How to Deal with Ignorant Ones

As-Salāmu ‘Alaykum wa RaḥmatuLlāhi wa Barakātuh. A‘ūdhu BiLlāhi Minash-shayṭāni r-rajīm. BismiLlāhi r-Raḥmāni r-Raḥīm. Wa ṣ-Salātu wa s-Salāmu ‘alá Rasūlinā Muḥammadin Sayyidi l-Awwalīna wa l-Akhirīn. Madad yā RasūlAllāh, Madad yā Sādāti Aṣḥābi RasūliLlāh, Madad yā Mashāyikhinā, Dastūr Mawlana Sheikh Abdullāh al-Fā’iz ad-Dāghistāni, Sheikh Muḥammad Nāẓim al- Ḥaqqānī. Madad. Ṭarīqatunā aṣ-Suḥbah wa l-Khayru fi l-Jam‘iyyah.

Bismi Llāhi r-Raḥmāni r-Raḥīm:

(Qur’ān 25:63). ‘Wa ‘Idhā Khātabahumu Al-Jāhilūna Qālū Salāmāan’, ‘And when the ignorant address them [harshly], they say [words of] peace.’ Ṣadaqa Llāhu l-‘Aẓīm. In Qur’ān ‘Aẓīmu sh-Sha’n, Allāh ‘Azza wa-Jalla says to His ﷻ servants, whom He ﷻ loves and guides, when ignorant people address them with nonsensical words, “Pay no attention to them.” Allāh ‘Azza wa-Jalla says, “Do not engage with them at all.” Because no matter how much they try, their aim is not to learn, but solely to cause harm. They try to belittle the other person with their words so that they will say something and they will respond, thus causing conflict and turning people against each other. That is why Allāh ‘Azza wa-Jalla says, “Do not engage much with the ignorant.” No matter how much you explain, the ignorant will not understand; if they understood, the situation would be different. But the ignorant have no logic; what they say has no connection whatsoever to the truth. They hear something by word of mouth, then internalize it as if it were a law against you. They will insult you in the greatest way and do all kinds of evil.

Therefore, do not engage with the ignorant. Don’t engage with them at all. Because your level is high. There’s no need to descend to their low level. Even if you did, it wouldn’t do you any benefit. Do it, if you could gain something by descending to their level, but that’s not the case. If they’re not the type of person to understand, just be quiet, leave, or change the subject. It’s pointless to prolong a conversation with people who don’t accept the truth. You prolong the conversation, they prolong it, and even more sins will be committed. And you will only be demoralized.

Because Allāh ‘Azza wa-Jalla knows best, He ﷻ shows us this path. In short: don’t engage too much with the ignorant. The world is full of ignorant people. And they have these machines in their hands. Because of these machines, they think of themselves as allknowing. They don’t give any credence to what the other person says. Therefore, there’s no need to tire yourself out and strive in vain. If the person you’re talking to weren’t

ignorant, they would come and sit down and talk with you separately with what they said. Their intention isn’t to learn anything; it’s to torment and harm. So the best response is to stay away from them. If you don’t respond, they go crazy, lose their minds, and become mad. That’s why you must stay away from any mad dog. If you engage with him and try to reason with him, he will harm you, and it will be bad for you too. May Allāh ﷻ protect us from evil.

Sometimes, it’s not easy to remain silent and restrain oneself. Therefore, the best thing to do is to remain silent, walk away, avoid engaging, or change the subject. Because ignorant people are everywhere; there’s no need to specifically go and find one. Ignorant people are everywhere; the world is full of them more than you could ever want. May Allāh ﷻ grant them mind and understanding, and may they become wise. May Allāh ﷻ protect us from the evils of our egos.

Wa min Allāhi t-Tawfīq. Al-Fātiḥa.

Mawlana Sheikh Muhammad Adil ar-Rabbani 04 July 2026/ 19 Muharram 1448 Fajr Prayer – Akbaba Dergah, Istanbul