Author: Mufti Obaidullah Noorzahi
Crises of Liberalism in the Contemporary World (Part Three)
Extremism and Immodesty
Many people avoid many thoughts, beliefs, speech, and actions for fear of falling into the trap of extremism or immodesty. While the definition of these two words has no clear boundary in human reason, a person may engage in the most ugly acts such as sodomy and lasciviousness and not consider himself immodest, while another may forbid all pure acts such as marriage and eating halal meat and not consider this to be extremism. Therefore, the full value of beings can only be recognized when reason has the ability to recognize and is independent of other influential factors. Many of those who criticize and examine thoughts and beliefs subject the results of their evaluation of people and beliefs to obvious or hidden factors that may be strong or weak. Because when speaking or writing about a subject, everyone keeps in mind people, events, benefits and harms that his heart was once occupied with, and these reminders unconsciously affect his tongue and pen. This is the reason why many writers and speakers change their opinions in their assessments. And whatever passes through a person’s mind, even if it is as quick as the blink of an eye, affects his decisions. This is why the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) asks Allah not to leave him to himself when making a judgment: “اللَّهمَّ لا تكلني إلى نفسي طرفة عين” Translation: “O Allah, do not leave me to myself for a moment.” [1] And in describing the effect of the ego on the recognition of truths, he says: “إِنَّكَ إِنْ تَكِلْني إلى نفسي تُقَربني إلى الشَّرِّ وتُباعِدْني من الخیر” Translation: “Indeed, if you leave me to myself, you will bring me closer to evil and distance me from good.” [2]
When wise people who are aware of the laws of logic and reason want to influence others, they present information in a way that completely encompasses the senses and understanding of their audience. As a result, the desired idea takes root in their minds and opposing truths, no matter how strong and firm they are, will be surrounded by this new idea. The one who is more capable in this presentation has a greater impact, even if his message is based on falsehood, as it has been said: “Excessive observation of falsehood removes the light of truth from the heart.” That is why rulers and kings, when they intend to corrupt, can present it in the form of goodness, civilization, morality and progress, and it is enough to use the media for this purpose.
The ultimate wisdom is for a person to take his own mind in his hands and not seek another’s leadership; therefore, if someone wants to influence a person’s mind by repeatedly presenting falsehood, the person must respond with the same amount of indifference so that the thought returns to its true volume (before magnification); because the one who owns his heart today may not own it tomorrow, and this is a wise approach that only the wisest people and elites realize.
Many of the false statements that people repeat are actually the words of one person and others repeat them out of fear, hope, friendship for the speaker or hatred for his opponent. It is very rare for those who say a statement for its own sake, although everyone claims to do so. Only a wise scientist can distinguish these differences and a large number of speakers cannot deceive him.
All those who have power and influence over the people, such as leaders, kings and the rich, can gain many supporters for an idea, even if that idea is extremely wrong. We observe that in every country, the idea that its elders want becomes widespread and most of the people are nothing more than followers.
Correct recognition of the value of beings and distinguishing them from each other is only possible when three basic elements are protected from the influence of any external factor:
First: The health of the intellect, which should be free from any abnormal disorder, such as a body that has contracted a fever and has lost the ability to correctly distinguish between cold and heat. In this example, the problem is with the body, not the air. A person sitting by a hot fire, even if everyone confirms that the air is cold, will not correctly distinguish. On the contrary, both people are affected by their own circumstances, while the air is unchanged. The factors affecting the human intellect, such as diseases and other causes, far exceed the factors affecting the body, because mental influences, such as the rapid and continuous blinking of the eye, enter the human mind and seem endless. Most of these influences are frequent, and some of them seem small compared to physical influences, such as white hair on the body of a black cow. Often, the judgment of the intellect is affected by its causes and diseases; For example, someone who has lived with his insight and understanding in an unruly and sinful environment will undoubtedly consider moderation to be extreme. Conversely, the more this person deviates to the right, the more he will be unjust in describing moderation and consider himself to be accurate, prudent, and a just scale. He may be telling the truth; but the scale must be placed on a flat surface in order to be able to provide a fair result regarding the weight of objects, because the inclination and deviation of the surface can affect the accuracy of the scale, while the scale is the same scale and the weighed is the same weighed.
Second: The soundness of the basis on which one relies to know the values and quantities of objects, including knowledge to other subjects, is essential. A person whose criterion of knowledge is based on religion returns to the texts and divine revelation, which have a definitive reference and court; But someone who bases his evaluations on personal taste and opinion without reason is like someone who judges gold and silver only by their color and luster and ignores other criteria, which is a flaw in the basis of measurement.
Many people resort to taste, feeling, and the opinion of the majority to determine the positions of extremism and excess in religion. Although these criteria are valid in their place; but they are used to measure a subject for which they were not created. Taste can be criteria for choosing clothes, drinks, food, houses, and vehicles, and the feeling and approval of the majority can also be used in certain cases; but when these true scales are not used correctly, they can be led astray. Allah Almighty describes this situation in the Holy Quran as follows: “لَهُمْ قُلُوبٌ لا يَفْقَهُونَ بِهَا وَلَهُمْ أَعْيُنٌ لا يُبْصِرُونَ بِهَا وَلَهُمْ آذَانٌ لَا يَسْمَعُونَ بِهَا أُولَٰئِكَ كَالْأَنْعَامِ بَلْ هُمْ أَضَلُّ أُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْغَافِلُونَ” Translation: “They have hearts with which they do not understand, and eyes with which they do not see, and ears with which they do not hear. They are like cattle, but they are more astray. Indeed, they are the ignorant.” [3]
In this verse, the existence of hearts, eyes, and ears is confirmed for individuals, as these are undeniable facts. However, the power of understanding, seeing, and hearing is denied to them because they have reached incorrect conclusions, while they were capable of reaching correct conclusions; therefore, their existence or non-existence makes no difference. The one who has scales but cannot determine the true weight is no different from the one who, without scales, declares the weight based only on conjecture. In fact, the former may be more deserving of blame; Because he had the means to reach the truth, but he did not use it properly and did not reach the correct conclusion: “أُولَٰئِكَ كَالْأَنْعَامِ بَلْ هُمْ أَضَلُّ أُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْغَافِلُونَ” Translation: “They are like cattle, but they are more astray; they are the ignorant.” [4]
Third: Sound information is vital to ignorance, because ignorance in one area can affect our understanding in other areas. Whoever wants to find the middle path must also know the paths of extremism and excess so that he knows that the path he has taken is truly the middle path. We have three paths: extremism, excess and moderation.
Ignorance of any of these three paths can hinder our understanding of the other. If we only know two paths, for example, moderation and extremism, we may mistakenly consider moderation to be excess, and if we only know excess and moderation, we may mistakenly consider moderation to be extremism. Therefore, it is essential that when judging any path, we use our thinking and intellect carefully and thoughtfully, as Allah Almighty has commanded, in order to reach a correct and accurate conclusion about the conditions of others and compare it with our own situation, we must exert ourselves and our steps to reach a fair judgment. Allah Almighty says: “أَفَلَمْ يَسِيرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ فَيَنظُرُوا كَيْفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ كَانُوا أَكْثَرَ مِنْهُمْ وَأَشَدَّ قُوَّةً وَآثَارًا فِي الْأَرْضِ فَمَا أَغْنَى عَنْهُم مَّا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ” Translation: “Have they not traveled on the earth and seen what was the end of those before them? They were more numerous and more powerful and had more influence on the land, but what they earned did not benefit them.” [5]
And He says: “أَفَلَمْ يَسِيرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ فَتَكُونَ لَهُمْ قُلُوبٌ يَعْقِلُونَ بِهَا أَوْ آذَانٌ يَسْمَعُونَ بِهَا فَإِنَّهَا لَا تَعْمَى الْأَبْصَارُ وَلَكِن تَعْمَى الْقُلُوبُ الَّتِي فِي الصُّدُورِ” Translation: “Have they not traveled through the earth so that they may have hearts with which to reason or ears with which to hear? For it is not the eyes that become blind, but it is the hearts that are in the chests that become blind.” [6]
And he says: “قُلْ سِيرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ فَانظُرُوا كَيْفَ بَدَأَ الْخَلْقَ ثُمَّ اللَّهُ يُنشِئُ النَّشْأَةَ الْآخِرَةَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ” Translation: “Say, look around the earth and see how it started the creation, then Allah creates the subsequent creation, surely Allah is capable of everything”. [7]
And He says: “قُلْ سِيرُوا فِي الأَرْضِ ثُمَّ انظُرُوا كَيْفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الْمُكَذِّبِينَ” Translation: “Say, ‘Travel through the earth, then see how the end of the deniers was.’ [8]
How often does a person err in one situation due to ignorance of other situations, whereas if he had thought about it and been informed about it, his judgment would have changed; but attention to the end of the matter, premature conclusions and haste have caused him to neglect and to be careful about the “influential beginnings in the outcome,” beginnings that require reflection.
When the polytheists, without reason, considered the angels [Allah forbid] to be the daughters of Allah Almighty, Allah referred them to another direction, which if they had reflected, they would not have said so. That is: How can they not like girls for themselves and bury them alive out of shame and modesty, and then like the same thing for Allah?!
Allah the Exalted says: “فَاسْتَفْتِهِمْ أَلِرَبِّكَ الْبَنَاتُ وَلَهُمُ الْبَنُونَ ﴿۱۴۹﴾ أَمْ خَلَقْنَا الْمَلَائِكَةَ إِنَاثًا وَهُمْ شَاهِدُونَ ﴿۱۵۰﴾ أَلَا إِنَّهُم مِّنْ إِفْكِهِمْ لَيَقُولُونَ ﴿۱۵۱﴾ وَلَدَ اللَّهُ وَإِنَّهُمْ لَكَاذِبُونَ ﴿۱۵۲﴾ أَصْطَفَى الْبَنَاتِ عَلَى الْبَنِينَ ﴿۱۵۳﴾ مَا لَكُمْ كَيْفَ تَحْكُمُونَ(۱۵۴)” Translation: “Then ask them, ‘Does your Lord have daughters, and they have sons? Or did We create the angels as females while they were witnesses?’ They will certainly say, of their own fabrication, ‘Allah has taken a son,’ while they are certainly liars. Has He chosen daughters over sons? What is the matter with you? How do you judge?” [9]
Continues…
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References
[1] — Mustadrak Hakim, Vol. 1, p. 730.
[2] — Musnad Imam Ahmad, 327, Dar al-Risalah.
[3] — Surah Al-A’raf, Verse: 179.
[4] — Surah Al-A’raf, Verse: 179.
[5] — Surah Ghafir, Verse: 82.
[6] — Surah Al-Hajj, Verse: 46.
[7] — Surah Al-Ankabut, Verse: 20.
[8] — Surah Al-An’am, Verse: 11.
[9] — Surah As-Saffat, Verses: 149-154.
