What Do We Believe Instead of the Truth? Fear, Self-Interest, and Surah Al-Baqarah

25 October 2021

Question: Why does a person turn away from something even when they know it is true?

Sometimes we do not know the answer. Sometimes we know it, but we do not like it.

Because accepting the truth may require us to change a behavior we are used to.

Verses 101 and 102 of Surah Al-Baqarah speak about those who ignored the knowledge that came to them and the claims made about Prophet Solomon.

As we consider these verses, let us not think only about communities in the past.

Let us direct the real question to ourselves: Which truth are we pushing aside for the sake of our own interest?

What Does It Mean to Put the Book Behind One’s Back?

Verse 101 of Surah Al-Baqarah describes how, when a messenger came to some people confirming the Book they had been given, some of them acted as though they were casting the Book behind their backs.

Let us reflect on this expression.

Knowing something is not the same as living by it.

Sometimes, when we learn what is right, our comfort is disturbed.

We may need to give up an unjust gain.

We may need to admit that a habit is wrong.

Let us not limit the idea of putting the Book behind our backs to major decisions alone.

In our daily lives, too, we can postpone a truth we know for the sake of a small benefit.

We know that we should keep a promise we made at work on time.

But when it becomes difficult for us, we may come up with all kinds of excuses.

We know that we should not wrong someone.

Yet if we are on bad terms with that person, it can become easier to disregard their rights.

Question: Can I defend the truth with the same clarity when it does not suit me?

Sometimes we want to have only people around us who do not criticize us.

But if we are seeking the truth, we also need warnings.

Let us take seriously the words of a friend who points out our mistake without hurting us.

And when we warn someone ourselves, let us not mock them.

The fact that the truth does not suit our interests does not diminish its value. What matters is whether we can apply this truth to ourselves as well.

Sometimes we are also afraid of losing our position or the regard people have for us.

Then we may put an invisible distance between ourselves and knowledge.

We act as if we had never heard it.

Question: When the measure before me is clear, why am I looking for another explanation that will make me feel comfortable?

It is very easy for a person to turn toward words that suit their own interests.

We may like someone who tells us, “There is nothing wrong with you.”

But when a friend says, “You made a mistake in this decision,” we may immediately become defensive.

Yet seeing our mistake does not mean being humiliated.

It helps us understand where we stand so that we can move forward.

Turning to Allah’s Book also requires such self-confrontation.

We should take seriously not only the expressions we find beautiful, but also the verses that warn us.

We cannot change ourselves by placing every problem on others.

There is effort between knowledge reaching a person and that knowledge helping them mature.

We will read, reflect, and look at our conduct.

It is not enough to say that we are close to the Book. It also matters which decisions we return to its measure for.

What Was Said About Prophet Solomon

Verse 102 of Surah Al-Baqarah addresses the claims made about Prophet Solomon and the harmful things the devils taught people.

An important aspect of the verse is its rejection of the accusation directed at Prophet Solomon.

People can try to make a false idea seem true by invoking a prophet’s name.

But before considering whose name a claim is made in, we should ask whether it is true.

Question: Do I accept something I hear as true only because a well-known person’s name is mentioned?

We can face the same danger today.

What is told about Prophet Solomon also makes us think about sources when evaluating a claim.

Sometimes people use a well-known name to lend authority to what they are saying.

We do not investigate what that person actually said.

Then we pass on what we heard to someone else, and the claim keeps growing.

The effect can be even more serious in religious accounts.

People may mistake a false statement for Allah’s ruling or a prophet’s conduct.

Question: Do I really know the basis for the information I pass on to others?

If we say that we have read a Book, let us not settle only for sentences that have reached our ears.

Let us pay attention to what the verse says. Let us notice where our own interpretation begins.

If we have not been able to research a subject, let us say so openly.

Not knowing is nothing to be ashamed of. Presenting what we do not know as certain knowledge, however, can lead a person into error.

Words a person never said may be put in their mouth.

An interpretation that does not fit the meaning of a religious expression may be added to it.

In this way, people can be drawn in the wrong direction.

The verses also speak of seeking knowledge that can cause division between people.

It is thought-provoking that actions causing separation between spouses are mentioned in particular.

What kind of intention is it to pursue something that will weaken a person’s family ties?

What does learning to harm another person gain us?

Not everything one learns is beneficial.

There is a great difference between using knowledge for good and using it to cause harm.

As we consider the Qur’an’s warning, let us also question our own intentions.

Are we using the knowledge in our hands to create peace in our family?

Or are we trying to learn someone’s weak point so that we can manipulate them?

The purpose for which we seek knowledge matters as much as knowing something.

The value of knowledge appears not only in how effective it is, but also in what it does to whom.

Let Fear Not Distance Us from Responsibility

A person’s work may go wrong. Problems may arise in their marriage.

At such times, it may seem easier to attribute everything that happens to an unseen force rather than understand the cause.

We may say, “Someone has done something to me,” and never examine our own decisions.

Yet some of the problems in our lives are connected to clear actions.

A company may have made a bad investment.

Someone may have taken on a debt they cannot repay.

Fear can narrow a person’s thinking.

When someone is afraid of losing their job, they may hear every word as a threat.

If there is distrust in their marriage, they may draw a major conclusion from the smallest action.

In the face of such things, we need to seek real information instead of rushing to judgment.

Talking to understand a spouse’s behavior, or examining the accounts to solve a problem at work, are more concrete steps.

Question: Do I sometimes confuse suspicion with the truth?

The fact that a rumor makes us feel afraid does not prove that it is true.

On the other hand, we should not belittle a real hardship we are experiencing.

Different events may have different causes.

So let us continue investigating instead of becoming fixed on one explanation.

As we correct our own behavior, let us also respect another person’s rights.

In this way, instead of feeding our fears, we can seek a clearer path toward a solution.

A customer’s needs may have gone unnoticed, or the quality of a product may have been neglected.

Examining these things takes effort.

Blaming someone else may bring momentary relief.

Question: Am I looking at what I need to change to solve the problem, or am I searching for a reason that will make me look blameless?

Being able to answer this question matters.

If one spouse in a marriage does not listen to the other, we need to think about the effect of that behavior.

If a business continually loses money, we need to investigate the decisions being made.

Of course, not every event begins with our choices. Sometimes we really are treated unjustly.

But whatever situation we are in, we should try to understand our own responsibility.

Let us not turn the verse’s reminder about Allah’s permission and people being tested into a reason to surrender to fear.

Seeking refuge in Allah does not mean abandoning our responsibilities.

As we pray, we can continue working toward the right decision.

Questioning what we ourselves have done does not mean ignoring another person’s ill intentions.

But trying to find someone else to blame for every hardship is no solution either.

From Harmful Knowledge to Beneficial Action

A person may spend hours on the phone and learn many things.

But which of that knowledge improves their life?

Which increases their fears?

Which drives them apart from people?

Question: Is what I am learning making me a more honest and responsible person?

We do not have to pursue a claim just because it is attention-grabbing.

A statement passed from ear to ear does not become true knowledge.

Over time, a person may begin telling themselves a story.

In that story, someone else is the cause of every mistake. They themselves have no responsibility at all.

Yet when we can see our mistaken decisions, we have an opportunity to avoid making the same mistake again.

Question: Can I use the time I spend justifying myself to understand the problem?

Let us not forget that a person is not responsible for every shortcoming in their life.

But they should not overlook their own part either.

Sometimes the solution may be in a spreadsheet, sometimes in an honest conversation, and sometimes in a habit we need to leave behind.

Turning toward the truth does not mean finding every answer immediately; it means not giving up the search.

Let us not accuse our spouse, friend, or neighbor based on a rumor.

Let us not spread an allegation about someone without investigating it.

False information can cause a hurt that should never have happened.

What we need to do is seek accurate information and use it for good.

As we read the Qur’an, let us try not to remove a verse from its full context.

Let us not present our own thought as though it were what the verse directly says.

When we do not know, let us learn. When we are mistaken, let us admit it.

In this way, we will not place fear and self-interest between ourselves and the truth.

The warning in Surah Al-Baqarah is not there merely for us to glance at an event from the past and move on.

Today, too, we make a choice when we hear the truth.

Either we bring it closer to our lives, or we push it away because it feels difficult.

Question: Which truth will I no longer ignore today?

Let us first identify it. Then let us take a small but real step.

May our Lord guide us toward beneficial knowledge and righteous deeds.

It is easy to put the truth behind our backs; what is difficult and valuable is to stand before it and change.