Page 67 - Character Types of the Unbelievers

THE IDENTITIES THAT DEVELOP

UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF THE

PROFESSIONS IN IGNORANT SOCIETIES

The personalities of all who live in a society of ignorance are
subject of certain influences. One of these influences is their line of
work. Because, a person’s work or profession is an important factor

in shaping identity and status in a society. Every individual who
lives in a society divorced from the morality of the Qur’an is evalu-
ated according to his profession, social status and degree of prosper-
ity. Although these are not formally recognized, the ranking of all
professions, in terms of the respect they command, is nonetheless
known to all. For example, the respect commanded by a professor is
different than that of an administrator; a doctor’s is greater than a
fashion designer’s; and an architect’s is greater than a teacher’s.
For this reason, those in a society of ignorance who are faced

with making a decision about what profession to pursue make their
choice not only on the basis of what interests them, or what their tal-
ents are, but also consider the social status it will bring.
When a person chooses a profession, his sense of identity
changes accordingly. If he really wants to “make it” in the society
and achieve real status, he will have to take on the identity deter-

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