Psychology of Ignorance According to Al-Ghazali

It is not blameworthy for being ignorance, unless knowing yourself, being humble, and have a faith to learn, ready to abandon asobiyyah* and prepared to embrace the truth.

The one of which blameworthy – is the type of ignorance; merely a disease which ruins the ummah, harming the Islamic teachings when, an ignorant people do not realize their state of being ignorance. They are not willing to learn, or listen or even think. This type of people, has the biggest probability to enter hellfire because Allah SWT has mentioned in Al-Quran that most of the inhabitants (of hellfire) is people who was in dunya are lazy enough to listen and to think.

Allah SWT mentioned in Al-Qur’an:

“They (the inhabitant of the hellfire) said: “If had we wanted to listen and to think, surely we will not end up as the inhabitant of sa’ir” (Al-Mulk:10)

Al-Ghazali explained that, psychologically, the ignorance of ordinary people, means to follow blindly the scholars or leaders. Taqlid, however is not blameworthy, as it is practiced within the boundary of syara’. But not the other kind of ignorance – which rooted with asobiyah sentiment. This kind of ignorance hold to unwritten principle:

“Anyhow, my groups/affiliation must be always right. My leaders spoke nothing except the truth. Even though it might seem as wrong or weak, we should husnudzon first, as we may are the one who not understand just yet.”

When a person infected with blind asobiyyah up to this level, the cure and the probability of getting guidance is may no longer effective against these people, compared to the ignorance of a lay person which still have the sense of insof in their self.

Al-Ghazali said:

“The majority of the ignorance that shelter within the hearts of ordinary people is due to fanaticism, asobiyyah towards a group of juhala ahl al-haqq that enlights truth and viewing their weak opponent with shaming eye. Therefore, their soul tumbles and tends to dispute and oppose, and by that time, false belief harbours to their soul. And this make difficult for the gentle scholars to remove them but the destruction is crystal-clear.” (Al-Iqtisad fi al-I’qtiqad)

May Allah SWT protect us from our own nafs that always covered with the robe of piety.

-Translated from Muafa

Footnote
* Means to support one's nation/tribe/affiliation with oppression