Contemplation is recognizing of a born servant that Allah The Most High sees and knows all his behaviors and He is aware of the things that he thinks about. Allah-May His Glory be exalted- declared that:
“O mankind! reverence your Guardian-Lord Who created you from a single person created of like nature his mate and from them twain scattered (like seeds) countless men and women; reverence Allah through Whom ye demand your mutual (rights) and (reverence) the wombs (that bore you): for Allah ever watches over you.” (1)
“It was We who created man and We know what dark suggestions his soul makes to him: for We are nearer to him than (his) jugular vein.” (2)
“ Ah! ye are those who love them but they love you not though ye believe in the whole of the Book. When they meet you they say "We believe"; but when they are alone they bite off the very tips of their fingers at you in their rage. Say: "Perish in your rage; Allah knoweth well all the secrets of the heart.” (3)
“Is then He Who standeth over every soul (and knoweth) all that it doth (like any others)? And yet they ascribe partners to Allah. Say: "But name them! Is it that ye will inform Him of something He knoweth not on earth or is it (just) a show of words?" Nay! to those who believe not their pretence seems pleasing but they are kept back (thereby) from the Path: and those whom Allah leaves to stray no one can guide.” (4)
Allah The Most High, who is closer to man than his own aorta, knows everything inside or outside of him, all actions he does and all his thoughts. When a person considers that his Lord observes him and knows his all behavior and if this state of mind is permanent, it is like as if he sees Allah. Thus this state of contemplation which is described by The Prophet-May Allah commend and salute him- as “ihsan”-benevolence-: “ Ihsan is worshipping to Allah as if you see Him. Although you can not see Him, He always sees you.” is the basis of all virtuous behaviors.
Real contemplation is thinking of a person the One who observes him. There are two levels of contemplation-murakabe- which causes a kind of spiritual knowledge in the hearts and which is seen as good deeds of parts of the body.
The first level is murakabe of truthful people who are close to Allah and it is known as contemplation-murakabe- of honoring and exalting. A person who experiences this contemplation is absorbed by thinking that divine Glory and Magnificance with his heart and he is suppressed under this contemplation. He can not look and see the beings other than the One whom he contemplates. This is a murakabe that is peculiar to heart. In respect of obedience he is like a tool in the power of Allah. He can not do something but it has been done to him; without thinking and difficulty he has been walked on the limits of Sunna. When someone is absorbed in murakabe-contemplation- the organs of the body do the good deeds, virtuous behaviors themselves without any exertion. All aims of that person has become only one aim and Allah has him been far a way from other desires and goals. A person who reaches this point can not be aware of creatures. Even although his eyes are open he can not see the things around and he can not hear the things told him although his ears are healthy.
The second level is the contemplation -murakabe- of pious ones whose records of deeds will be given on the right. They certainly know that Allah observes their inside and outside but The Grandeur and Glory of Lord have not awed them yet and their hearts remain in the normal state. They see their states and deeds. The feeling of shyness against Allah prevails over them. They do not the things they are not sure about and avoid doing the things they will be ashamed in the day of last judgment. Because in the world life they know that Allah observes them, they do not need to see the doomsday.
Allah ordered to His born servant to consider the actions he will take, to observe his conditions, to do the things that he knows as true by the light of knowledge, to avoid the things that are not right and not to fall into a wrong deed. Because if man doesn't turn a way a thought of doing bad inside of him, this thought happened in him turns to be a desire, desire becomes an effort and effort turns to be a will and will becomes an action. Such an action causes dangers and the Wrath of Allah.
Then it needs to remove the badness in the source of it and this source is thought. The other steps follow the thought. If a born servant can not estimate if an action is right or wrong he tries to learn it by the light of knowledge and he take refuge with Allah from the deception of Satan and his laying a trap with the desire of his own carnal mind . If a person considers his intention and purpose he can perform the rules of worship beautifully in a sincere way.
Then at the beginning of the day a born servant should promise for advising the truth. At the end of the day he should examine all his behaviors just as tradesmen do for their buying and selling, gain and loss at the end of the day or month. While the gain a loss of temporary world is calculated how the behaviors which may cause eternal happiness or unhappiness are not considered.
According to an advice of Gazali, a born servant should examine all his lifetime and consider which behaviors he has done. Tevbe Ibn Samma who lived in Rakka did so: He considered his lifetime and told that it is sixty years. When he saw that this time is twenty thousand and five hundred days he said: “Alas, if I commit one sin a day that means I will go to death with twenty thousands and fifty hundred sins however may I have ten thousands of sins a day.” By saying so he screamed, fell down and died. A voice was heard saying: “Go to the highest paradise at once”.
So a born servant should examine himself like that. If he put a stone for every sin he commits, in a short time those stones fill his house. But man forgets sins and neglects them. But the two angels who are charged with recording his deeds do not forget and record all his acts.
“On the Day that Allah will raise them all up (again) and show them the truth (and meaning) of their conduct. Allah has reckoned its (value) though they may have forgotten it: for Allah is Witness to all things.” (5)
A born servant needs to use his time carefully as if he will die every moment, and he should be prepared to death so that he wouldn't be caught by death unprepared. The most suitable life for him is like the one mentioned in that hadith narrated by Ebu Zerr: “A believer works for three things: Provisions of the next world, the necessary sustenance in this world and looking to the one which is not prohibited- a woman lived by being married. A believer should divide his time into four: In one of them he should pray to his Lord, on the other he should call himself to account, on one of them he should consider the art of Allah in His creatures, and in one of them he should eat and drink”
According to Gazali, if a born servant considers the art of Allah, His Power and Wisdom in the foods during the time he uses for eating and drinking, this becomes more virtuous than much worship performed with body. People are divided into four about their behaviors related to foods:
One group of people see foods with lesson and think that they are made the basis of life and the existence of live beings dependent on them. Their thought is on that level.
Another group sees them with anger. They say that only necessarily, for living it is suitable to eat them. They are ascetic people.
Third group sees the Creator in the art and they rose to thinking the attributes of Allah from thinking them looking those foods open the way of meditation to them. This level is the highest one of the levels of sagacious people and a sign of love.
There is another group that they have no other idea than acquiring food and drink. They become happy when they attain them and become sad when they are out of one's hands. Because they do not think the Power behind them, they speak ill of the meal and get angry with the cook. They do not consider that Allah is the One who gives the taste to food and the power and skill of cooking to the cook.
During his journey Ibn Omar saw a shepherd who pastured sheep and said him: “Would you sell a ship from this herd? The shepherd said “The herd is not mine I can't sell ” Ibn Omar said: “You can say to the owner that a wolf carried off one of them and it's over ” The shepherd replied to Ibn Omar that: “ Okay where is Allah” After that event for ,a while Ibn Omar used to say from time to time “That shepherd had said : Where is Allah” . (7)
So this is the contemplation-murakabe-which detains the person from all kinds of badness and draws near to Allah.
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(1) Chapter Nisâ, 4/1.
(2) Chapter Kaf, 50/16.
(3) Chapter Âl-i Imrân, 3/119.
(4) Chapter Ra'd, 13/33.
(5) Chapter Mujâdele, 58/6.
(6) The Treatise of Kushayri