Sometimes this ‘prejudice’ forms and it spreads like a disease. This can be found in nations, families, within groups and even methods.
Sometimes using one method to serve the religion leads one to hold prejudices against other methods. Rigidity that this method is the only correct method. They are petty issues, but conflicts arise because of the stubbornness of one’s own view.
Ml Saeed Ahmed Khan رحمة الله عليه would explain using this incident:
A disagreement arose among Muslims over Ameen: whether to say aloud (jahr) or silently (sirr). This is when according to narrations, both are practices of the Prophet
. One may follow either method. This is an example of a difference in method.
That disagreement escalated into a dispute that went to court. At that time, the judge was an Englishman. At first, he didn’t understand this because it’s a religious matter. He thoroughly researched the matter, the essentials and obligations of prayer, the Sunnahs in the Muslim’s prayer. What status does ‘Ameen’ hold in the prayer?
Then he gave his verdict. His decision was this: per the narrations, saying Ameen aloud and Ameen silently are both correct, but Ameen with evil (shar) is wrong, i.e. turning it into a source of conflict.
Because this case of Ameen divided the worshippers into two factions, even though it was not about something obligatory or impermissible.
But due to stubborn insistence that this method is the only method, it became a conflict.
What is this due to? This is due to ‘prejudice’.
We must be cautious about this.
