45: Ethics Of Disagreement

 

"There are two characteristics in you that Allah loves, moderation and tolerance."
[Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)]

In Islam, ethics is so inextricably linked to ideology and practice that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) considered it as part of the completion of faith.

Differing Views

We live in a cosmopolitan world where there are a multitude of views, perspectives and traditions. Tolerance, in such a world, is not only a personal virtue but also an absolute prerequisite. Differences of opinion are inevitable wherever people possess intellect and honesty. Diversity of perspectives fosters variety and thus a myriad of potentialities. Diversity surely leads to differences in perspective, differences in understanding and naturally agreements and disagreement. This is part of civilized society.
"Cultivate your own capabilities, your own style. Appreciate the members of your family for who they are, even though their outlook or style may be miles different from yours. Rabbits don't fly. Eagles don't swim. Ducks look funny trying to climb. Squirrels don't have feathers. Stop comparing. There's plenty of room in the forest." [Author, Dr. Chuck Swindoll]
"We all live under the same sky, but we don't all have the same horizon." [Konrad Adenauer].

Engaging Others

People differ and how we engage those differences affects our social life. "How far you go in life depends on you being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and the strong, because someday in life you will have been all of these." [George Washington Carver].

Sayedna 'Ali captured the essence of how we as Muslims ought to become the standard in engaging others ...

" Make yourself the standard in social conduct (between yourself and others), love for others what you love for yourself and dislike for others what you dislike for yourself. Do not wrong others just as you do not wish others to wrong you, rather do good as you would wish that good be done to yourself."

Respect begets Respect

Civilized individuals respect other people and therefore have the tendency to respect the opinions of others. Those who are ethically impoverished, emotionally overcharged and intellectually barren have an inclination to be so dogmatic as to use differences of opinion as a barrier between themselves and others with whom they differ, often leading to unnecessary disputes that cause disrespect for others and of others.

It is only gross ignorance and egoism that leads any person to believe that there is no room for disputing his or her opinion.
Imam Shaf'i said,

"I never argue with a person with a desire to hear him say what is wrong, nor to expose him, nor humiliate him nor to defeat him. Rather, whenever I face an opponent in debate, I silently pray - O Allah! Help him so that truth may flow from his heart on to his tongue; so that if the truth is on my side, he may follow me; and if truth be on his side that I may follow him."

Tolerance

We live in a cosmopolitan world where there are a multitude of views, perspectives and traditions, and tolerance in such a world is not only a personal virtue but also an absolute prerequisite.
"Until you have learned to be tolerant with those who do not always agree with you; until you have cultivated the habit of saying some kind word of those whom you do not admire; until you have formed the habit of looking for the good instead of the bad there is in others, you will be neither successful nor happy." [Napoleon Hill]

Causes of Intolerance

Problems usually arise due to the fact that ...

  1. People overstate their differences.
  2. Some do not fully comprehend the various dimensions of the issue. "Man is always inclined to be intolerant towards the thing or person he hasn't taken the time adequately to understand." [Robert R. Brown]
  3. Many people can not (or refuse to) think outside the box. Limited thinking results in the inability to be objective. Objectivity refers to an honest seeking of the truth, whatever that truth may turn out to be and regardless of what its implications might be. Remember, "Listening to both sides of a story will convince you that there is more to a story than both sides." [Frank Tyger]
  4. They attribute to themselves a degree of infallibility and consider their opinion to be the ultimate view. "Bigotry tries to keep truth safe in its hand; with a grip that kills it." [Writer, Rabindranath Tagore]
  5. Vested interests that cause people to undermine others (particularly those who are more successful than themselves or to deflect criticism of their own shortcomings).
  6. Groups become excessively partisan to one opinion over another. "The responsibility of tolerance lies with those who have a wider vision." [George Eliot]

Balance & Moderation

As human beings, and more particularly as people of faith, we need to realize that differing does not necessarily imply opposing; that within the broad spectrum of shared knowledge and difference of opinion there is also the uniting factor of mutual respect and the greater interest of the community.
"The best thing to give to your enemy is forgiveness; to an opponent tolerance; to a friend your heart; to your child a good example; to a father esteem; to your mother conduct that will make her proud of you; to yourself respect; and to all people generosity." [Frances Balfour]

Balance and moderation are not only supposed to be inherent characteristics of true Believers, they are fundamental landmarks of Islam.

Allah says: "Thus have We made you an Ummah justly balanced, that you may be a testimony to the world community". [Qur'an 2:143]

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