I Don't Know

"I don't know" is an answer generally not "expected" from a learned person. Generally we humans seldom want to act differently from what is expected from us. But at times "our acts" and "our words" act as a seed that transforms into trees having various branches in future. Depending on our position, at times one word, one judgement can potentially divide the human race at some point in time in future resulting not only in intellectual division but into fancy names like "Crusades", or "Wars on terrors" taking human lives in the process.

One simple way to avoid a potential mess in many cases is a simple acceptance of "I don't know" right at start when we don't have grasp of a specific thing. Allah tells us in the book that its one of important traps of Satan that he orders us to say about Allah that we don't know.

"He only orders you to evil and immorality and to say about Allah what you do not know."(Baqra:169)

The potential of damage increases exponentially if this mistake (i.e. saying about Allah what we don't know) is by a person who is in a position to influence people like a "religious scholar". Moreover avoiding this mistake is very difficult for a scholar because of pressure of expectations from the people that "the scholar must know this".

We can see manifestations of this problem in other forms as well. Like people being conclusive in saying "God doesn't exist" or "There are more than one God" without doing research on this matter.

Another very important manifestation is when people start claiming about things that "God has forbidden this thing (Or God has allowed this thing) " without conclusive knowledge of the matter. The ayat immediately prior to the one discussed above is

"O mankind, eat from whatever is on earth [that is] lawful and good and do not follow the footsteps of Satan. Indeed, he is to you a clear enemy." (Baqra:168)

So special care should be taken whenever talking about something being Halal or Haram or talking about our understanding of what Allah wants. And we should be vigilant if someone talks anything about Allah and we should try to understand his argument instead of his judgement (no matter how big the person is).