The Religion Of The Ignorant

Mention Ibrahim in the Book. He was a true man and a prophet. Remember when he said to his father, "Father, why do you worship what can neither hear nor see and is not of any use to you at all? Father, knowledge which never reached you has come to me, so follow me and I will guide you to the right path. Father, do not worship satan. Satan was disobedient to the All-Merciful. Father, I am afraid that a punishment from the All-Merciful will afflict you, and turn you into a comrade of satan." He said, "Do you forsake my gods, Ibrahim? If you do not stop, I will stone you. Keep away from me for a good long time." He said, "Peace be upon you. I will ask my Lord to forgive you. He has always honored me." (Surah Maryam, 41-47)

In Ignorantism, rank and culture prevent criticism from being taken on board. A worker can never advise the boss of the factory where he works; neither regarding work, nor that person's character, nor any other matter. Indeed, if an intolerant, oppressive employer does receive advice from one of his employees, very likely the first thing he'll do is fire that worker. Offering advice in such a way is a grave insult in the Religion of the Ignorant.

However, this is a most erroneous perspective and incompatible with the moral values of the Qur'an. The arrival of criticism is a sign of a great blessing and of great friendship. The Qur'an commands people to encourage what is good and forbid what is bad. It is of course very poor behavior to prevent someone from abiding by this command or to turn one's back on good advice.

8- ATTITUDES TOWARDS GUESTS

When people lose their spiritual values, the gap is filled by the Ignorantism, itself built upon irreligion. The Religion of the Ignorant will inevitably be present wherever Islamic moral values are absent. Wherever Ignorantism is found, behavior compatible with proper moral values such as humanity, consideration and devotion will be lacking.

We can cite the attitude of adherents of the Religion of the Ignorant towards guests. First, however, it will be useful to examine the pleasing aspects of Islamic moral values on this subject.

Assume that you are a guest in the home of someone living by the moral values of the Qur'an. Whoever receives you will be delighted to have you as his guest, because welcoming a guest is regarded as a virtue in Islam, and guests are always treated with the greatest respect. From the moment you enter his home, therefore, you will experience smiling faces, and warm and sincere interest, even from people you meet for the first time. Even if your host has only limited means, he will muster them all to welcome you, because in the Qur'an, Allah teaches a custom of welcoming by offering things even before they are needed. The attitude towards guests of the Prophet Ibrahim (as), as revealed in the Qur'an, reveals just what the perspective on guests should be:

Has the story reached you of the honored guests of Ibrahim? When they entered his dwelling and said, "Peace!" he said, "Peace, to people we do not know." So he slipped off to his household and brought a fattened calf. He offered it to them and then exclaimed, "Don't you then eat?" (Surat adh-Dhariyat, 24-27)

As can be seen, the Prophet Ibrahim (as) treated his guests with great consideration, even though he did not know them, and offered them refreshment without causing any embarrassment.

When Ignorantism prevails, however, people's attitudes are exceedingly selfish and inconsiderate. If you go to the home of someone under the spell of the Religion of the Ignorant, you will experience an intense feeling of being a burden, because under the moral values of that religion, a guest is regarded as just another mouth to feed.