Page 190 - Quranic Wisdom - New.indd

Widening the Horizon

Widening the Horizon

he Quran lays great emphasis on learning—through greater
Texperience, more profound study and keener observation. In
the chapter Al-Hajj (The Pilgrimage) of the Quran, one of the
verses elaborates this point:

Have these people not travelled through the land to
make their hearts understand and let their ears hear;
the truth is that it is not the eyes that are blind but the
hearts that are in the bosoms that are blinded. (22:46)
Travel, which is quite in accordance with the Quranic scheme
of things, is a great source of diverse experience. However, the
Quran does not favour travel for entertainment but rather advises
the undertaking of journeys in order to acquire knowledge and
experience. Indeed, travel facilitates the study of history and an
understanding of nature. In the real world, travel of this kind is
highly appreciable as part of the Quranic way of life.
This does not mean that you have to travel especially for this
purpose. It simply means that you have to travel keeping the
spiritual and intellectual benefits of journeying in mind. Man
has always been in the habit of travelling for different purposes.
Moving from place to place is a part of life. But the Quran insists
that when you must, travel with this mind. Whether your journey
is for business or for other purposes, you have to develop that
kind of eye which can see things in the light of experience and
which can learn lessons from observation.
Tawassum means to elicit spiritual lessons from material
experiences. And Quranic travel is that which is based on the
concept of tawassum. For example, when you purchase a ticket

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