[Editor’s Note: This article is a reprint and was published online October 27, 2002.]
The Holy Qur’an teaches much on the subject of “ignorance” and those it calls “the ignorant.”
This subject is relevant to the work of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, in his effort to help President Bush, his primary supporters, and millions to see what The Almighty God, Allah has blessed him to see. Minister Farrakhan is inspired to speak from what God revealed to the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, which the scriptures predicted and prophesied of would take place in these days.
I am fully aware that many others–prominent and not–have raised their voices against the president’s policy towards Iraq. However, none of them have the mandate from God Himself and His Christ–insane as this may sound to many, to say what Minister Farrakhan says on this subject.
“Ignorance” is defined in the sixth edition of Black’s Law Dictionary on page 746, as “The want or absence of knowledge, unaware or uninformed.”
Further down it continues: “Ignorance is not a state of the mind in the sense in which sanity and insanity are. When the mind is ignorant of a fact, its condition still remains sound; the power of thinking, of judging, of willing, is just as complete before communication of the fact as after. The essence or texture, so to speak, of the mind, is not, as in the case of insanity, affected or impaired. Ignorance of a particular fact consists in this: that the mind, although sound and capable of healthy action, has never acted upon the fact in question, because the subject has never been brought to the notice of the perceptive faculties.”
That’s the general definition. Then it goes into details under “General Types” among which are: “Culpable” “Involuntary” and “Voluntary” ignorance.
When we fail “to exercise ordinary care to acquire knowledge” culpable ignorance is the result. In other words, we can be held responsible.
“Involuntary ignorance” is ignorance that “does not proceed from choice, and which cannot be overcome by the use of any means of knowledge known to a person and within his power.
“Voluntary ignorance” exists when a party might, by taking reasonable efforts, have acquired the necessary knowledge.”
The Holy Qur’an covers all aspects of ignorance covered in the law books of this world. It also covers what such dictionaries do not cover; the most important of which is ignorance of God Almighty.
As The Almighty formed Aaron to share the burden or mission of Moses, in his service to the slaves, and to Pharaoh and those with him, so did The Almighty form Minister Farrakhan to share the mission of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad.
God did not destroy Pharaoh and his hosts until they were thoroughly educated and not before the extreme of mercy was extended to them, through Moses and Aaron. So it is today.
Excluding God, we are very ignorant. Certainly we “see” what we “see” of our profession, work etc., though it’s not to the root. But how many of us know how to fly an airplane; perform brain surgery; design a bridge–or do the countless things that serve billions of people throughout the earth?
Let’s be real. How much do we know of all that the rest of humanity knows–not to think of all that there is to know that humanity does not know?
Look up at the sky at night. How much of what we see do we know–excluding how to explain what we see? Of course, when we look up at the stars we see but a tiny bit of what there is to see.
But even if we knew a million times what we now know, but did not know God, we would be ignorant of the most important and the most valuable of all knowledge.
To be “ignorant” of God when He is present is the worst kind of ignorance. To refuse to accept His truth after it’s been presented to us is worse yet.
To seek to deceive others about that truth and its bearer and to seek to destroy that truth and its bearer exceeds all other forms of ignorance. This earns such persons the worst of God’s chastisements.
Our collective “Involuntary ignorance” that did not proceed from our choice, and which could not be overcome by any of us, has been overcome by the power of God through His revelations of truth through the modern Moses and Aaron.
What they (and other helpers/witnesses) have delivered to all in America is that truth that would come that would be so plain that even fools would understand.
Why do the deniers reject this truth? False pride? Jealousy and/or envy? Did they fail “to exercise ordinary care to acquire knowledge” that resulted in “culpable ignorance?” Culpable means we are held responsible and deserve blame and punishment.
But those whose ignorance is “Voluntary ignorance” means you have taken “reasonable efforts” and you “have acquired the necessary knowledge” but what did you do with it? Some simply sit on it, while others seek to destroy it and its bearer.
There are government officials and others (Shriners included) who know that Minister Farrakhan is teaching God’s truth. It’s written that some of you will make public your witness of this truth.
According to the Holy Qur’an, a believer from among Pharaoh’s people finally stood up. Others stood up with him against Pharaoh’s policies against God, Moses and Aaron.
Question: Is this prophecy conditional or unconditional? See Qur’an Surah (chapter) 40, section 3-5.
Muhammad Ali wrote this in his introduction to Surah 40, of the believer from among Pharaoh’s people: “This man pleaded for Moses, when Pharaoh wanted to kill him, and drew attention to the fact that, if Moses preached the truth, no opposition to him could prosper.”
There’s a situation much like what I’ve just cited from the Holy Qur’an and from Muhammad Ali, in the third through the fifth chapters in the book of Acts.
A prominent member of the Council stood against their fury, in which they “decided to kill them.” (5:33) But “….Gamaliel (an expert on religious law and very popular with the people), addressed his colleagues as follows: ‘Men of Israel, take care what you are planning to do to these men!’ ” (5:35)
He drew from history to make his case. He concluded with: “And so my advice is, leave these men alone. If what they teach and do is merely on their own, it will soon be overthrown. But if it is of God, you will not be able to stop them, lest you find yourselves fighting even against God.”
I suggest we study or restudy these passages in both books, in context. Compare these histories to the history of America and Blacks in this country. Then look at the history of the Nation of Islam.
On page 182 of This Is The One we read:
“Don’t look only into outerspace … Some of those stars, the light of which we see, no longer exist. It is in this–the wisdom that fuels the Nation of Islam in the West–that the scientists can find the understanding of the origin of life and the key of the governance of the universe.”
Look carefully into the government’s smallpox vaccination program.
More next issue, Allah willing.
