A Vast-Horizon Individual: An Exceptional Human Being

“He grants wisdom to whom He wills, and whoever is granted wisdom has certainly been given much good. And none will remember except those of understanding.” (Al-Baqarah 2:269)

By describing a person as “exceptional” in the context of being broad-minded, I refer to that distinguished individual, intellectually, psychologically, and morally, especially one who possesses rare, practical, and effective behavioral traits that make him unique in any human environment he finds himself in. Such a person differs in his fundamental characteristics from a narrow-minded individual. Among the factors that elevate him to a high standard and make him more successful in life are the following:

- Intellectual tolerance: The broad-minded person tolerates those whose opinions differ from his own. He does not feel inferior when others oppose his views on life matters or public issues, because he does not seek to monopolize the truth, nor does he wish to impose his views on people. He harbors no deep-seated narcissistic desires to enslave others intellectually or psychologically. He is the most inclusive in his thinking and the most tolerant in his dealings with everyone.

- Comprehensive perspective: The narrow-minded person views matters narrowly, feeling that anything differing from his opinion or conflicting with his personal vision poses a direct threat to him. In contrast, the broad-minded person perceives life’s matters, affairs, and issues more comprehensively, and is better equipped to exercise free thinking and grasp the full picture.

- Self-control: The broad-minded person is characterized by his ability to withstand psychological pressures, especially those caused by the behavior of petty-minded individuals. He sees beyond what ordinary people perceive, due to the dominance of his objective thinking and his self-discipline, making it difficult to disrupt his thought process because of his self-control.

- The Quran as the broad-minded person’s constitution: The broad-minded Muslim takes the Holy Quran as a fundamental guide in his life, in what he says and does, in preparation for the Hereafter. The Glorious Book is the primary source of ideal life wisdom that the broad-minded person pursues. Its values and principles serve as the criterion distinguishing truth from falsehood. Through the Quran’s perspective on human life, the broad-minded person derives the laws of life and the nature of human souls, thereby succeeding in appropriately dealing with various types of human personalities.

A Kuwaiti writer