Page 136 - The Religion Of The Ignorant

THE RELIGION OF THE IGNORANT

the Prophet Solomon (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 prop-
erty was given him, or of other unbelievers who panicked and de-
spaired 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 unbe-
lievers 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 pro-
fessions too, of course, but their place of work or status do not de-
termine 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 conver-
sation 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 profes-

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