Thinking is essential to understand the book. Thinking is a platform which must be active to contribute positive impact in self and society. Quality counts in number of people in population. Thinking brings that quality.

shirk

At hundreds of places in Quran, Allah demands human to think. Man remain at animal level if he does not use his own thinking. He very quickly falls into shirk which is sin and hindrance to progress. By obeying others blindly, man falls below the status of Adam. He become pray to mental exploitation. Closed mind person lives happily inside a cocoon of dogma and emotions, in a self deceiving condition of doing deeds that have no weight at scale (mezaan e amal]

Pondering

أَفَلَمْ يَسِيرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ فَتَكُونَ لَهُمْ قُلُوبٌ يَعْقِلُونَ بِهَا أَوْ آذَانٌ يَسْمَعُونَ بِهَا ۖ فَإِنَّهَا لَا تَعْمَى الْأَبْصَارُ وَلَـٰكِن تَعْمَى الْقُلُوبُ الَّتِي فِي الصُّدُورِ

22/46. Have these people not travelled in those areas (so that they could take some warning from the ruins); and have their hearts not become wiser to ponder these matters rationally and their ears to listen?

In fact when a person closes his mind, it does not mean that the eyes become blind. They continue seeing things, but their hearts within become blind, thus diminishing their faculties of thought and understanding.

People in Hell will say

وَقَالُوا لَوْ كُنَّا نَسْمَعُ أَوْ نَعْقِلُ مَا كُنَّا فِي أَصْحَابِ السَّعِيرِ

67/10. “Truly we did not utilize our intellect and ability to think; and we opposed him with sheer prejudice and stubbornness. Had we listened to him attentively and used our intellect, we would not be in this Jahannum?” (Only the one who does not think and use intellect goes to Jahannum.

Thinking Blank for seeing, hearing and understanding

صُمٌّ بُكْمٌ عُمْيٌ فَهُمْ لَا يَرْجِعُونَ

2/18 one incapable of seeing, hearing or understanding . There is, then, no way left whereby such a person can return to the right path

Deaf in Reflecting

وَمِنْهُم مَّن يَسْتَمِعُونَ إِلَيْكَ ۚ أَفَأَنتَ تُسْمِعُ الصُّمَّ وَلَوْ كَانُوا لَا يَعْقِلُونَ

(10/42) There are some amongst them who seem to lend a ready ear to you but are inattentive to what you say. You cannot make such deaf to hear. They do not want to understand

Blind in Reflecting

نْهُم مَّن يَنظُرُ إِلَيْكَ ۚ أَفَأَنتَ تَهْدِي الْعُمْيَ وَلَوْ كَانُوا لَا يُبْصِرُونَ

(10/43) There are some amongst them who seem to look to you for guidance but their thoughts are elsewhere. You cannot make such blind people to see when they do not want to reflect

Chapter 10 Ayah 99-101

Allah Gave Freedom in Choice to Human which he never take back

وَلَوْ شَاءَ رَبُّكَ لَآمَنَ مَن فِي الْأَرْضِ كُلُّهُمْ جَمِيعًا ۚ أَفَأَنتَ تُكْرِهُ النَّاسَ حَتَّىٰ يَكُونُوا مُؤْمِنِينَ

(10/99) If human beings had not been endowed with freedom of choice all those who dwell on earth would have been made to believe. But this was not Allah’s way. Would you then, O Rasool! compel them to believe?

The Truth remain obsecure who donot follow reason

وَمَا كَانَ لِنَفْسٍ أَن تُؤْمِنَ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ اللَّـهِ ۚ وَيَجْعَلُ الرِّجْسَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ لَا يَعْقِلُونَ

(10/100): Keep in mind that no one can have Ei’man except through the way prescribed by Allah, namely, through use of reason and reflection. The truth remains obscure to those who do not follow reason.

No revelation or warning can however, be of any avail to those who disdain to reflect

قُلِ انظُرُوا مَاذَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ ۚ وَمَا تُغْنِي الْآيَاتُ وَالنُّذُرُ عَن قَوْمٍ لَّا يُؤْمِنُونَ

(10/101) The matter would become relatively clear to them even if they reflected only on the working of the laws of Allah in the universe. But no revelation or warning can however, be of any avail to those who disdain to reflect.

Their Mind is sealed

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا سَوَاءٌ عَلَيْهِمْ أَأَنذَرْتَهُمْ أَمْ لَمْ تُنذِرْهُمْ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ

Indeed, those who cover the truth – it is all the same for them whether you warn them or do not warn them – they will not believe

خَتَمَ اللَّـهُ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِمْ وَعَلَىٰ سَمْعِهِمْ ۖ وَعَلَىٰ أَبْصَارِهِمْ غِشَاوَةٌ ۖ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ

2/7 Allah has set a seal upon their hearts and upon their hearing and there is a covering over their eyes, and there is a great punishment for them.

Discussion

As a result of their outlook and actions, the K’afireen lose their capacity for observation and comprehension. They, thus, deprive themselves of the real joys of life, falling headlong into the inferno of devastation. Indeed how pathetic is their end!