Who is the loser? (adab ul-munazara)
Questions for us:
1. Are we the loser or winner when we could not win the debate?
2. Do we feel bad when defeated?
3. Do we feel victorious when triumphed?
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| Some people win, some people lose, do they really? |
"The rule of truth and equity, established by the scholars of the art of debate ('ulama of fann al-'adaab and 'ilm al-munazara), is this:
Whoever desires, in debate on any subject, that his own word should turn out to be true, and becomes happy when he turns out to be right at the end of the debate and his opponent to be wrong, mistaken or defeated, is such a person who acted unjustly.
In addition to his unjust manner, he, the winner is the actual loser when he is pleased that he won. Why?
Indeed he has learnt nothing out of the debate he has not known before, and probably because of his victory in the debate his nafs and ananiyat (ego and pride) will cause him lose more and more. If his opponent had won the debate, he would have learnt what he had not known previously and his nafs would be saved from this dangerous pride which is a great loss for a believer.
