Definition Of Thought
If one looks through linguistic dictionaries, logical and scientific studies which deal with the definition of thought and talk about it; he will see that there is a clear confinement and strict definition of thought in these studies and sciences. So, it is more useful, here, to offer many definitions for thought; as they have been related to some distinguished personalities of thought, science and language.
Al-Raghib al-Esfahani said: ‘Idea is a struck-power of convincing for science to reach to the known thing; and thinking is a wandering of that power in accordance with the intellect's view which deals with the human being rather than animals. And that will be correct if it has an image being formed in the intellect.' At that, it was related:
‘It is better to think of Allah's favours, not of His very essence for He is too exalted for being termed by any image'. As the Qur'an says:
“Thus does Allah make clear to you the signs that you may ponder” (2:219).
A thoughtful man means thinking much.
Some men of letters have said: ‘The word ‘thought' is derived from a word meaning ‘rubbing'. Whereas with regard to meanings the word ‘thought' is being used for giving meaning in probing deeply into the cases and searching through them to reach their truth1'. And, also, Ibn Mandhoor said: ‘Thought is the taking up of the intellect into a thing2'.
The late Sheikh ‘Abbas al-Qummi has defined ‘thought' as follows: ‘Be aware that the essence of thinking is to ask for non-axiomatic science through premises which lead to it. And it was said: Thinking is a march of essence from the beginnings to the destinations; and it is closer to the view. And no one can ascend from defect to perfection without this march3'.
In another definition to ‘thought' given by Sheikh Muhammad Ridha’ al-Mudhaffar follows thus: ‘You know, as we have said before, that ‘thought' means to perform an intellectual process on given facts in order to reach to a demanded thing.'
The demanded thing is to know about the absent ignorance; and in another meaning ‘thought' is a mental movement from a known to an unknown thing4. Thus, that team of distinguished personalities have put before us the definition and expression of the word ‘thought' or ‘thinking'. By this, the fact of thinking becomes clear along with its diagnosed meaning which is as follows: It is a mental motion and power of reason through which a man can discover things which are unknown to him and the aim is to be gained by his research. Due to this, all his knowledge, sciences and ideas, in life, will be developed.
According to what has been mentioned, we find ourselves able to reach a serious result, thus: Most surely Islam in its vocation for thinking means only science and knowledge, as well as, the discovery of codes that touch on thought, nature, society and life. Of course, that most surely gives life, Islamic knowledge and civilization a dynamic feature which is considered a development, growth, activity and continual secret that has an effect on human progress. Moreover, it is an immunity from collapse, as well as, historical stoppage and absence.
