Ignorance is NOT bliss

Ever heard the phrase, “Ignorance is bliss?”  This comes from a poem written by an English poet,

 

“Where ignorance is bliss, ’tis folly to be wise.”  -Thomas Gray.

 

While a case could be made that not knowing is better than knowing in certain instances, it for sure isn’t absolute.  Let’s look at Islam’s take on ignorance:

Muslim Scholars have objectively defined and identified two types of information:

1. ??? ????- ?????? ????? ??????
True information is what coincides with reality.
2. ??? ????- ?????? ????? ???????
False information is what contradicts reality.  

(taken from Sh. Shanqeeti’s classes on Al-Umdah)

Any information that comes our way are of two types.  This is significant for us anxiety sufferers.

We developed anxiety and anxious beliefs because  we never made this vital distinction between information.  When information came to us, we fully and wholeheartedly believed in it, without question of whether the info was true or false. We did this out of ignorance. We DIDN’T KNOW any better.

Take for instance, when our parents would get upset because we were sleeping in late, we saw our parents acting upset because of what we did, and then we made a conclusion based on the info:

they are upset = I must be bad.

When my friend told me, “Amir, you get stupider and stupider everyday.”. I took that information as truth and reality, completely ignorant of the fact that there is such a thing as false information.

When everybody in my school made fun of me, and called me a “loser”, and treated me as such, I took the comments they made as true info, without possibility of it being false info.

Brothers and Sisters, we have anxiety disorders because we bought into lies and false information. We have anxiety because we didn’t KNOW.  So then, is Ignorance really bliss?

May Allah give us knowledge and true understanding of reality. Ameen.

Thoughts below ladies and gentlemen!