The Semantic Meaning of the Quranic Terms  Reason and  Contemplation in Connection with the Term  Nature'

The present paper is concerned with the semantic meaning of ‘reason’ and ‘contemplation’ and their relationship with ‘the self’ and ‘human nature’. Although the term reason has been frequently used in its two philosophic meanings of ‘extended essence’ and ‘judicial self’, the Quranic and lexical meanings of the term that is ‘modesty’ and ‘keeping’ needs to be taken into consideration. The Quran’s constant appeal to reason does not just refer to the quest for wisdom and knowledge; it further manifests an adherence to truth and the innate knowledge and their application in practice. The basic meaning of contemplation is the internally generated movement of the self to make a distinction between the wrong knowledge and the true one. The Arabic term for contemplation contains the meanings of ‘obedience’ and ‘hard work’. These meanings refer to the innate attempt of the self to investigate, discover and identify the indigenous knowledge with the aim of regaining the innate insights and the knowledge of the self. In this process of returning to the true nature, the self is to face the orientation obstacles and the resistance of its natural dimension. This confrontation is usually referred to as ‘jihad with the self’. The conclusion is that contemplation with the above-mentioned conditions can be the first step toward the jihad with the self.