Misunderstanding is a common phenomenon of social life. People tend to believe everything that is reported to them without scrutiny. And it is a common experience for reporters always to report things selectively or in a partial manner. It is selective reporting or partial reporting that creates problems. Sometimes people fall into grave misunderstanding and the result is disastrous. Chapter Al-Hujurat (The Apartments) of the Quran deals with this problem. It gives a clear direction in this regard. The translation of the relevant Quranic verse is as follows:
Believers, if an evil-doer brings you news, ascertain the correctness of the report fully, lest you unwittingly harm others, and then regret what you have done. (49:6)
There is a background to this Quranic verse. When the Prophet of Islam established a state in Arabia making Madinah its capital, he sent one of his companions, Walid ibn Uqba, as a collector, to a tribe called the Banu al-Mustaliq. When Walid reached the tribal area, he saw that a crowd had gathered outside the town. He feared, due to some preoccupation, that the tribe wanted to kill him or beat him. After seeing this, Walid returned to Madinah, and told the Prophet that the Banu al-Mustaliq had rebelled and they must therefore send an army against them
Then the chief of that tribe, Haris ibn Zarar, himself came to Madinah. He said that they had gathered on the outskirts of their town only to receive the collector, Walid ibn Uqba, but that without meeting them, he had returned to Madinah. The above verse was revealed in the Quran after this incident.
By taking this example, the Quran gives the general direction that, before forming an opinion, we should scrutinize any news we receive. That is, before proper scrutiny, we should not accept its veracity.
The principle to be followed is that if you are going to form a positive opinion, then scrutiny is not necessary. You can believe that Mr. So and So is a very good person but, when you are going to form a bad or negative opinion about anyone, then you have to investigate the matter before forming your opinion. In such a situation, you have only two options: either to remain silent or, if you want to form an opinion, then you have to go into the matter in depth. Only then do you have the right to form a negative opinion.
The first chapter of the Quran, Al-Fatihah (The Opening), was revealed in 610 A.D. At that time the Prophet of Islam was in Makkah. In this chapter the Prophet was given a direction from God to convey the message of tawhid (the oneness of God) to his people. This chapter begins thus:
O you, wrapped in your cloak, arise and give warning! Proclaim the glory of your Lord; purify your garments; shun uncleanness; do not bestow a favour in the expectation of receiving more in return; and for the sake of your Lord, be patient. (74: 1-7)
At that time there was only one meeting place in the town of Makkah where the Prophet could find an audience—it was the courtyard of the Kaaba, a mosque built by the Prophet Abraham. But the people of old Makkah were idol worshippers and they had placed three hundred and sixty idols within the precincts of the Kaaba.
It would apparently have been necessary for the Prophet first of all to purify the Kaaba of these idols. But this kind of beginning would have been bound to create serious problems. It would inevitably have resulted in a confrontation between the Prophet and the idol worshippers.
So the Prophet resorted to a very practical method. He decided to ignore the presence of the idols in the Kaaba and just go to the audience and address them and convey to them the message of the Quran. The Prophet’s formula on this occasion was—accept the status quo and avail of the opportunities that the presence of the audience afforded him.
This policy can be described as non-confrontational. It proved so successful that the Prophet was able to continue his mission for a further thirteen years without any confrontation. This policy is expressed in the Quran in these words: ‘purify your garments.’ In other words, purify the hearts of the people and leave the problem of idols until there is a change in the situation.
Our world is a world of conflict and differences. In such a world, there is a very important question: from where to begin? The answer, in the light of the above example, is to accept the status quo in controversial matters and divert your activities to the non-confrontational field.
The confrontational approach involves a very serious loss, that is, a waste of time and energy, while the non-confrontational method makes it possible to devote all your time and energy towards achieving your goal.
THE QURANIC WISDOM 