The Most Ignorant Of Those Who Are Ignorant Is — The One Who Trips Over The Same Stone Twice:

Ignorance is a state that exists within humans and one who possesses it advances towards darkness — whereas one who keeps it away From himself reaches luminosity and acquires discernment and insight.

If a person chooses an incorrect path For himself and permits ignorance to guide him in his actions, he would be looked upon as a sinner and of the inmates of Hell. However, if he sets about on the correct path, and acts on the basis of knowledge and cognizance, he shall be of the delivered ones.

Being pleased and satisfied over one’s actions is the key that opens the door of ignorance and the worst trait of an ignorant person is to claim to possess knowledge despite being ignorant.

An ignorant person,upon noticing his own Faults, does not experience uneasiness and discomfort, and upon being advised, does not pay heed to it. Despite having knowledge of his ignorance (called simple ignorance) he still commits blunders.

Imam ‘Ali (May Allah be pleased with him) said:

“Ignorance is the root of all evils.”

Silence is a beauty For a person who is weak and ignorant; surely, the intelligence of a person is known by his speech — just as his lack of intelligence also becomes manifest as a result of his speech.

Narrated `Abdullah bin `Amr bin Al-`As: I heard Allah's Messenger (saw) saying, "Allah does not take away the knowledge, by taking it away From (the hearts of) the people, but takes it away by the death of the religious learned men till when none of the (religious learned men) remains, people will take as their leaders ignorant persons who when consulted will give their verdict without knowledge. So they will go astray and will lead the people astray."(Sahih al-Bukhari 100)

Allah(swt) says: “Have they not then journeyed in the land and seen how was the end of those before them? They were more (in numbers) than these and greater in strength and in Fortifications in the land, but what they earned did not avail them.

Then when their Messengers came to them with clear arguments, they exulted in what they had with them of knowledge, and there beset them that which they used to mock”.(Quran — 40:82-83)

In this manner, the Qur'an has revealed the depth and content of those Nations to stress that the scientific development of man and his civil advancement are not able to save him From the claws of deviation and take him out of the Fangs of ignorance as long as he embellishes ignorant Faith and embodies the same abnormal ignorant behavior of the general society.

Although these ignorant deviated Nations are scattered throughout history and are different at scientific and civil levels, they share common factors. One mental state combines them and unifies their deviated course.

Allah(swt) says:“And those who have no knowledge say: Why does not Allah speak to us or a sign come to us? Even thus said those before them, the like of what they say; their hearts are all alike. Indeed We have made the communications clear For a people who are sure”. (Qur'an — 2:118)

This similarity among the hearts of the deviated nations and peoples and the unity of the mental trend, which the Qur'an has revealed, is the common line which identifies all aspects of the pre-Islamic period of ignorance and is the center From which all activities of the ignorant man begins.

When we examine Islamic texts and phrases about identifying and describing the life of (pre-Islamic period) ignorance, we can understand the meaning of the idiom `Jahiliyah' and the reason why the Qur'an has used it.

Jahiliyah(ignorance) means error, going astray, deviation From Allah's straight path, and negligence in His worship — Because`Jahiliyah', in the Qur'anic viewpoint, means a religion and lifestyle that Follows a line contrary to the line of Islam in nature and aim — It Follows the line of deviation From the path of True religion and Allah's Shari'ah (law) which guides man.

Jahiliyah (ignorance) is a way of life — It has its Faith, way of thinking, and lifestyle including social manners, worship, values and concepts, viewpoint towards life, method to create civilization, and a direction For human activities in areas such as culture, art, literature, politics, economy, power, law and order, etc.

So, the point is that — Allah(swt) did not create man Free to do his own will in everything, rather Allah(swt) has made man bound to His sovereignty by giving Laws and principles in the Qur’an. A person who does not live according to these principles will be at a loss in this life & the Hereafter and such a person is ignorant in the sight of Allah(swt).

May Allah(swt) protect us From the darkness of Ignorance and keep us Steadfast on the path of Guidance. (Ameen).

JazakAllah (May Allah Reward You [with] Goodness)For Reading.

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