Openness
to others is defined as "the ability to see things from different
perspectives, to avoid hasty judgments, to be willing to listen to and
empathize with others, and to learn new things from them that do not contradict
one's own cultural or religious identity." Alternatively, it is defined as
"the psychological and intellectual readiness to consider the ideas and
experiences of others who differ in thought and ideology, and to benefit from
them after critically and thoroughly examining them in a way that preserves
cultural identity and fundamental beliefs."
Openness
to others does not mean believing in their ideas or being influenced by their
culture. Believing in another's culture leads to a confusion of ideas and the
loss of original ones. We have an example and a lesson in the early Muslims.
They made their faith the foundation of their culture and studied non-Islamic
cultures to benefit from them without being influenced. Thus, Quranic exegesis,
Hadith, and jurisprudence were never influenced by non-Islamic cultures, as
Islamic law supersedes all previous laws. Similarly, the Arabic language
remained unaffected by other languages and cultures in the conquered lands,
retaining its status as the language of the state, culture, science, and
politics. As for human thought (human systems), early Muslims believed in
utilizing it according to divine principles, without any mixing or blending
between it and Islamic thought, due to the impossibility of combining God's
creation with human creation. Some in our time may perceive a superficial
convergence or overlap between Islam and democracy on the one hand, and Islam
and socialism on the other. However, these individuals forget that the Islamic
system is based on the principle that God is the only deity and the only
lawgiver, whereas human systems are based on the idea that other deities exist
alongside or besides God and that human beings are the lawgivers. The
shortcomings of human legislation stem from limitations in knowledge and
understanding, as well as from following desires and indulging in worldly
pleasures.
The
term "openness to others" itself does not appear in the Quran, but
there are Quranic verses that imply openness to others and benefiting from them
within the framework of faith-based principles. Here is our master Moses, peace
be upon him, who is the Prophet of God and was given much knowledge, and he did
not find it objectionable to acquire knowledge and understanding from the
righteous servant, as God Almighty says, “Then they found one of Our slaves, unto whom We had
bestowed mercy from Us, and whom We had taught knowledge from Us. 65.
Musa (Moses) said to him (Khidr), "May I follow you so that you teach me
something of that knowledge (guidance and true path) which you have been taught
(by Allah)?" (Surat Al-Kahf:
65-66). More than this, the Qur’an urges us to benefit from and learn from
others, even if they are animals, as long as there is mutual benefit and
exchange of advantage, as in the words of God Almighty: “Then Allah sent a crow who
scratched the ground to show him to hide the dead body of his brother. He (the
murderer) said, "Woe to me! Am I not even able to be as this crow and to
hide the dead body of my brother?" Then he became one of those who
regretted it.” (Surat
Al-Ma’idah: 31). It is worth noting that many modern discoveries have stemmed
from learning from the creatures around us. Openness to others is a two-way
street, and one example of giving to others in the Holy Quran is God's saying:
"Invite
(mankind, O Muhammad SAW) to the Way of your Lord (i.e., Islam) with wisdom
(i.e., with the Divine Inspiration and the Quran) and fair preaching, and argue
with them in a way that is better." Truly, your Lord knows best who has
gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are
guided" (Surah An-Nahl: 125). This
verse does not merely call for giving but also clarifies the methods we should
employ in our openness and invitation to others. To the other with wisdom and
good advice, that is, the best and most effective methods of dialogue. And if
we are in a debate with another, our argument should be to find common ground
with him, as in the words of God. Almighty: “Say (O Muhammad SAW): "O people of the Scripture
(Jews and Christians): Come to a word that is just between us and you, that we
worship none but Allah, and that we associate no partners with Him, and that
none of us shall take others as lords besides Allah. Then, if they turn away,
say, "Bear witness that we are Muslims." (64) (Surah Al-Amrat: 64). The verses of the Quran
also urge that dialogue with others be purposeful and equitable, without domination
or coercion, in accepting the ideas we offer, as in the words of God. Almighty:
"And
say, 'The truth is from your Lord.'" Then whosoever wills, let him
believe, and whosoever wills, let him disbelieve. Verily, We have prepared for
the Zalimun (polytheists and wrongdoers, etc.), a Fire whose walls will be
surrounding them (disbelievers in the Oneness of Allah). And if they ask for
help (relief, water, etc.), they will be granted water like boiling oil that
will scald their faces. Terrible the drink, and an evil Murtafaqa (dwelling,
resting place, etc.)!” (Surat
Al-Kahf: 29); and His saying, “There is no compulsion in religion. Verily, the right path has become
distinct from the wrong path. Whoever disbelieves in Taghut and believes in
Allah, then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold that will never break.
And Allah is All-Hearer, All-Knower.”
(Surat Al-Baqarah: 256).
There
are hadiths from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that encourage
Muslims to seek knowledge from any source and in any direction, as long as it
is within the bounds of Islamic law. For example, he said, “Seek knowledge,
even if it is in China, for seeking knowledge is an obligation upon every
Muslim” (Narrated by Anas ibn Malik; Source: Al-Mawdu’at by Ibn al-Jawzi), and
he said, “Wisdom is the lost property of the believer; wherever he finds it, he
has a greater right to it” (Narrated by Abu Hurayrah; Source: Tahdhib
al-Tahdhib). A lost property is something that a person loses and searches for
with all the effort imaginable, just as a believer searches for his lost
property. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) also asked Zayd ibn
Thabit to learn the language of another. So that he could know what he had and
converse with him and take precautions against him, as it was reported that he
said, “The Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, ordered me
to learn the writing of the Jews for him. He said, ‘By God, I do not trust the
Jews with my writing.’ He said, ‘No half a month passed until I learned it for
him.’ He said, “When I learned it, when he wrote to the Jews, I wrote to them,
and when they wrote to him, I read their writing to him.” (Narrator: Zayd ibn
Thabit; Source: Sahih al-Tirmidhi). This request was only made after he had
mastered the Arabic language and memorized the Qur’an. The Prophet, may God
bless him and grant him peace, benefiting from the prisoners of Badr in
eradicating illiteracy among a number of Muslims is evidence of openness and
benefiting from others, even if they are not of the same faith, as long as it
benefits the Muslims and does not contradict their beliefs. This is based on
what was narrated on the authority of Ibn Abbas, may God be pleased with them
both, who said, “There were some prisoners on the day of Badr who had no
ransom, so the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, made
their ransom that they teach the children of the Ansar to write. He said,
"One day a boy came crying to his father, so he said, 'What is the matter
with you?'" He said, "My teacher hit me." He said, “The wicked
one is seeking revenge for Badr, and by God, you will never go to him.”
(Narrator: Abdullah bin Abbas; Source: Takhrij Al-Musnad by Shakir). The
Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, also preferred the believer who
interacts socially with people and patiently endures their harm over the Muslim
who is withdrawn and isolated, in his saying: “The believer who mixes with
people and patiently endures their harm is better than the believer who does
not mix with people and does not patiently endure their harm.” (Narrated by
Abdullah bin Omar; Source: Sahih al-Jami’).
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