ʿIbra
Definition
ʿIbra — taking a lesson, drawing a moral from what one sees — is the specific fruit that beneficial tafakkur is meant to produce. The word shares a root with ʿabara, meaning 'to cross over' — the idea being that the contemplating heart crosses over from the surface of what it observes to the deeper meaning beneath. Al-Ghazali teaches that every phenomenon in the world contains ʿibra for those who will look: the ruins of past civilizations speak of the fragility of worldly power; the death of every living thing speaks of the certainty of one's own death; the dependence of every plant on sun and water speaks of one's own dependence on God. ʿIbra is contemplation that changes how one lives.
As understood in the classical tradition of Imam al-Ghazali and the scholars of his school.
Appears in
2 books in the library
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