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People manage to distress each other by very clever methods in the Religion of the Ignorant. For example, telling someone wearing a new outfit, "It's great, but it doesn't really suit you. The one you wore yesterday was more you," is generally done for the purpose of disparaging the other party. There is no room for praise, compliments or references to beauty in Ignorantism. Therefore, people do not praise one another's attributes. Telling someone with a new hair-do, even though one may actually like it, that, "The other style suited you more" is the kind of barb employed in the Religion of the Ignorant. Finding some flaw in every thing of beauty and speaking about what is flawed rather than what is attractive is a rule in Ignorantism. A requirement of this rule is to avoid praising an attractive person by saying things like, "She's pretty, but I've seen prettier," or, "She's pretty, but her dress lets her down," or, "She would have been even prettier if her eyes were green."
Enjoying oneself at the expense of other people's errors or deficiencies is another cruel aspect of the Religion of the Ignorant: Laughing at someone's being cross-eyed, for example, behind their back, saying, "I can't tell if he's looking at me or you," or "I can't manage to look him in the eye." Saying things like "Hold tight!" when handing something to a clumsy person, or telling someone who's going bald of all the new hair restorers on the market, or saying things like, " They've developed a new hair-replacement treatment. We'd better get you an appointment," or, "It looks like you've lost a few more hairs since last night." Saying ignorant things to a short person such as "How's the air down there?" or, "How's the view from down there?"
All these are methods of cruelty employed in Ignorantism. Others include laughing at someone who has fallen, mocking someone whose clothes are tattered, or imitating someone who stammers.
In such situations, those on the receiving end generally respond with behavior appropriate to the Religion of the Ignorant. They may laugh to avoid giving the impression that their feelings are hurt. Yet inside, they still feel the pain those words caused. Alternatively, the victim may counterattack by referring to a defect in the other party, and thus this ugly behavior takes on a life of its own.
Another important feature of Ignorantism is seeking to anger other people. Some people behave this way to annoy people they do not like, and others, to take revenge on someone who has offended them. For others, it becomes a lifestyle all of its own. They take pleasure in exposing others' weaknesses and watching them become angry, and satisfy their own worldly urges in this way. They behave toward their parents, teachers or friends in ways expressly designed to anger.
However, this component of the Religion of the Ignorant is not implemented in a blatant manner. Angering other people has its own particular methodology, which methods include:
"Playing It Cool"
This method is frequently employed by those who enjoy annoying others. Adopting an exceptional calm on subjects which others find important or feel excitement or concern about, is one way to upset them. One often encounters this behavior in young people's attitudes towards their parents. A young girl who wants to get back at her mother for not letting her go out in the evening will respond to all her mother's questions in a very calm, indifferent tone of voice.
While the woman frantically searches for car keys she has mislaid and asks her daughter to help her look, the girl may reply, "I haven't seen the key," in a placid tone and keep on reading her magazine. When her mother is talking on the telephone and urgently needs a pen and paper to write something down, her daughter may get up—very slowly—and bring her those items in an annoyingly laid-back manner. When her mother asks happily what she did at school that day, she may reply merely, "Nothing much." Asked how her day went, the daughter may just reply, "Fine," and carry on with whatever she's doing, knowing that all such behavior will annoy her mother.
Acting in a very calm manner is designed to hinder someone in a hurry and to slow them down—another method of annoying others with Ignorantism. For example, telling someone who's late for work that he's left his briefcase upstairs, just as that person is heading out of the door, and then walking very slowly upstairs to retrieve it, is performed with the sole purpose of irritating that other person. A student who listens with obvious lack of interest to something his teacher is telling him excitedly, and finally replies, "I have no idea what you are talking about" makes himself feel good by annoying that teacher. This is also behavior appropriate to the Religion of the Ignorant.
Another variation of "playing it cool" is failing to provide satisfactory answers to questions posed. For instance, when asked, "I've looked everywhere, but I can't find my shoes. Have you seen them?" merely replying "Yes" is a tactic designed to irritate. Merely answering "In the room," when asked where the shoes were seen, and failing to state which particular room forces the other party to ask still more questions, such as, "Which room? Wherein the room? In which cupboard, and on which shelf?" An issue that could be resolved in a single sentence is prolonged for several minutes, putting the other party to great trouble. Therefore, failing to give full and satisfactory replies is one of the irritating methods employed in Ignorantism.
Pretending not to Hear, See or Understand
In societies of the ignorant, this method is usually employed by people who dispute with each other in order to get back at each other. They use it to upset the person they have disputes with by annoying them, imagining that they are inflicting their revenge in this way. In a social setting, for example, looking at those one disputes with disdainfully and not talking to them, as if they did not exist, laughing at everyone's jokes except theirs, greeting everyone else but not them, not saying goodbye to them even though one does to everyone else, and asking after everyone's health except those particular individuals'. Cutting them dead this way effectively means "Just that you know, you are of no importance to me," according to the criteria of the Religion of the Ignorant.
People who have made this technique a habit use it very often. Pretending not to listen even though they can actually hear perfectly what another is saying , and making it clear how little they value them with such things as "Sorry, what were you saying?" or, "Did you say something?" is Ignorantist behavior adopted by such people. Making someone else constantly explain what one understands perfectly is another way of irritating others. Asking, "How do you mean?" when told that one is dawdling over and to act a bit faster, is a way of putting that person to extra trouble and making them regret having complained in the first place. The way that a young girl asks, "How do you mean?" when her mother asks her to be tidier is an annoying tactic employed in the face of such criticism. The fact is, everyone knows what acting quicker or being tidier means, and these matters can be put into practice without the slightest difficulty.
Another means of annoying other people is uttering barbed comments. At a business meeting attended by someone who has been appointed to a senior position through knowing someone influential, saying, "I wish I had important contacts so I could get to the top!" is one example. Alternatively, saying, "We have to pay the price for other people's mistakes" in the presence of someone who has made an honest mistake is another way of making barbed comments. Not mentioning a name, but referring to "certain people" is another of the ugly rules that apply in the Religion of the Ignorant.
A student envious of someone who always obtains higher marks may say, "Certain people actually study all night but never let on" in that person's presence, simply in order to annoy him.
Annoying with a Glance
People generally resort to using looks to express what they cannot put into words. An imputation expressed in a look can never be proven, and people can easily deny the intention behind their facial expressions. For example, anyone who directs a look of hatred towards someone can always say, "I was thinking of something else. That's why my expression changed. It had nothing to do with anyone," then everyone has to accept his explanation. Alternatively, when someone who used a mocking look says, "No, I was listening to you very carefully. It's just that something came into my head which is why you may have formed the impression I was laughing at you," no one can object. There is no physical proof of mockery in a facial expression. Yet a person's expression can express all kinds of opinions, positive or negative, in a crystal-clear way. So a great many in the society of the ignorant rely solely on looks to annoy others.
For example, when people must talk to someone they've fallen out with, they assume a very cold expression, making it quite clear they have no respect for that person. As one listens, lowering one's eyelids and opening them very slowly when a subject not to one's liking is brought up, is another tactic in Ignorantism.
One's eyes can also hold a mocking look designed to make it clear how much one despises someone else. This method assumes the form of laughing with one's eyes while one's face remains expressionless. Someone who appears to be listening very seriously to what another has to say, but whose eyes are full of laughter, is actually saying, "Keep on talking, but what you are saying is going in one ear and out of the other."
In terms of character and moral values, a person who lives by the Religion of the Ignorant can never register any progress through life. The Ignorantism places a strict ban on new ideas and criticism. It is almost impossible to criticize or suggest new ideas to someone older, richer, more cultured, in a higher position, more attractive or more experienced than oneself. Indeed, so strict are the rules in this regard that friendships that have lasted 20 or 30 years can come to an end, never to be restored, as the result of a single criticism.
For example, in the Religion of the Ignorant, it is exceedingly humiliating for anyone to be told about his behavior, moral values, character or gestures by another party. That is why in the society of the ignorant, you'll generally never see anyone asking anyone else's opinion or seeking their advice.
It is almost impossible, for instance, to hear such questions as, "Is there anything in my character you don't like? Can you see any flaws in the way I laugh, or walk, or in my facial expressions? Do you have any advice to give me about my personality? How could I be easier to get on with or more beloved?" or, "What do you think of my taste in clothes? Have you any advice you could give me as one listens?" That is in total contradiction of Ignorantism for someone to seek to improve himself by seeking advice from others. Everyone regards himself as the best, the most cultured, the most refined and the most intelligent. Even if he knows he has flaws and needs to work on himself, he'll never want to let those around him know.
The Religion of the Ignorant is completely against seeking advice and criticism. Consider, for example, a doctor or engineer who's an expert in his own field. If a client says that he has received a different opinion from another professional, the answer will inevitably be along the lines of, "In that case, go to him." Experts in their own field are generally reluctant to take advice from their colleagues and want clients to act on their own recommendations.
Under this belief, it's impossible for someone to take kindly to criticism from anyone younger—a nephew, for example. Practically no young person can make any suggestions about the character of his aunt or uncle. A youngster who wants some relative to be more patient, tolerant or more considerate will likely meet with a mocking, indifferent or angry reaction. People who answer, "I am not about to take advice from someone your age," imagine they need no help from anyone younger. But a young person with proper morals and deep faith can be a great deal more intelligent and spiritually mature, and have a finer conscience, than an older person without faith.
Indeed, the words spoken by the Prophet Ibrahim (as) to call his father to the true path, as revealed in the Qur'an, set an example:
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.
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.
People concerned over mutual interests, of course, play host to one another at specific times to keep their relations on a sound footing. However, under the rules of Ignorantism, when one person visits the home of another, he is later expected to repay that hospitality in kind. Being someone else's guest three or four times in a row is out of the question!
The hosts impatiently await their guests' departure. They cannot abide their presence for more than a few hours. If the guest has not been specifically invited for dinner, they will not offer him anything to eat. Since the emphasis is on sending the guest back home by incurring as little expenditure as possible, a few of the very cheapest things may be brought in and handed round. Hosts generally set aside the best for themselves and minimize costs by offering the worst to their guests. It's regarded as the height of bad manners for guests to have more than one helping at dinner, and if they do ask for any more, the hosts will secretly gossip in the kitchen about how ill-bred they are, saying things like, "Don't they eat a lot? Let's hope they don't stay too long." Neither is the guest's wandering about the house welcomed, and no matter how long they may stay, never are they invited out of the living/dining room. If the guest does happen to leave the room, they are made to feel that this is unwelcome.
If the guest has traveled from a long way away and must stay for a few nights, the hosts' patience will be tried to the extreme. In a short while, everything the guest eats, does, and wears will become a separate cause for complaint. The hosts will calculate every penny they've spent, from the olive pits left on the plate to the cups of tea consumed, from the number of meals the guest has eaten to the number of baths taken and the volume of water consumed. Their every action will soon make the guest feel unwanted. It's therefore impossible to feel comfortable in such a home.
Of course, guests also behave in accord with the rules of the Religion of the Ignorant. That means seeking to extract as much benefit as possible from the home in which they are guests and never thinking whether they are making their hosts at all uneasy. They will engage in many other forms of thoughtlessness.
In conclusion, no matter what the situation, people establish an environment that troubles both themselves and others. The reason for this is poor moral values, far removed from those of the Qur'an. The difference between the warmth that Islam encourages in a person and the moral values prevailing in Ignorantism can be seen clearly in every aspect of daily life. Due to the inhumane, thoughtless and selfish behavior created by the Religion of the Ignorant, a great many are troubled, unable to live at ease or find a close, trustworthy friend. Nonetheless, millions continue to abide by Ignorantism with the greatest determination, thus causing themselves great distress. This situation is described in the Qur'an:
Allah does not wrong people in any way; rather it is people who wrong themselves. (Surah Yunus, 44)
The Religion of the Ignorant stipulates a form of behavior for every age group. This is not written down or described anywhere, but people who live in the world are aware of this, and practice it in all its details. For example, they believe that when they approach 50 or 60, their lifestyles, manner of speech, clothes, tone of voice and style must all change in accord with Ignorantism.
The main principle of this change is pessimism, founded on withdrawal from the blessings of this world. People reaching that age generally start to complain about life. Asked how they are, such people will give negative replies along the lines of "As well as can be expected, under the circumstances" or "Trying to recover my health." They entertain the superstitious belief that they have no right to take any pleasure from life and from now on, they should distance themselves from its blessings.
According to the Religion of the Ignorant, the menopause in women and the andropause in men is a time when behavior needs to be totally overhauled. A great many people of that age abandon everything of beauty. They cease taking care of their bodies. They attach little importance to their appearance and pay scant attention to cleanliness. They begin wearing dark-colored clothes, generally preferring brown, grey and black—a kind of mourning for their lost youth. They imagine that there is no need for bright colors like red, orange, yellow, green or pink. Yet this is a most meaningless rule. People can use the colors created by Allah and benefit from this blessing at all ages.
At this age, some people's behavior and style undergo a total change. Even though they have no physical infirmities, they believe that they have to be slow-moving and lifeless. Their reactions become dull, and they begin talking very slowly, one word at a time. They spend a long time describing something that could be clarified quickly, and regard this as another requirement of old age.
People who were full of life in their youth suddenly, and of their own free will, lose all hope, joy and vivacity. For example, they experience no excitement in the face of a beautiful view, an attractive person, a pretty song or a demonstration of good behavior. On the contrary, they often grow sad at such moments.
According to the rules of Ignorantism, people must start waiting for death after reaching such an age. That is why nearly all who have reached their 60s are just waiting to die. Production comes to a standstill, out of their prevailing belief that nothing remains to be done.
Someone who produced ideas in his youth now ceases to use that ability. Another who was once very clever and able now begins to pretend to understand nothing, to hear with difficulty, to think slowly and be good for nothing, just because he has reached a certain age. Most people spend the final 20 years of their lives looking out the window, or watching soaps on television, totally divorced from the beauties of this world. This damage stems from the fact that accustoming themselves to not using their talents leads to a gradual slowing down of the mental faculties and early senility.
The correct course of action is for a person to work both physically and mentally and to perform good deeds in this world for the sake of the Hereafter, to the extent that their capacities permit, as long as they have no serious illness. In one verse Allah commands: "So when you have finished, work on" (Surat al-Inshirah, 7). No doubt that this command of Allah's applies to people of all ages.
One of the most important features of Ignorantism is how it values people. This religion divides people into two groups—rich and poor. A different perspective and thus a different form of behavior is applied to each. The difference in attitudes towards rich and poor is just about the same all over the world, in terms of gestures, tone of voice and even glances. An American adopts this behavior required by the Religion of the Ignorant, as does a Frenchman, and a Russian.
This difference in behavior may be summarized as follows:
1- Ignorant people generally adopt a delicate, softer tone of voice towards those who are wealthier and of higher status than themselves, and speak as courteously as possible. When dealing with someone poorer, however, their tone of voice grows more natural, whatever the person's real voice sounds like. Their speech becomes harsher and cruder, with no need for courtesy felt. The subject is dealt with as briefly as possible. One example can be heard in the tone of voice when speaking to one's boss and those used in addressing the cleaning lady. Since there is a chance of securing some kind of advantage from the boss, his employees will speak in a gentle, respectful tone, to make it clear that they respect him. Since they have no expectations from the cleaning lady, they employ a style that shows no respect at all.
2- When a wealthy person arrives, people's movements are quick and careful. Everyone is at great pains to ensure that everything is as that person would wish, to fulfill his every desire, and make sure that nothing untoward happens. When a poor person arrives, nobody generally bothers at all. Everyone behaves calmly, slowly and disinterestedly. When a wealthy person enters, everyone stands up, dusts himself off and pays attention to how he sits back down. Nobody stands for poor people, however, nor even glances in their direction, and nobody alters the position they're sitting in.
3- Unlike poor people, the wealthy are generally addressed in very polite, formal language. A rich person entering a shop will be asked "How may I be of service?" in a very respectful manner, however a poor person will be addressed in a humiliating tone and will be asked "What do you want?"
4- Wealthy people are paid the most careful respect. Even if quite young, they will still be treated with the respect normally due someone much older. People even give their seats up to very young individuals, and kiss their hands if they are in a country where such a custom applies. However, even if a poor person is quite elderly, he will still be treated like a child, and be addressed with expressions more appropriate to children, such as "And how are we today?", "you tell me now, what do you want?"
The way this discrimination is reflected in people's behavior can be clearly observed even when entering shops. As soon as wealthy regular customers enter a boutique, all the staff will head towards them. They'll be greeted with smiles, and be asked what they'd like. Whatever they ask for will quickly be placed before them. More will be brought out for inspection before the first have even been examined. The staff will have permanent smiles on their faces. If the customer has children in tow, compliments will be rained down upon them.
Assume that poor customers enter the same shop. If it is apparent from their clothes and general appearance that they have little money, no one in the shop will show much interest in them. Nobody will even approach them unless they ask a question of one of the staff. If they ask to see anything, it will be brought out very slowly and reluctantly. The staff will generally not produce anything else for that customer's inspection. In addition, the sales assistants will wear bored, irritated expressions, since the staff will want those customers to leave as quickly as possible. They will deliberately glance outside when fulfilling that customer's wishes or else chat with someone else in the shop. If the customers have children in tow, they will irritably ask them to keep an eye on them.
This example is most instructive in revealing the attitude of Ignorantism, because this logic and behavior can also be seen in bank cashiers, waiters, tailors, and grocers. Wherever you go in the world, you can see similar behavior in people who live far removed from proper religious moral values.
In the Religion of the Ignorant, for someone to be shown respect and interest, that person must possess obvious material means. The greater that person's fortune, the greater the admiration felt for them by members of Ignorantism. When you go to a restaurant, for instance, you see that wealthy customers are the subject of great interest and concern. Indeed, if they are best-known celebrities, it's unlikely that their money will be accepted at all. Their very presence in the restaurant is regarded as an honor, and they are not asked to pay their bill. Yet if a poor person hasn't have enough money, there will be a huge scene. He will be shouted at, humiliated and thrown out. In other words, no money at all will be requested from the wealthy, but the poor must pay down to the very last penny.
Wealth is the sole difference between these two people, meaning that respect and interest are not shown to individuals, but rather to their wealth. This is one of the ugly aspects of the Religion of the Ignorant.
In Islam, people are evaluated solely according to their moral values. A person who is poor but possesses decent moral values is many times superior to a wealthy person who defies the commandments of Allah. For that reason, there is definitely no discrimination between people in Islam. Proper moral values count, not wealth, status or power. In one verse Allah reveals:
It is not your wealth or your children that will bring you near to Us—only in the case of people who believe and act rightly; such people will have a double recompense for what they did. They will be safe from all harm in the High Halls of Paradise. (Surah Saba', 37)
FRIENDS IN IGNORANTISM
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