People with such a character always have two faces, two tones of voice and two personalities. One belongs to themselves, the other is the one they show to the outside world. They never, for example, possess the honesty to tell others what is in their heart at that moment. Even if they do not love someone, they may still put on a false show of affection. They may fraudulently talk about how cultured someone is, when they actually believe him to be ignorant, or rain down praises on an outfit they don't care for. It is generally impossible to have any faith in their words. One cannot seek their advice, because they will inevitably conceal their true thoughts and say what is appropriate to the circumstances. Neither is their joy natural and sincere. They smile not because something gives them genuine pleasure or because they are happy, but because they think they need to. They wear smiles though their hearts are troubled and distressed. They never let their happy appearance drop—if such is in their interests—even with people whose company they don't enjoy, no matter how bored they are. They can utter false laughter in situations where their pride is offended, when they feel belittled, or where they are disparaged.

People with an Affected Character

Pay Little Attention to Cleanliness

From the outside, such people may seem to be rather well groomed, because display occupies an important place in the affected personality. As in all matters, however, these people's understanding of cleanliness is directed only towards display. They live quite filthy lives in those areas nobody can see. Cleanliness is merely a troublesome chore performed to gain others' esteem. According to this mindset, therefore, there is no need to be clean if there is nobody around.

In the homes of people with an affected character, close attention is paid only to cleanliness in the guest room. Only the visible parts of that room are actually cleaned. At first glance the armchairs look very clean, but the backs have in all likelihood not been wiped down for months and everywhere is covered in dust. The radiator covers are clean, but when you remove them, the sight that emerges is exceedingly primitive. There may be places in such homes that have not been touched for years. Dirty areas include neglected places containing old furniture, cupboards, underneath the carpets and the bathroom walls, generally harboring germs.

Most important of all, however, is the lack of attention such people pay to personal cleanliness. One distinguishing feature of those people is how they seek to cover up the dirt on their bodies, that have not been washed for days, by spraying scent over them. Though accompanied by the scents of attractive and expensive perfumes, these people have generally not come into contact with water for days. After visiting the hairdresser, they don't wash their hair for some time, in order to avoid having to pay any more money and to keep their hairdo intact. Before going out, they wash only the visible parts of their bodies, and ignore the regions under their clothes. They are therefore frequently subjected to infections, but live with these illnesses for years without ever being concerned about them. They pay no heed to the cleanliness of the food they serve people, and they generally try to keep down costs by serving poorly-washed vegetables, ancient oils, and stale ingredients mixed with fresh ones. They don't hesitate to endanger others' health for the sake of their own interests. Indeed, it never even crosses their minds that this unclean food could damage people's health. Any such person eventually becomes used to filth, and regards this as the natural order of things.

All this stems from the fact that the affected character is built on an unbelieving system. They never employ their consciences, and are never clean, altruistic and considerate as commanded by Allah, unless forced to be.

Their Views of Religion

In the affected personality, religion is perceived very differently from the manner described in the Qur'an. For many with such a character, religious belief stems not from devotion to Allah but from a desire for social acceptance. For them, being religious needs to be practiced as a general rule of society. Such people therefore use devotion as a means of display. They sometimes remember Allah, and say that they believe in Him and accept the Qur'an, but fail to adopt the relevant moral values and lifestyle. Allah has revealed the existence of such people in the Qur'an. In verses, Allah says:

Have you seen him who denies the religion? He is the one who harshly rebuffs the orphan and does not urge the feeding of the poor. So woe to those who perform prayer, and are forgetful of their prayer, those who show off and deny help to others. (Surat al-Ma'un, 1-7)

These characters have a distorted understanding of religion, peculiar to itself and far removed from the Qur'an. Even if they say they are religious, they are actually very flexible on the subject of what is permitted and prohibited in the religion. They don't tremble in fear of Allah as they should. They therefore abide by those religious provisions that seem easy to them, and ignore those that seem difficult or incompatible with their interests. For example, they perform one daily prayer, but if invited to a party or feel sleepy, or need to go shopping at the other times of day, they come up with a new provision and may say, "Once is enough, there is no need to perform them all." Or they may reach such an erroneous conclusion as, "It'is my intention that counts, not my actions."

In this character, religion enters the equation only on specific days, alongside specific people or during specific events. For example, during funerals or the Mawlid, people with affected personalities bring up religion, because such occasions are opportunities to show how devout they are. Praying for the dead or raising the subject of their lives in the Hereafter are important to demonstrate the importance they attach to religion. This is of course praiseworthy behavior if performed with sincere intentions, but the difference is that in speaking of the dead and the Hereafter or praying for them, people with affected characters forget about Allah, regard death and the Hereafter as being far removed, and seek only to put on a show for those around them.

In fact, most of those who live by the affected philosophy put on a thin headscarf on occasions of this kind, wear predominantly black elegant and expensive clothes and head off to the funeral. Where they see the relatives of the deceased, they assume a sorrowful expression and express their condolences with sorrowful words. Reference is made to the deceased's "time" having come and to wishing healthy lives for those who remain. As this takes place, however, there is no state of mind that feels helplessness before Allah, that knows that death is close at hand to this person as well, and that fears having to render account. On the contrary, the funeral is perceived as a social meeting, albeit with a different form and rules. Competitiveness in looking elegant and gossiping continue here, too. Who has attended? Who is wearing what? Who is wearing what brand of headscarf and what make of glasses?

The mind of the affected character is the exact opposite of that brought about by religion. Affected people may appear to remember Allah frequently, especially at times of accidents, sickness or events they regard as important to themselves. Yet they never think that Allah pervades and enfolds all places, has dominion over them at all moments, of the responsibilities religion imposes on them, or of Allah's punishment, justice or might. They may never think of acquiring any understanding on these subjects. They generally do not know what is written in the Qur'an or the moral values it commands, and if they do know, they certainly do not practice them.

It is actually very easy to spot this aspect of the affected personality. If asked to make a sacrifice for Allah's approval, then these mentalities will probably rise to the surface. Such people are unwilling to undertake even the slightest difficulty for the sake of Allah's approval. They cannot countenance renouncing their lifestyles, luxuries or surroundings. For example, if they think that there will be a reaction from others as they perform a religious obligation, they choose other people's approval over Allah's. They never make any concession for the sake of religion with regard to their wealth, entertainments, travel, ways of dressing or habits.

The fact is, religion must influence a person's whole life and moral values. Those who believe in Allah live their entire lives according to His religion and compatibly with His approval, and practice the moral values of the Qur'an. They never evaluate the religion of Allah according to whether it is compatible with their own interests. When that evaluation occurs, then that is not true religion. The view of religion in the affected character, therefore, is far distant from the spirit and logic of Islam. In verses, Allah states that religion must be made unique to Him:

We have sent down the Book to you with truth. So worship Allah, making your religion sincerely His. Indeed is the sincere religion not Allah's alone? If people take protectors besides Him—"We only worship them so that they may bring us nearer to Allah"—Allah will judge between them regarding the things about which they differed. Allah does not guide anyone who is an ungrateful liar. (Surat az-Zumar, 2-3)

Say: "It is Allah I worship, making my religion sincerely His, so worship anything you will apart from Him!" Say: "The real losers are those who lose themselves and their families on the Day of Resurrection." Isn't that clear loss? (Surat az-Zumar, 14-15)

So call upon Allah, making your religion sincerely His, even though the disbelievers detest it. (Surah Ghafir, 14)

They Never Abandon Their Affected Characters,

Even Under the Most Difficult Conditions

Another feature of the affected character is how it dominates peoples' entire lives. That dominion is so powerful that such people never abandon their own rules, even under the most difficult conditions. Funerals are, again, an example of this. Even at the deaths of their closest friends, even of their husbands or children, such people are never willing to forego their characters, which are the direct opposites of the moral values of the Qur'an.

Since such people never use their ability to reason, they cannot fully comprehend the might and greatness of Allah, which is why they do not fear Him. Just about no event affects them particularly deeply, nor leads them to behave with genuine sincerity. Such events as a close friend contracting a dangerous illness, their children being injured or their spouse coming close to death, produce no deep effect in their souls. They never learn from people's experiences. They never think that one day, something similar might happen to them, and never seek to improve their moral values and rectify their mistakes.

The one event that affected characters cannot withstand and at which they totally collapse is their own deaths. To die is the one thing they fear most, and experience terror when they feel that death is really close at hand. Only then do they abandon their ugly personalities and show their true faces. The panic felt when an earthquake strikes, for instance, may lead them to abandon their affected character. At such a moment, their facial expressions, tone of voice, behavior and way of calling on Allah all suddenly change. Such people know their helplessness, are humble, full of fear, genuine and sincere. The moment the earthquake ends, however, that effect suddenly vanishes and the affected characters re-appear. That is because the force that caused their character to change, albeit for a moment, is not fear of Allah but fear of death. Once that fear has passed, this character re-emerges in all its ugliness.

The Affected Character Gives Rise to Sloth,

Incompetence and Ignorance

Affected people tend to be skilled at nothing, have no competence in any field, and are ignorant. The world offered to people of that character is a very narrow one. They take an interest only in certain areas of life and know nothing about anything beyond.

Affected people are interested in such matters as clothes, make-up, brands of perfume, the private lives of those around them, travel plans and hairdressers' addresses. Little else is of any deep interest. They have not the slightest interest in the torture inflicted on Muslims in East Turkistan, for instance, the cruelty experienced in the Middle East, people starving to death in Africa, the spread of atheism in the world, the abandonment of Qur'anic moral values or the moral degeneration among young people. They are sensitive only to their own interests. The problems of others, even of their closest friends, interest them not at all. They take an interest in a subject only if it affects their interests in some way.

Unless they or one of their family fall ill, they never feel sympathy for the sick. So long as they are not poor, they never empathize with the plight of poor people. So long as they are not hungry, they do not comprehend the plight of those who are. In order for them to show any sensitivity on a subject, they must first experience it themselves. No subject that fails to touch them personally or cause them any discomfort is at all important. Their seeking to solve a problem, making efforts to save those suffering from that problem and find a solution all depend on the situation being harmful to them. If they live in a country at war or suffering starvation, and they themselves are affected, then they may well look for a remedy, because their own lives are involved. But if they live in luxury far from such countries, then the plight of those people interests them not in the least. In that sense, the affected character is most ruthless and cruel.

Moreover, since the culture presented by the affected personality is solely for display, these people are exceedingly ignorant and badly informed. They devote all their time and mind to show off. Therefore, the affected are unable to come up with ideas on subjects requiring intellect. They cannot be of any use to those around them, and fail to add anything positive to their surroundings. In fact, people of affected character are generally a burden on rational people at times of emergencies and constitute a problem. Since they are irrational and incompetent, and of no use when measures need to be taken, time needs to be set aside to look after them. For example, instead of calling a doctor or dealing with bystanders after a traffic accident, such people actually confuse the situation further by crying and engaging in mindless behavior. They do not use their reason to come up with solutions. For that reason, not only are such people a danger to themselves, but also to those around them.

Because affected personalities have no objective, ideals or auspicious aims, their lives are dominated by a great lethargy. Apart from dashing off to some entertainment, the hairdresser, a sports event, shopping or to visit a friend, there's never any urgency to any of their affairs. Their haste is concerned solely with themselves. They never hurry for the sake of others' welfare, health or security. Time is of little value to them, and they waste it quite happily. They can spend days, months and even years without doing anything useful, interested only in themselves and their own particular circle. They therefore move slowly, talk at length on all subjects, and are unable to come up with a quick solution to the smallest matter. For example, it takes them weeks or even months to decide on a change of décor in their homes. They are also capable of devoting days to such questions as what outfit to wear, what hair style to adopt, what jewelry to wear, or which shoes to buy.

This lethargy imposed by their character is reflected in their mental activities. Their minds work slowly. They cannot easily distinguish right from wrong, speak with any wisdom or use their intellect to make positive contributions to anyone's moral values, personality or lifestyle.

The Vulgarity of the Affected Character

One major claim of people with an affected personality is that of nobility. These people, imagining that nobility consists of appearance, attitude and various rules of etiquette, portray themselves as exceedingly noble to those around them. They imagine that wealth brings with it a natural nobility, which they can achieve by learning a few international conventions regarding eating, standing up, and dressing.

In fact, however, beneath such people's courteous exteriors there tends to lie a character that's cruel, vulgar and a far cry from noble. The attitudes they display in the face of events that clash with their own interests, or toward people to whom they attach little value, make this crystal clear. For example, when affected people regarded as exceptionally courteous in their circle lose their bag in a shop, they begin behaving in a most vulgar manner. They shout at the staff, and immediately accuse people of theft. They demand the bag be found at once, otherwise they will sue. They shout at people who have nothing to do with the matter, quite irrationally and in a very vulgar tone of voice. At that moment, their fine manners and nobility vanish. Their true natures emerge when they imagine their own interests will be damaged.

A great many examples can be given of how such matters as compassion, nobility and courtesy are based solely on imitation in the affected character. For instance, such people will be full of affection towards the child of a friend who comes on a visit. They will place the child on their lap, caress it, lavish attention on it or take care that no harm comes to it. But when the child of a poor person arrives, their attitude is quite different. They are reluctant for that child to sit on the living room furniture, to eat off good plates, or to wander about the house. They are reluctant to touch or caress it. They display no kindness, but behave with great ill temper.

People with such a nature are unable to put up with any changes to their lifestyle, for which reason they are angered easily. Imagine such people all dressed up and trying to make it to a party where they've been invited. They speak and behave most politely to those around, but if they're unable to find a space left in the parking lot, their attitude suddenly changes. When they realize they must park some distance away and walk, they start blaming the parking attendant. They try to get their own way by humiliating him. If their persistence fails to achieve results, they become rude, and their manner of speaking and tone of voice undergo an alteration. No vulgarity is too much for them, since the affected personality's nobility is based solely on appearance.

True nobility stems from faith and is lived in the soul. Only one who has faith in Allah, expects to be recompensed for all things by Him, and lives the beauty of the soul required by Qur'anic moral values, can possess true nobility and greatness. Such a person will behave in an honorable, noble, generous and dignified manner, without chasing after personal interests, in a manner that doesn't change according to the circumstances or persons concerned. In the Qur'an, Allah reveals that true nobility and honor belong to Allah and those who follow Him:

They say, "If we return to Madina, the more honorable will drive out the inferior." But all honor belongs to Allah and to His messenger and the believers. But the hypocrites do not know this. (Surat al-Munafiqun, 8)

Do those who take the disbelievers as protectors, rather than the believers, hope to find honor with them? Honor belongs entirely to Allah. (Surat an-Nisa', 139)

"Work" Psychology

ın Ignorantism

Earlier, we said that a Muslim's only important feature of identity was being a Muslim, that he cannot define himself according to any other worldly criterion. Muslim is a name Allah has bestowed on believers (Surat al-Hajj, 78), and a great honor it is for a person to bear that title. For that reason, those with a Muslim awareness never seek to find another identity by adopting other values. They would never stoop to doing so. Other worldly criteria—a person's descent, lineage, social status, language, color or circle for instance—have no importance in the sight of believers. This is explained in a verse:

O humanity! We created you from a male and female, and made you into peoples and tribes so that you might come to know each other. The noblest among you in Allah's sight is the one of you who best performs his duty. Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware. (Surat al-Hujurat, 13)

A believer aware of this never changes his behavior or character according to prevailing worldly circumstances. When he obtains great worldly wealth, for example, he never becomes spoiled. When he is impoverished, he never adopts a defeated state of mind. Examples of this are provided in the Qur'an; and the way in which the Prophet Sulayman (as) maintained his modesty and submission to Allah after acquiring great material wealth is described. On the other hand, however, people with weak and ignoble characters change according to every circumstance and condition.

The unseemly behavior of Qarun, who grew proud when property was given him, or of other unbelievers who panicked and despaired in the face of the slightest difficulty, are examples of such behavior, as described in the verse:

When We bless man, he turns away and draws aside. When evil touches him, he despairs. (Surat al-Isra', 83)

This lack of a firm identity engrained in the character of unbelievers emerges in the Religion of the Ignorant as an attempt to find identity. That is because the Ignorantist is all about attaining status in society. Since members of the Religion of the Ignorant possess no genuine, unchanging and stable identity in the way that Muslims do, they set out various worldly identities for themselves.

The most significant of these is professions. Adherents of Ignorantism find an identity in terms of the professions they belong to, and develop a character appropriate to them. Muslims have professions too, of course, but their place of work or status do not determine the characters of people with sincere faith in Allah. Muslims do not enter the state of mind that their profession brings with it, and never make any concessions on their attitudes.

In the Religion of the Ignorant, people are only as valuable as their professions. People enjoy as much esteem as the money they earn. That is why, within minutes of meeting someone, the conversation turns to what work they or their fathers do. Establishing that is of great importance in terms of establishing the other party's worth. The criterion by whether a person is to be taken seriously is their career, income or rank. When people from different professional groups meet together, everyone generally seeks to imply that he has the most highly regarded profession, and that the others' are less important.

In Ignorantism, every profession has its own particular psychology. If it requires higher education, then its psychology will consist of the individual's having been to university, and indoctrination starts with teachers and senior students.

Doctors, for instance, are indoctrinated from the moment they enter their medical studies with the idea that everyone's health depends on them, and that theirs is the most sacred profession. They carry that mindset throughout their lives. Pharmacists develop a similar psychology. Those who graduate from law school regard themselves as fundamental pillars of justice, as the most intelligent and clever people around, with the best powers of judgment, the best able to determine the true facts. Engineers think that everything they encounter in daily life is the product of their profession, and, based on that thesis, that their own role is a most exceptional one.

The self-employed and those engaging in commerce see themselves as the backbone of social and economic life and imagine that nobody can take their place. At every opportunity, they raise the idea that were it not for them, people would be in a dire state, even unable to survive—and that they themselves are very important.

These people construct their identities and characters on such psychological bases as arrogance, pride, stubbornness and self-admiration brought about by the feeling that their work is irreplaceable, sacred, exceptional and unique. Members of the Religion of the Ignorant are therefore very sensitive about their own professions. They regard every word spoken about their profession as if it were aimed at them personally, and defend their professions as if it were a matter of honor.

Professions that require no education, that are based more on physical skills or experience, on knowledge passed down from relatives or physical ability, have their own different psychologies. Workplaces such as studios, shops, boutiques and offices all have their own very different psychologies and ethical conceptions, determined by Ignorantism. The external manifestation of the pride, arrogance and egoism of those working such jobs takes place more in the form of inferiority complexes, caprices, aggression, bad temper, vulgarity and a know-it-all attitude.

The work ethic of the Religion of the Ignorant reveals itself even while people are looking for employment. The most important, even the sole criterion when seeking work is the salary that job will bring in. The point of the work—its purpose, which belief, idea or individual will be served, and the harm it may do—are never made part of the equation.

In Ignorantism, one job often chosen by women is secretarial work. Their boss is usually a man, who tends to look for female secretaries. Femininity tends to play a major role here. Potential employees seek to get hired by means of their external appearance, rather than with their competence, knowledge, experience or intelligence.

Bosses tend to select employees who will witness their every move, either at work or at home, with the greatest care. For that reason the secretary, male or female, hears and sees nothing. He or she must have the kind of character that can lie when necessary, but must never lie to the boss and must demonstrate the highest loyalty. In normal life, people are unwilling to witness a deception and remain silent, or even become a party to it. When the same happens within the boundaries of the workplace, however, the Religion of the Ignorant regards this as part and parcel of the job. This aspect of being a secretary is a moral requirement of the profession in community of the ignorant. Nobody finds it strange.

Secretaries gain the boss's trust by ignoring his secret dealings in the workplace, even sometimes with regard to his own family. They share with the boss common attitudes toward everyone outside. Secretaries also put on a show with the boss for the outside world. His going on business trips, his outside meetings, and the salary he earns are all elements for display.

Other jobs like marketing, sales or reception are other trades based on show. Bosses inspect candidates in meeting rooms and monitor their reactions by making vulgar and crude jokes. Not showing an adverse reaction is a plus.

Some of the attributes sought in jobs like these, which involve dealing with many different people, include an ability not to blush in the face of other people's words or behavior, keeping one's cool, never taking things to heart, and even suggesting that one enjoys such things. The character of staff who make closing sales is particularly well suited to this; and is a requirement of the sales staff's work ethic. Vulgar personality traits such as shamelessness, insensitivity and lack of character are all part of the work ethic of Ignorantism. Among believers, on the other hand, that ethic promotes superior moral values such as dignity, seriousness, honor and nobility.

Passion constitutes the bedrock of the behavior required in the workplace in the Religion of the Ignorant. A burning desire to earn money, a passion to lead, or a passion for fame are highly regarded. That's why a materialist atmosphere to a large extent pervades workplaces. All behavior and attitudes, all conversation, are aimed at obtaining money and position. Employees have specific duties and positions. Everyone conforms to the mould of their own job description. The general behavior of most employees is ruled by giving the appearance of being very busy, irritable behavior, a tense expression and haste.

The Ignorantist boss speaks and behaves with the ease imparted by being the proprietor or the one who hands out wages. He can shout at, insult or humiliate the person in front of him. He is the one who hands out money. He needn't show the same respect to those beneath him as he does to others. He does, however, expect great respect to be shown to him. Those under his command must put up with everything he does. There is a kind of slave logic in the relationship between employer and employee. The boss imagines that he has freedom to behave however he likes to anyone whose salary he pays, and to address and use him as he chooses.

Business terminology is employed even in normal office conversations. In foreign countries, English terminology from the profession concerned is constantly employed—appropriately or not and whether the other party understands or not—as a means of putting on airs. There are even ways of holding the telephone. Disapproving of one another's work and constantly correcting it in a know-it-all way are widespread among employees. There is intense internal office gossip. Longstanding employees know all one another's deceptions, but hesitate to bring them out into the open because they fear that their own misdeeds will similarly be dragged into the light of day.

Everyone loads pressure onto newcomers, acting as know-it-alls and treating them as beginners, and constantly watching for their mistakes. Someone who's been employed for only two weeks tries to lord it over the brand-new employee. Longstanding workers give newcomers advice on all sorts of matters, necessary or otherwise, and try to make their superiority felt on all matters. Sometimes there can be disputes between different departments in the workplace. People show off by saying, "I have sorted that job out," and try to give the impression of being highly competent.