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Friday Night Session 3-30-2012
History Discussion
Question: Does the
time of Jahilliyah have similarities or is it the same as the time we live in
now? If so what are the similarities?
Answer: First we
have to define the time of Jahilliyah, point out its characteristics, and then
we can compare it to our time. The time of Jahilliyah is not a time of
ignorance, but rather a time of incomprehension or miscomprehension. Jahl is
mostly used as the antonym for Aql (Imam Ali). So if we look at it like this,
Jahl is opposing Aql, Intellegence, Reason, and Logic, not Knowledge and
Literacy. In Usul Kafi we have a chapter, or section, called “the book of Aql
and Jahl”. There we see explained the differences of Aql and Jahl, not Jahl and
Ilm (knowledge). So when Muslims call the time before the Prophet the time of
Jahl, or Jahilliyah, they are saying the people of the time the customs,
traditions, and mindset were against normal Logic and Intellect. Yes, the
people were illiterate, but they were named Jaahil because of their mindset and
customs. In our own era we
see many people who are illiterate but their mindset and thinking is whole and
unflawed. At the same time we see literate people whose lifestyles and living
do not stay in line with logic and reason. The people of then were named Jaahil
for this very same reason.
Question: What does
the Qur’an say about this?
Answer: “(The
time that) the disbelievers, in their hearts they have prejudice and bigotry.
Jahiliyy prejudice.”
This “Jahilliy prejudice or bigotry” means blinded biasness
and prejudice. During the time of Jahilliyah, the people mhave the same biases
as their tribes and ancestors. If one tribe would fight with another, which
they did, over issues like the camel of one tribe went on the land and grazing
fields of another tribe, or if a youth of one tribe made fun of or insulted the
youth of another tribe. The tribes would fight over these types of arguments
for years and years, sometimes the wars of back then would even take 40 years!
The wars would start from small little issues and bloodshed would happen. Their
idea was that “blood should be washed with blood”. This is an illogical idea,
it doesn’t make sense, it is Jahiliyy. For example “They killed one of our
people, until we kill 10 of their people we will not rest!” They would go kill
10 people. The others would say, “They killed 10 of our people, if we don’t
kill 100 of their people we will not rest.” And conflicts would start. THIS was
the Jahilliyy Logic. Their motto was this: “We have to help our brother (fellow
tribesmen) whether he is the Oppressor or the Oppressed.”
Back then, one of the big characteristics of the time was
that Justice and Fairness were not set general values, but rather relative
values. They would say, “Justice is that which ends in my favor” “Baatil, or
Injustice is that which ends with my loss”. General and Set values of Justice
and Idalah were first introduced into that society by the Qur’an. The Qur’an
says: “Be the advocators of Justice, even if it is to your personal loss, or to
your tribes loss, or to your parents’ loss” Before the Qur’an the concept of
Justice as we know it today, did not even exist, nor did it have meaning.
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