Principle 14 — The Process of Reflection

Abu Darda was a companion of the Prophet of Islam. After his death, a man asked his wife, Umm al-Darda, “What was the greatest act of Abu Darda?” Umm al-Darda replied, “Thinking and learning lessons.” (Al-Tabaqat al-Kubra, ibn saad, vol 4, p. 353) From this, we learn that the greatest act of a person is reflecting on the things around him and drawing lessons from them. It is a process of intellectual and spiritual development, which sets in in man in the form of serious contemplation, and continues until the end of life.