the ways to safety, the source of the absolute light and the straight path, as was stated in the previously mentioned noble āyah.

When the reciter gets the aim, he becomes clear-sighted in getting to it, and the door of being benefited by the Qur'an opens to him and with it the doors of the mercy of Allah open, too. He, then, would not spend his dear and short years and his capital for obtaining happiness on matters which are not intended by the Message, preventing himself from indulging in useless discussion and talk about such an important subject.

Having directed his heart's eye for some time to this purpose, neglecting other matters, the eye of the heart gets sharp in observing, and meditating on the Qur'an becomes common to him, and the ways of utilization open to him, and there open to him such doors that had not already been open to him, and he obtains from the Qur'an such matters and knowledge that he had never obtained before.