On one occasion, Sayyiduna ‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar (radhiyallahu ‘anhuma) went to the home of Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) along with ‘Ataa bin Abi Rabaah and ‘Ubaid bn ‘Umair (rahimahumallah) where they sat behind a veil. Sayyiduna ‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar (radhiyallahu ‘anhuma) requested her to inform them as to what was the most unique and amazing memory she had of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam). Hearing this question, Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) began crying and replied that every matter of his was unique. She then went on to relate one incident which was very unique:
One night Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) came to Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) during her night and sought her permission to perform ‘ibaadah. Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) happily agreed saying, “By Allah, I love to be close to you and I would love you to worship your Rabb.” Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) then performed wudhu without using much water and then began performing salaah. While performing salaah, Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) wept so profusely that his blessed beard became drenched with tears. He then made sajdah and continued crying in this manner that even the ground had become wet.
After performing salaah, Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) lay on his side and continued weeping right until Sayyiduna Bilaal (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) came to call him for the Fajr Salaah. When Sayyiduna Bilaal (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) saw Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) weeping so profusely, he enquired, “O Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam), what causes you to cry, whereas Allah has forgiven your future and past mistakes?” Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) replied, “What could stop me from crying when the (following) verse has been revealed to me during this night?” Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) further said regarding this verse, “Destruction be for the one who recites it and does not ponder over it.” (Tafseer Ibni Katheer vol. 2, pg. 491)
إِنَّ فِى خَلْقِ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَٱخْتِلَٰفِ ٱلَّيْلِ وَٱلنَّهَارِ لَـَٔايَٰتٍ لِّأُو۟لِى ٱلْأَلْبَٰبِ ﴿١٩٠﴾ ٱلَّذِينَ يَذْكُرُونَ ٱللَّهَ قِيَٰمًا وَقُعُودًا وَعَلَىٰ جُنُوبِهِمْ وَيَتَفَكَّرُونَ فِى خَلْقِ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ رَبَّنَا مَا خَلَقْتَ هَٰذَا بَٰطِلًا سُبْحَٰنَكَ فَقِنَا عَذَابَ ٱلنَّارِ
“Surely, in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the alternation of night and day, there are signs for people of wisdom. Those who remember Allah standing, sitting and (lying) on their sides, and they ponder over the creations of the heaven and the earth (and say,) ‘Our Rabb, You have not created all this in vain. We proclaim Your purity (from creating anything in vain). So, save us from the punishment of the fire (Jahannam).’” (Surah Aal ‘Imraan v190 & 191)
Allah Ta‘ala mentions that there are signs of His oneness in the manner in which He has created the skies and the earth and in the alternation of day and night. However, He has restricted the ability to see and appreciate these signs to those who are intelligent. He then explains two signs of the truly intelligent people.
The first sign is that they remember Allah Ta‘ala at all times and in every condition. When an intelligent person ponders over the unique and extraordinary creation of the skies and the earth, and every other creation within them, he will come to realize that all these things point out and indicate to the existence of a Supreme Being, Who has made this system and continues to control and sustain it. Hence, if a person sees these signs, and still does not accept the existence of Allah Ta‘ala, he can in no way be deemed intelligent since the signs are so glaring.
Further, when a person has understood and accepted the existence of Allah Ta‘ala, his intelligence again demands that He Alone should be worshipped and remembered. Thus, this intelligent person will now obey Allah Ta‘ala and remember Him at all times. It is for this reason that the verse mentions this as the first sign of those that are intelligent i.e. they remember Allah Ta‘ala at all times and in every condition.
The second sign of the people of intelligence mentioned in this verse is that they ponder over the creation of the heavens and the earth. From this we understand that the act of pondering is also an act of worship like zikr, etc. In fact, Hasan Basri (rahimahullah) would say, “Pondering (on the signs of Allah Ta‘ala) for a moment is better than standing the whole night (in ‘ibaadah). Abu Sulaimaan Daaraani (rahimahullah) once said, “When I leave my home, my gaze does not fall on anything except that in it I see a bounty that Allah Ta‘ala has bestowed me with and there is a lesson for me in it.” (Tafseer Ibni Katheer vol. 2, pg. 486)
Pondering in this manner further strengthens the imaan of the intelligent ones. They then express this verbally by saying that these signs have not been created in vain, since no creation of Allah Ta‘ala is without purpose. Rather, there are many wisdoms behind the creation of every single thing, the greatest of which is that it is a sign of the existence of a Creator.
(Adapted from Ma‘aariful Quraan vol. 2, pg. 263)