Nazar
Definition
Nazar — often translated as 'rational consideration' or 'looking' — is the active engagement of the intellect with observable reality in order to extract its deeper meaning. Al-Ghazali presents nazar as one of the primary methods of tafakkur: looking at the world around one, not as passive observation but as active inquiry — asking what this reality reveals about its Creator, what wisdom is embedded in this design, what divine intention lies behind this phenomenon. The Quran repeatedly commands this kind of nazar: 'Do they not look at the sky? Do they not consider the camel? Do they not observe the earth?' — inviting the human mind to become a reader of divine signs.
As understood in the classical tradition of Imam al-Ghazali and the scholars of his school.
Appears in
1 book in the library
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