25. THE HABITS OF THE VIGILANT
I contemplated the acts of worship (‘ibadat) of most people and realised them to be habitual (‘adat).
Whereas the habits of the vigilant (yaqza) are the true acts of worship (‘ibadah baqiqd)22A and the excitement of such thoughts (fikr) overwhelms him and consequently he says: “Subhan Allah!”
If a person is to thoughtfully contemplate a pomegranate; notice the arranging of its seeds, how the membrane preserves it to avert its size reduction, and the existence of its juicy liquid on the seed, and the placement of the membrane on it to protect it— and if a person is to contemplate the image of the chick in the egg, and the human in the womb of his mother and so forth: his thoughts will hasten him to the exaltation of the Creator (al-Khaliq), and therefore he says, ‘Subhan Allah!’
The fruit (thamra) of this thoughtful contemplation is this tasbih, which is the tasbih of the vigilant whose thoughts still wander around until their tasbih is uttered with certainty.
The vigilant also think of the ugliness of preceding sins that have been committed, which propels his inner soul (nafs) and disturbs his heart {qalb) and the feelings of regret (nadm). The fruit of these agitated emotions is to say, “O Allah, forgive my sins!”
Truly, this is the true repentance (istighfar) and tasbih whereas the heedless (ghajla) say all that out of habit.
Indeed, the difference between the two is evident and great.
(Source: al-Hafiz Abu’l-Faraj ibn al-jawzl [d. 597AH] “CAPTURED THOUGHTS being” a translation of his masterpiece ‘Sayd al-K hatir)
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