Foolishness, in one of its many connotations, is the opposite of forbearance. It refers to a person’s impetuousness: his or her temper and indiscretion in even petty issues, as well as, a thirst for swift revenge, punishment and insults. There is no doubt that weak-mindedness is its cause.
Foolishness manifests in both religious and worldly matters; as for the former, this is indicated by the verses (which mean):
· {And that our foolish one has been saying about Allah an excessive transgression.} [Quran 27: 4]
· {The foolish among the people will say, "What has turned them away from their Qiblah, which they used to face?" Say, "To Allah belongs the east and the west. He guides whom He wills to a straight path."} [Quran 2: 142]
Commenting on the last verse, As-Suddi stated that “the foolish” alludes to the disbelievers, hypocrites and the Jews. The circumstances surrounding this revelation were that Allah The Almighty commanded the Prophet, , and the Muslims to change their Qiblah (direction of prayer) from the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem to the Ka’bah in Makkah. So, the disbelievers said: "Muhammad has returned to our Qiblah and soon, he will return to our religion. He knows that we are on the truth." As for the hypocrites, they said: "If his first Qiblah was true, then his new direction is false, or vice versa." The Jews, on the other hand, argued: "He abandoned the Qiblah of the previous Prophets; had he been a Prophet, he would not have done so." All of these allegations undeniably prove how foolish and weak-minded these people were. They ignored the fact that Allah The Almighty disposes of the affairs of His slaves in whatever way He wills, and that to Him belongs the east and the west; verily, He guides whom He wills to the straight path.
In this context, the foolish man is the one who has mediocre intellect and is likely to commit sins. The devil deceives him, enslaves him to tyranny and makes him perpetually disobedient.
When Allah The Almighty commanded people to believe in Him, some of them said, as He Almighty quotes them, saying (what means): {Should we believe as the foolish have believed?} However, Allah The Almighty refuted their claim and Said (what means): {Unquestionably, it is they who are the foolish, but they know [it] not.} [Quran 2: 13] Indeed, if they had had sound minds and wise judgment, they would have surely realized that what they were called to, was the truth.
As for foolishness in worldly matters, it denotes one’s inability to manage his or her affairs, fatuousness and illogical actions. An example of this is when a foolish person squanders his or her money and then becomes unable to properly manage his or her wealth. Allah the Almighty cautioned against giving money to those who splurge and spend it in a way that is logically or Islamically unacceptable. Allah the Almighty Says (what means): {And do not give the weak-minded your property, which Allah has Made a means of sustenance for you.} [Quran 4: 5]
The Years of Deception
When foolish people will start to take the lead and speak on behalf of the Ummah, it will herald the years that the Prophet, , warned us about when he said: "There shall come upon people deceptive years, in which the liar will be regarded as truthful and the truthful will be held a liar; the honest will be deemed as dishonest, while the dishonest will be considered honest; and Ar-Ruwaybidhah will speak." The Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, asked: "Who are the Ar- Ruwaybidhah?” The Prophet, , replied: "[They are the] foolish people who comment on the affairs of the public." [Ibn Maajah and Ahmad]
Furthermore, the Prophet, , warned us against the leadership of imprudent people. Jaabir ibn ‘Abdullaah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet, , said to Ka‘b ibn ‘Ujrah, may Allah be pleased with him: "May Allah protect you from the leadership of the foolish." Ka‘b, may Allah be pleased with him, asked: “What is meant by the leadership of the foolish?” The Prophet, , replied: “[It is the authority of] rulers who will come after me; they will neither follow my guidance nor act in accordance with my Sunnah. Those who believe their lies and support them in their oppression neither belong to me nor I to them. [In the Hereafter], they will not come to my Hawdh (Basin). As for those who do not accept their falsehood as truth or aid them in their tyranny, they belong to me and I belong to them, and they will come to my Hawdh." [An-Nasaa‘i and At-Tirmithi]
Avoiding the foolish
Shunning the foolish and not socializing with such people is the best way to avoid their harm. However, if a person is tested by their company, he or she must exhibit patience and tolerance with them.
‘Umayr ibn Khumaashah advised his children: "O my sons, beware of sitting with the foolish, because that is a disease. Whoever tolerates them will be pleased [with his attitude] and whoever responds to them will regret that. A person who cannot even bear some harm from the foolish in life, will have to take much worse [if he attempts to avoid it].”
Moreover, Ash-Shaafi‘i penned some verses of poetry that talked about how treating the foolish with forbearance is the best way to avoid their harm.