No Fluff: Information We Don’t Want
A person is born with innate predispositions, senses, and motivations to learn and acquire knowledge, as well as with curiosity, a thirst for discovery, and impulsiveness, alongside suspicions and obsessive thoughts, all of which keep their life and mind in a state of constant fluctuation.
Although science holds a lofty status and there is considerable effort and encouragement to attain it, certain fields of knowledge should be avoided and ceased from being taught. Some sciences harm the individual and society, such as sorcery and superstition. The knowledge involved in manufacturing weapons of mass destruction is also viewed in this light. However, harmful knowledge, if the expression is valid, extends far beyond these examples.
You are at a social gathering, and among the attendees is someone you have met and exchanged pleasantries with. Before you leave, an individual pulls you aside to inform you about that person’s background, financial situation, health conditions, and family status. Although what he says may be true, it is of no concern to you; it neither benefits nor harms you.
A member of your family or a friend is undergoing medical treatment for a health condition. You research this condition and discuss the details of its complications. What you mention may be scientific facts linked to studies and supported by statistics, but what is the need to cite them other than to provoke anxiety and worries?
Some individuals develop an obsession with “being ahead” and knowing everything. They mistakenly believe that gathering news and disseminating updates is a sign of acumen, shrewdness, superiority, and distinction. They delude themselves into thinking they are a source or reference for the affairs of individuals and families. Why not instead raise a topic that fosters creativity, share an idea that benefits the environment, or send a thought that touches the heart, eases the burden of the distressed, reminds people of patience and reward, or teach beneficial knowledge—providing valuable information?
Circumstances and topics vary. Knowledge of something does not necessarily obligate one to disclose it. Not everything that is known should be said, and not everything that is said is beneficial. Some information is useless; it merely distracts people from scrutinizing others’ faults on one hand, and from harboring doubts and hypotheses on the other.
Did the Prophet (peace be upon him) not say, “Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him speak good or remain silent”? Where is the good in circulating people’s private affairs as information? Did he not also say, “Part of the perfection of a person’s Islam is his leaving that which does not concern him”? What concern do we have regarding the specific situation of a colleague or a neighbor?
A virtuous person who intends righteousness does not speak about people’s privacy. Only a gossip, who is promised deprivation from Paradise, spreads news about others.
