Life in the society of ignorance

One of the most significant characteristics of someone who can
appreciate Allah's might and thus reorients all his deeds to earn
Allah's blessing, is his liberating himself from all beings other than
Allah. Having his life focused on earning His approval and being a
servant to Him, he develops a different outlook on the universe, which
he knows is created and controlled by Allah. Since he considers Allah
as the only god, the false deities surrounding him lose their meaning.
The lives of those lacking true faith, unlike those of the believers,
are subservient to countless false deities. Such people devote their
entire lives to gaining the approval of countless people, and when
they seek help, it is from other people. In reality, however, the
creatures an unbeliever idolizes in his mind are nothing but weak
"servants," just like himself. The deadlock these people face is
related in the Qur'an as follows:
They have taken [other] deities besides Allah [Alone], hoping that
they may be helped. They cannot help them, even though they are an
army mobilized in their support. (Surah Ya Sin: 74-75)
Unbelievers base their entire lives on this very distorted rationale.
There emerges from this another important difference between believers
and unbelievers: Believers adopt the criteria laid down by Allah as
their only guidance. They observe the commands of the Qur'an, the just
Book and the Sunnah of the Prophet (saas). Their religion is Islam,
which is explained in detail in the Qur'an and is presented to us
through the exemplary of the life of the Prophet (saas).
People who lead their lives in a state oblivious of Allah will surely
accept the criteria laid down by the imaginary deities rather than the
criteria set forth by Allah. Unlike Islam, the one and immutable law
of Allah, theirs is a polytheistic religion. These people have various
conflicting rules and goals imposed by society. This being the case,
the polytheistic religions they abide by take various forms.
Some of them aim at money and power, while others desire a prestigious
and influential status. Some aspire to find a "good spouse" and have a
"happy family life." This diversity that engenders different life
styles and accordingly different "religions" is, in fact, based on the
failure to grasp Allah's existence and His limits.
However, man is, by nature, inclined to trust Allah and be a servant
to Him. Unable to fulfill his infinite needs and desires by himself,
by nature, he tends to turn to Allah alone. Accordingly, the nature of
man is inclined to recognize Allah as his Lord:
So, as a pure and natural believer, set your face firmly towards the
faith, Allah's natural pattern on which He made mankind. There is no
changing Allah's creation. That is the true faith—but most people do
not know it. (Surat ar-Rum: 30)
Said Nursi, the renowned Turkish scholar, explains how man fails to
understand that his real duty is to be a servant to Allah and adds:"…
They unwisely concluded that life is a struggle."
This rationale, subscribed to by those who do not live according to
the values of the Qur'an, is one of the fundamental tenets of their
religion. It is due to the rationale in question that these people
always suffer feelings of distress and tension:
- The majority of these people, unlike believers, are selfish,
self-seeking people whose only concern is to benefit themselves.
- They lack the delicate disposition that develops with
self-sacrifice. Their love is based on gaining advantage; they love a
person not because of his good values or attributes but because it is
in their interest to love him.
- Those whom they consider to be their loved ones, too, approach them
with the same rationale, which creates a relationship bereft of
loyalty. They always feel concerned about the potential unfaithfulness
of their partners, since they know that at any time they may find
others who are wealthier or more beautiful…
- They are consumed by jealousy, a trait that prevents them from
taking pleasure in beauties and blessings. For example, instead of
taking pleasure in someone's beauty and saying "How beautifully Allah
has created him or her," they feel restless and ask, "Why am I not as
good looking and beautiful as him or her?"
- They do not feel grateful to Allah or are not contented with their
blessings. With such a disposition, they always want to possess more.
This insatiable desire becomes a constant source of uneasiness.
- Unable to accept their feebleness and weaknesses, they do not ask
for help from Allah. They assume they will get rid of their weaknesses
if they turn away from Allah haughtily without asking Him for help.
However, this is not the way to get rid of their weaknesses. At this
time too, they turn to others and pin their hopes on them. Yet those
they turn to are also weak individuals who only think about their own
benefit. Moreover, they are far from being merciful and compassionate.
This being the case, they often feel "depressed," and lose their
spirit through a failure to satisfy their expectations.
- They lack forgiveness and tolerance. For this reason, even a minor
disagreement among them is likely to develop into a clash or conflict.
Most of the time, each party makes it a matter of pride to refuse to
accept being the one in the wrong. For this reason, they often feel
distressed.
- They do not believe that they live in a world under Allah's
protection and control, but rather in a ruthless jungle where they
have to "defeat" others to survive. According to their misguided idea,
they assume they have to develop a tough, aggressive and egoist
character to be able to survive in this "jungle." Indeed, their
attitude matches what they encounter. They are either, as the society
of ignorance calls it, swallowed up, as in the example of the "small
fish," or they grow into a "big and cruel" fish and swallow others.
These laws apply to almost all societies where people do not
experience true faith, and behave according to the mistaken morality
described above. The Qur'an calls these societies "ignorant and
behavent," because they are entirely unaware of Allah and the
Hereafter.