The Dangers of Narrow-Mindedness
Ahmad
as-Sowayyan
Editor-in-chief, Al-Bayan Magazine
Al-Jumuah,
Rabi’ul Awwal
1421
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Narrow-mindedness is defined as lacking tolerance
or not having the mental faculty to see beyond the superficial and
recognize the underlying truth. Currently, this tendency appears to
be widespread in all segments of Muslim communities.
The
primary reason for this deplorable condition is ignorance, the
inability to recognize this deficiency and to take corrective action.
This situation is further aggravated if the ignorant person considers
himself to be the epitome of wisdom, and if, he is in a leadership or
a highly visible position, he can cause unnecessary harm to a family,
a community or a an entire nation.
Absence of insight can also
result in narrow-mindedness by having a negative effect on one’s
thought processes. Insight is a rare virtue, and quite different from
ignorance. A person who lacks insight may possess some knowledge, but
derives no benefit from it due to a lack of analytical skills while
someone with insight assesses his or her knowledge of a situation and
then selects and uses its relevant parts. Through insight, they are
able4 to see what others may not. Ibnul Qayyim, the famous Islamic
scholar and author, said: "One person may read a text and learn
one or two lessons from it, while another may learn one or two
hundred."
A rigidly traditional individual’s
perceptivity, like that of a captive frog in a deep well, is able to
function only within narrow parameters. He does not realize that
there are boundless vistas of knowledge beyond the scope of the well,
therefore, his mental and intellectual evolution remains stunted. He
is unable to take advantage of the knowledge available beyond his
limited horizon.
Blind imitation creates another obstacle to
one’s intellectual growth. The two world wars of the past
century are the perfect examples of this disability that can allow
ruthless political or religious leaders to manipulate the minds of
people who are unable to form their own objective view.
Some
individuals habitually look at things from one angle and accept them
as actual facts without thinking that there may be a different side
to the issue, or that reality may actually be quite different from
appearance. In the following verse, Allah points out that the
appearance of the hypocrites may not be a true indication of their
reality: "And when you see them, you like their appearance, but
when they speak and you listen to them, they seem worthless" …
and then He goes on to give this warning: "They are the enemy,
so be warned of them. The curse of Allah be upon them, how they are
perverted." [63:4]
Furthermore, some people are impressed
by quantity at the expense of quality. Referring to the battle of
Hunain, Allah says: "On the day of Hunain, your numbers
impressed you but did not benefit you." But, "If there be
amongst you twenty who show fortitude, they will defeat two hundred."
This does not, of course, mean that appearances are to be completely
disregarded or that quantity is totally irrelevant. These
fundamentals should not be valued in isolation, but should be
understood through insight and common sense.
A failure to
prioritize or differentiate wrong from right often leads people to
lose sight of the broader picture. Often people will focus on the
immediate and disregard the potential disastrous effects of an action
further down the road. Along with ignorance, narrow-mindedness and,
of course, a lack of insight, these gaps usually prove detrimental to
that individual’s future.
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