For indeed, Jahiliyya—although [1] it was originally an adjective [2]—has, through frequent usage, come to function as a noun, and its sense now approaches that of the verbal noun (ignorance itself). As for the second usage, one may say “a Jahili group” or “a Jahili poet,” attributing them to jahil—ignorance—defined either as lack of knowledge or as failure to follow knowledge. Whoever does not know the truth is afflicted with simple ignorance; if he believes the contrary of the truth, his ignorance is compounded; and if he voices what contradicts the truth, whether he knows the truth or not, he too is ignorant, as the Exalted says:
“And when the ignorant address them, they say, ‘Peace.’” (al-Furqān 25:63) [3]
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) likewise said: “When any one of you is fasting, let him neither engage in obscene talk [4] nor act ignorantly.” [5]
The same sense appears in the verse of certain Arab poets. [6]
(1) The printed edition reads: “fa-in lafz al-jahiliyyah.”
(2) MS Ṭ has: kanat; the remaining copies read: kan.
(3) Quran, Surah al-Furqan, part of verse 63.
(4) The printed text reads: “…he should neither engage in sexual talk, nor sin, nor act ignorantly,” adding the phrase “nor sin” (wa la yufsuuq), which does not appear in the versions of Muslim, al-Bukhari, or Abu Dawud.
(5) This sentence is part of a hadith recorded in both Sahihs and elsewhere. Al-Bukhari reports, on the authority of Abu Hurayrah, that the Messenger of Allah said: “Fasting is a shield; so let him neither engage in sexual talk nor act ignorantly….” See: Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of Fasting, chapter “The virtue of fasting,” hadith no. 1894 (Fath al-Bari 4/103). Muslim records it in the Book of Fasting, chapter “The fasting person’s duty to guard his tongue,” hadith no. 1151 (2/806), with the wording: “When one of you awakes fasting, he must neither engage in sexual talk nor act ignorantly….” Abu Dawud relates the version cited by the author: “Fasting is a shield; when any of you is fasting he must neither engage in sexual talk nor act ignorantly….” See Sunan Abi Dawud, Book of Fasting, chapter “Backbiting while fasting,” hadith no. 2363 (2/768).
(6) The printed edition reads: al-Shu‘araʾ.