The prevailing psychology in such workplaces as shops, stores and boutiques is no different. Shop staff tend to act as if they owned the store, even though none of the goods in it actually belong to them. That stems from the state of mind wherein everyone else is buying and they are selling. Employees experience the burden of being there only as sales staff. If they perceive that the customer is not well-off, they show them goods as if throwing them down, in an uninterested and cold tone of voice, and exhibit a constantly irritated air. They first try to be courteous, but if they feel that the customer is unwilling or unable to buy what they want to sell, immediately they become rude and begin ignoring the customer, talking to their friends or staring outside. They give rude answers, as if the customer is imposing on their time. In workplaces of this kind, time generally passes in hollow and pointless dialogues, watching the outside world through the window, and gazing at oneself in the mirror.

In public offices, there is a rather more stereotyped state of mind. The irritable, tense climate in such places is accepted by everyone. A great many employees combine arrogance with a sense of inferiority. Their word counts for anything only in their field of work. They therefore adopt a harsh, even domineering attitude towards those who have business with them. One sees cups of tea being constantly emptied and refilled, a thick fog of cigarette smoke, employees complaining how hard it is to make ends meet, family problems and shopping, and carry out their work with a listless air.

The employees' tone of voice and bad temper make it clear they cannot stand the work they do. The suppliant must be constantly pleasant to those who will actually be doing the work. Asking too many questions may irritate them. In all probability, no reply will be forthcoming to the questions he asks, which are silenced with a harsh look. One can even hear reprimands the whole time.

However, this image of the difficult, bad tempered, know-it-all civil servant in public offices emerges only in the presence of poor, ignorant or oppressed people who come to the office. In contrast, civil servants who are members of the Religion of the Ignorant never display that kind of behavior before wealthy, well-dressed people of high rank. On the contrary, they treat them with the greatest respect, even though this is generally not a genuine, but a vulgar respect stemming from an inferiority complex and a lack of identity. In all probability, the civil servant has something to gain from the respect shown to such people. Yet since this is an important value judgment, the civil servant necessarily feels respect for the wealthy person—respect that may be described as a mixture of envy and admiration. The vulgar, self-interested Ignorantist character can be seen here very plainly.

Adherents of the Religion of the Ignorant regard all this as perfectly normal and ordinary, in the same way that fish are unaware of the water around them. Ignorantists are not aware how unreasoning, vulgar and hollow are their attitudes and behavior. Neither are they as aware as they should be that Allah has created them, that they are in this world to be tested and for only a short time, and that eventually they will return to our Lord and account for themselves to Him. Instead of considering these things, giving thanks to Allah and seeking His approval, they spend their entire lives on simple quarrels and cultivating simple interests. They work for years in a tiny office, seek to increase their salaries and position, invent gossip about others, experience crises of envy, live in a state of stress and pretense the whole time. However, since they ignore the approval of Allah and forget about the Hereafter, everything they do is hollow and meaningless. As revealed in the verse, "Humanity's reckoning has drawn very close to them, yet they heedlessly turn away" (Surat al-Anbiya', 1), they are totally heedless and are described in the Qur'an as those "who play at frivolous games" (Surat at-Tur, 12).

Putting down people who need to have things done, those without money, the ugly or younger people is a general rule in the Religion of the Ignorant. Attitudes are determined according to the client's type and appearance in those workplaces in direct contact with customers. The client is treated politely and with interest if he or she appears to be wealthy. But if not, then a superior and uncaring attitude is displayed, along with a desire to be rid of the person. In this way, the general attitude in stores, shops and boutiques is determined.

Every profession has its own customs and ethics. But these moral values can be broadened, narrowed or altered according to the value of the goods in question, the wealth of the client, or the nature of the work. Making someone believe that an outfit suits them when it doesn't, selling a low-quality item as if it were a high-quality one, or making people think that an expensive item is actually very affordable requires professionalism, as the Ignorantism terms it. That, in any case, is the work ethic of the Religion of the Ignorant. It is known as the "work" ethic because it is very different from the moral values of the Qur'an. That ethic encourages sin to be committed secretly:

- Under Ignorantism, blatant theft is a violation of the Religion of the Ignorant. But obtaining unfair advantage for oneself under a legitimate guise by cutting the job to suit one's cloth is a rule of that religion.

- Openly taking bribes is forbidden. But bribes under the guise of gifts are accepted.

- Murder is a grave crime, but not lifting a finger as someone dies, in order to avoid finding oneself in difficulties, is intelligent behavior.

- It is bad form to insult or swear at people to their face, but backbiting and gossiping behind their back is normal.

- Atheism is bad, but being too religious is also unacceptable.

In addition, Ignorantism has produced a conception of Islam according to its own lights. According to that concept, and in contrast to the Qur'an, it is legitimate for someone to perform only those religious duties that suit him, in a manner appropriate to the time and place. Yet living the life described by Allah and abiding by all the laws of Islam is regarded as excessive and is regarded as not right. The Religion of the Ignorant has produced its own conception of Islam, based on its own logic.

The Conception of Islam

ın Ignorantism

The concept of religion is exceedingly misunderstood in many countries today. There is an enormous difference between the religious moral values revealed by Allah in the Qur'an and those perceived by society.

The most obvious indication is the way that besides referring to people's religion, one may also speak of their world view, ideology, philosophy of life or lifestyle. According to this logic, a person may be a member of any religion—a Muslim, for example—but there is no contradiction in their also adopting a philosophy of life or world view that is outside Islam. Being Muslims is concerned with their beliefs, but there are also the facts of life.

By far the greater part of the members of the Religion of the Ignorant do not openly deny the true religion. On the contrary, they all claim to be good Muslims, but they do not much appreciate certain rules of Islam according to their unhealthy mindset, and claim these need to be changed. They accept those aspects of the religion that do not run contrary to their own interests. While doing so, they still maintain that they are good Muslims. The fact is, though, that what they're doing does not represent the sincere features described in the Qur'an. In one sense, they are engaged in disbelief.

This situation is described in the Qur'an with the example of those who:

... Do you, then, believe in one part of the Book and reject the other.? (Surat al-Baqara, 85)

Here we need to accurately determine why members of the Religion of the Ignorant accept Islam only partially, and why this is so characteristic of unbelievers. Someone turns to Islam and lives by it because of his or her acceptance of Allah and submission to Him. If Islam is adopted for other reasons, then that cannot be true faith. The hypocrites—a human community mentioned in the Qur'an—is the best example of this. They appear to have accepted Islam and live the same way that Muslims live, but their aim is not to obtain Allah's approval but to put on a show for others. They calculate that by accepting Islam, they will obtain a better status and achieve certain advantages. These people are described thus in the Qur'an:

Among the people there are some who say, "We believe in Allah and the Last Day," when they are not believers. They think they deceive Allah and those who believe. They deceive no one but themselves but they are not aware of it. (Surat al-Baqara, 8-9)

The hypocrites are an example of why adopting Islam for any other reason than Allah's approval is worthless. In any case, these people do not practice all the stipulations of Islam, avoiding those observances that involve making sacrifices.

Ignorantists are in a similar position. They have accepted Islam not because they believe in Allah and seek His approval. Their reason for their accepting Islam is the logic of abiding by one's forefathers, one of the basic characteristics of the unbelievers. They regard their ancestors as guides. Their real religion is that handed down from them. They accept Islam since they regard it as a part of that tradition. In addition, they also accept many non-Islamic teachings inherited from their forefathers and accept only those aspects of Islam that do not conflict with their own interests. This shows that they do not possess sincere faith. They regard Islam as a cultural, traditional component of the nation they say they belong to.

Since they regard Islam as a tradition, they also have no fear of Allah, the very basis of Islam. The religious expressions they use are generally the same as those in the Qur'an. They refer to Allah, faith, Paradise and Hell, fasting, and the need to pray five times a day. Yet since they fail to approach these with the sensitive conscience that fear of Allah brings with it, they are unaffected. In the description of believers in the Qur'an, it is revealed that they are most sensitive to remembering Allah and His verses:

The believers are those whose hearts tremble when Allah is mentioned, whose faith is increased when His signs are recited to them, and who put their trust in their Lord. (Surat al-Anfal, 2)

In contrast, members of the Religion of the Ignorant are unaffected by remembering Allah, in other words they have no awe of Him. They attest to Allah and the Hereafter only in words, and their hearts are entirely empty. They do not live by the moral values of the Qur'an. These characteristics are emphasized in various verses of the Qur'an:

Say: "To whom does the Earth belong, and everyone in it, if you have any knowledge?" They will say: "To Allah." Say: "So will you not pay heed?" Say: "Who is the Lord of the seven heavens and the Lord of the Mighty Throne?" They will say: "Allah." Say: "So will you not pay heed?" Say: "In Whose hand is the dominion over everything, He Who gives protection and from Whom no protection can be given, if you have any knowledge?" They will say: "Allah's." Say: "So how have you been bewitched?" The fact is that We have given them the truth and they are liars. (Surat al-Muminun, 84-90)

If you ask them, "Who sends down water from the sky, bringing the earth back to life again after it was dead?" they will say, "Allah." Say: "Praise be to Allah." But most of them do not use their intellect. (Surat al-'Ankabut, 63)

Adherents of Ignorantism are unaffected by the existence of Allah and are easily able to carry on living in violation of His commandments because they lack the reason with which to comprehend the meaning of what they attest to. They affirm the existence of Allah in words because belief in Allah in the tradition has come down to them from their forebears. They have certainly not thought in a conscious manner or displayed the behavior of a believer, who are described in the verse as:

those who remember Allah, standing, sitting and lying on their sides, and reflect on the creation of the heavens and the Earth: "Our Lord, You have not created this for nothing. Glory be to You! So safeguard us from the punishment of the Fire." (Surah Al 'Imran, 191)

It is revealed in the Qur'an that such people lack the means for such thought because they are devoid of reason:

Do you suppose that most of them hear or understand? They are just like cattle. Indeed they are even more astray! (Surat al-Furqan, 44)

With this conception of Islam, which is devoid of true faith, the Religion of the Ignorant has developed a most distorted model of religion, in which there are specific days and times for worshipping Allah. Special care is taken for religious formalities at these times to be observed. It is believed, for instance, that despite having spent the whole year without observing Allah's commandments and prohibitions, it is sufficient to go to prayer on the morning of a religious festival. They have a superstitious idea that they will be forgiven by fulfilling their obligations to Allah on that day alone. Of course, it is a good thing for a person to pray, by whatever means that comes about. However, it is revealed in the Qur'an that believers pray scrupulously five times a day, in fear and awe of Allah. A prayer performed solely as a tradition to conform to others may not be acceptable. Many who live by Ignorantism say they cannot find time for prayer due to the pressure of worldly affairs, and this is left to such specific days. However, the intention behind their prayers is rather different from that of the prayers of believers: Instead of begging for greater fear of Allah and for the continuation of their observances and faith, they beg Him only to remedy their difficulties, to be able to buy a better car, or to be able to marry the boy or girl they love. Whenever they land in trouble—for example, when they are seriously ill or facing a major problem—they pray to Allah, but forget Him again when that problem is resolved, and again begin ascribing partners to Him. This state of mind has been revealed in the Qur'an:

Any blessing you have is from Allah. Then when harm touches you, it is to Him you cry for help. But when He removes the harm from you, a group of you associate others with their Lord, ungrateful for what We have given them. Enjoy yourselves. You will soon know! (Surat an-Nahl, 53-55)

The members of the Religion of the Ignorant try to adapt the logic of profitable trading, which they have gained in their business dealings, to Islam. They persistently flout the rules of the religion, then ask for forgiveness on certain days and nights. The holy nights are an opportunity not to be missed, since it is thought that prayers sincerely offered on those nights will be answered. On those nights, going from mosque to mosque if possible and giving the impression this is a holy tour is common behavior. Some people who attend mosque on Fridays alone imagine that they are devout. It will be useful to recall one point at this stage.

Holy nights, festival prayers are important occasions for all Muslims. It is important to perform one's religious observances on these days. Many people's hearts are softened at such times, and they seem more eager to display proper moral values. For Muslims, however, other days are just as beauteous and valuable. Every day and every hour are important for the believer to keep Allah in mind, seek His forgiveness and be close to Him.

For members of Ignorantism, on the other hand, it is important that religious observances be carried out visibly. For that reason, they are most scrupulous when they must perform their prayers in a group setting, even though they do not perform them at all when they are alone. Although they should perform their prayers because they fear Allah and hope for His mercy, actually they perform them because they seek others' approval. Allah says the following in the Qur'an about those who perform their observances for purposes of show:

So woe to those who perform prayer, and are forgetful of their prayer, those who show off. (Surat al-Ma'un, 4-6)

As we have seen, the most distinct aspect of the Religion of the Ignorant is that despite being totally at odds with the essence of Islam and the Qur'an, most of its adherents imagine themselves to be true believers. That is because Ignorantism—in contrast to the Qur'an—sets out in detail the kind of religious conception a person will have and what they will practice, the kind of belief in Allah they will possess, and what their ethical conception must be. The beliefs and observances of this religion are totally different from those of a true believer. Indeed, in many regards they are the exact opposite.

Some of the major deceptions of the Religion of the Ignorant is making people believe they are Muslim, while adopting a religion that is actually far removed from Islam. Those who adopt the rules, beliefs and ethics of Ignorantism are even unaware that this is their actual religion. Such people live by a false religion adorned and set in front of them in accordance with their passions and weaknesses by satan—but they are completely unaware of the fact.

This religion has a perspective that feels no proper fear of Allah but accepts His existence, according to its own preconditions. Allah's title of the Creator is accepted, but with a prevailing belief that He has control over His creations only under particular circumstances. (Surely Allah is beyond that!)It is Allah Who will save a person in an instant or cure them of a hopeless disease, and He will determine the moment of their death. Beyond that, however, Allah's control over and intervention in daily life, the stock exchange, technology, scientific research, trade and politics are denied. It is believed that here, it is human power, reason and intervention that apply. Allah is regarded as a deity who created only various natural phenomena, as was the case in primitive beliefs. (Surely Allah is beyond that!)According to that mentality, it is He Who causes the wind to blow, storms to arise and earthquakes to strike. But it is infinite human knowledge that makes jet planes, spacecraft, and nuclear power stations!

According to this belief system, there are certain places where Allah observes human beings. When performing such observances as fasting or praying, one is in the sight of Allah. But it is believed that apart from that, there are times when Allah does not see or hear. (Surely Allah is beyond that!) There is therefore a superstitious idea that falsehoods, gossip and the like can be hidden from Allah. The erroneous nature of this belief is revealed in the Qur'an:

The keys of the Unseen are in His possession. No one knows them but Him. He knows everything in the land and sea. No leaf falls without His knowing it. There is no seed in the darkness of the Earth, and nothing moist or dry which is not in a Clear Book. (Surat al-An'am, 59)

[He is] the Knower of the Unseen and the Visible, the Most Great, the High-Exalted. It makes no difference whether you keep secret what you say or voice it out loud, whether you hide in the night or go out in the day. (Surat ar-Ra'd, 9-10)

Another verse describes the error of adherents of the Religion of the Ignorant thus:

Or do they imagine that We do not hear their secrets and their private talk? On the contrary Our messengers are right there with them writing it down! (Surat az-Zukhruf, 80)

Since members of Ignorantism do not fear Allah as they ought, they distort the concepts of religion in ways appropriate to their own interests. Instead of the one described in the Qur'an, they produce a distorted concept of being a Muslim. For example, statements such as "I pray every now and then when I get the chance. I do no harm to anyone. I am not a murderer or a thief. I read, I have a good job, I am successful. Why should I go to Hell?" have no place in Islam, but can frequently be heard uttered by adherents of the Religion of the Ignorant. These people think that being a Muslim consists of not wronging anyone. They fail to understand that the foundation of the religion is unconditional obedience to Allah, and are deceiving themselves. These people think that the religion of Allah consists of giving small amounts of money to beggars or getting on well with their neighbors, and seek to ignore hundreds of the stipulations of the Qur'an. Sometimes they try to offer allegedly logical explanations for this insincerity. On the subject of some stipulations in the Qur'an, they try to avoid their religious observances by means of distorted logic, along the lines of "The pace of life is very fast, so I have no time for prayer," or "People nowadays are different and have to make necessary concessions regarding honesty, humility and compassion." These people, who put forward willful misinterpretations of the verses of the Qur'an are in the following position:

Say: "Do you presume to teach Allah your religion when Allah knows everything in the heavens and everything in the earth? Allah has knowledge of all things." (Surat al-Hujurat, 16)

Neither do members of Ignorantism possess a true belief in the Hereafter. As with many provisions of the religion, they accept the Hereafter in words, but do not truly believe in it. They regard the Hereafter as a myth they heard from their forefathers, and as a remote possibility. Nonetheless, they still hope that according to their ill mind "if there is a Hereafter," (!) then Allah will forgive them and send them to Paradise. In the Qur'an, however, the final end awaiting such people is described thus:

Man never tires of praying for the good and if evil touches him, he despairs and loses hope. But if We let him taste mercy from Us after he has suffered hardship, then he says, "This is my due. I do not think that the Hour is going to come. And if I am returned to my Lord, I will definitely find the best reward with Him." But We will inform those who disbelieve of what they did and make them suffer a ruthless punishment. (Surah Fussilat, 49-50)

One group in the Religion of the Ignorant regard themselves as justified in committing all kinds of sin and unlawful actions with the idea, spread from person to person, that they will enter Paradise after spending a while in Hell. After spending a period of time suffering discomfort in Hell, they imagine they are guaranteed to enter Paradise. In fact, this is a superstitious belief and another example of human beings deceiving themselves. The Qur'an makes the following reference on this subject:

That is because they say, "The Fire will only touch us for a number of days." Their inventions have deluded them in their religion. But how will it be when We gather them all together for a Day about which there is no doubt? Every self will be paid in full for what it earned. They will not be wronged. (Surah Al 'Imran, 24-25)

Another verse refers to this superstitious belief in these terms:

They say, "The Fire will only touch us for a number of days." Say, "Have you made a contract with Allah—then Allah will not break His contract—or are you rather saying about Allah what you do not know?" (Surat al-Baqara, 80)

Yet the position is not like they imagine. In the very next verse, the situation in the Hereafter is reported as follows:

No indeed! Those who accumulate bad actions and are surrounded by their mistakes, such people are the Companions of the Fire, remaining in it timelessly, for ever. (Surat al-Baqara, 81)

The reason why adherents of Ignorantism and all unbelievers in general are able to behave so easily and unconcernedly on the subject of the torments of Hell and regard themselves as definitely bound for Paradise stems from the fact that their belief in Allah and the Hereafter is weak. Believers, on the other hand, are very sensitive on this subject and never regard themselves as inevitably destined for Paradise. On the contrary, they constantly pray to Allah to forgive their sins and for their hearts to remain true. Examples of this are such prayers as:

"Our Lord, do not make our hearts swerve aside after You have guided us..." (Surah Al 'Imran, 8)

The Prophet Yusuf (as) also prayed in the words:

"…take me as a Muslim at my death and join me to the people who are righteous." (Surah Yusuf, 101)

In short, believers definitely do not regard themselves as perfect, flawless human beings destined for Paradise. On the contrary, they try to do all they can to remedy their deficiencies, correct their mistakes and mature in faith. For that reason, as is revealed in many verses of the Qur'an, they pay the greatest attention to warnings issued to them. Since members of the Religion of the Ignorant are very fond of themselves and regard themselves as flawless, they never listen to any advice. When called to the book of Allah, they turn away and gloss over the subject by maintaining that they are in any case exemplary Muslims. They close all conversations by saying, "Alhamdulillah, I am a Muslim, too." The situation of such people is revealed thus in one verse:

Who could do greater wrong than someone who is reminded of the signs of his Lord and then turns away from them, forgetting all that he has done before? We have placed covers on their hearts, preventing them from understanding it, and heaviness in their ears. Though you call them to guidance, they will nonetheless never be guided. (Surat al-Kahf, 57)

They even make statements intended to exonerate themselves, along the lines of "I come from a very religious family," or "My grandfather was an esteemed scholar on the subject of religion whose opinions were sought, a hadji, an imam." Or else they bring up a good deed they once performed, such as a large amount of money they gave to a poor person, and hint at how saintly (!) they are. Such people are referred to in these terms in the Qur'an:

Do you not see those who claim to be purified? No, Allah purifies whoever He wills. They will not be wronged by so much as the smallest speck. Look how they invent lies against Allah. That suffices as an outright felony. (Surat an-Nisa', 49-50)

Adherents of Ignorantism produce various religious observances of their own, according to their own lights, and imagine that by performing these they will go to Paradise. One can often hear the statement, "Work is a religious observance" from the lips of such people. Starting from that logic, they then say that their own professions are religious observances. According to this logic, since they serve the religion by means of their jobs, there is no need to abide by the provisions of the Qur'an. The person saying this may be a civil servant, a barber, a doctor, a tradesman or a tailor. They all imagine that they help people through their jobs, and that this is the greatest form of religious observance. Yet this is a great error.

These people have chosen the job that will bring them the most money, the best lifestyle and the most fame, but then they claim that they give the religion their service through that job. Religious observance means serving Allah. Helping others is a religious observance only if done for the sake of Allah's approval. A person cannot fail to abide by the moral values of the Qur'an and then say, "I helped such-and-such a person. That is a religious observance." If they wish to perform a religious observance—in other words to serve Allah—then they must try to fulfill all the provisions He set.

Some verses in Surat at-Tawba explain this in the finest manner. These verses refer to the custom of the polytheists in Mecca of giving water to those people coming to repair the Kaaba or coming to it on pilgrimage. It is revealed that this action by the polytheists is not regarded as a religious observance, despite being a positive deed. That is because, as already stated, religious observance means serving Allah. Yet the polytheists performed that action not for the approval of Allah, but for show, and as a requirement of tradition and custom:

It is not for the idolaters to maintain the mosques of Allah, bearing witness against themselves of their disbelief. They are the ones whose actions will come to nothing. They will be in the Fire timelessly, for ever. (Surat at-Tawba, 17)

Do you make the giving of water to the pilgrims and looking after the Sacred Mosque [Masjid al-Haram] the same as believing in Allah and the Last Day and striving in the way of Allah? They are not equal in the sight of Allah. Allah does not guide wrongdoing people. (Surat at-Tawba, 19)

There is no end to the varieties of distorted concepts of Islam produced by the Religion of the Ignorant. Some members of this religion are convinced of the correctness of the path they follow and express their confidence with such statements as "If Allah did not love me, would He have given me this house, family, assets and property?" In seeking to justify themselves with such thoughts, they are unaware that they may fall within the provisions of the following verse:

Do they imagine that, in the wealth and children We extend to them, We are hastening to them with good things? No indeed, but they have no awareness! (Surat al-Muminun, 55-56)