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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Are you Free or Slave? Chapter 5: Testing Belief This chapter deals with another important question which must be examined before we embark on a discussion of ideology, namely the testing of belief. Are there any criteria and standard by which a person can test the correctness of his views and beliefs?
How can a research know whether what he or others consider being a scientific fact or nation or theory is really based on science or is just pseudo-science or self-delusion. Do the Islamic texts have any guidance on the testing of belief or not? The answer is the both scientific and unscientific beliefs and the disease of self-delusion have signs and symptoms by which the researcher can test his opinions and those of other people and thereby discover whether they are true or false.
Imam Ali, in expounding the signs of scientific and unscientific belief, has a comprehensive and rather complex explanation, which is of great value and worthy of detailed study. Signs Of Scientific Belief First, let us see what the Imam has to say about the signs and indications of scientific belief, then examine and analyze them one by one. Imam ‘Ali’s words are as follows: The truly wise person is he who knows that what he knows, compared with what he does not know, is slight.
He therefore considers himself ignorant, and by recognizing his ignorance he exerts himself all the more to acquire knowledge. The truly wise person is thus always in search of knowledge and interested in acquiring and utilizing information. He is humble towards men of learning, considers his own view suspect, practices silence. Is on his guard against error and is ashamed of he is wrong.
If a proposition is put to him about whom he has no knowledge, he does not deny it, because he knows the extent of his ignorance.[^1]124 The Imam’s comments refer in all to seven points that indicate a truly wise person, these are recognition of one’s own ignorance, an increasing thirst for knowledge, humility towards the learned, skepticism of one’s own judgment, helping silent, caution against error and not denying what one does not know. Let us examine each of these points.