Shafe’e and us
Like many other writers and opinion-makers, I have repeatedly written about ‘peaceful disagreements’ and how to avoid turning our opinion, persuasions, religious and doctrinal differences into paths leading us to the current futile wars that made us a mockery before all other nations who feel sorry for a nation having its children’s dreams killed, their weak bodies bleed and green spirits killed simply because adults disagree about an opinion, doctrine, faith or religion.
Despite the almost sixty-year long constitutional and parliamentary experience here in Kuwait, where we are supposed to have learnt how to democratically disagree without clashes and to debate without grudges, we seem to be continuously experiencing an endless state of tension and exchanged accusations; you are either with or against me.
Our role models in parliament managed to pass their low-profile speech, slander to their opponents and fist-fighting down to younger generations in universities, institutes and schools. Steel blades have become youth’s favorite weapon to use in scuffles on various streets and in shopping malls for as trivial reasons as ‘why are you staring at me’, which end up in fatality and long grieves amongst the deceased’s families.
I recently came across some quotes by wise Imam Mohammed Bin Idris Al-Shafe’e talking precisely about this problem. Allow me to mention some from a story he told. He said that Younis Ibn Obaid Al-A’la was one of his sharia students and that he once argued with him and angrily left his class. Hearing someone knock at his door at night, Younis learnt that it was Shafe’e himself. He opened the door and stood speechless before his teacher.
“Oh, my son, how come we come close after agreeing on hundreds of issues and get separated by disagreeing on a single one? My son, never try winning all arguments because having a winning heart is sometimes more important. Younis, do not pull down all bridges you have built and crossed because you might someday need them to go back. Always hate the wrong but never hate wrongdoers themselves, hate sins with all your heart but have mercy on sinners, criticize speeches but respect speakers because our job is to get rid of the disease, not to kill the patient,” Shafe’e said. I wonder how far we are from such profoundness in the ethics of disagreement great people such as Imam Al-Sahfe’e used to have. —Translated by Kuwait Times