People are enemies of what they do not know.
Quote
People are enemies of what they do not know.
Arabic original
الناس أعداء ما جهلوا.
What it means
The unfamiliar can provoke suspicion or rejection. The saying encourages understanding before condemnation and suggests that a lack of knowledge is not, by itself, a sound reason for hostility.
The story behind this quote
The maxim is transmitted under the name of Ali ibn Abi Talib. In the linked source it appears within a discussion of criticism directed at speculative theology.
The saying describes a relationship between ignorance and opposition. It becomes clearer within a controversy: people may reject a field of knowledge they do not yet understand. This explanation draws out that broader meaning without deciding the theological dispute found in the source.
The source
نهج البلاغة, الحكمة 172؛ وأوردها ابن القيم في الصواعق المرسلة من كلام الغزالي قولًا سائرًا, 1009
The text appears in the indicated source. A traditional attribution remains distinct from proof of authorship: see the context.
More quotes by Ali ibn Abi Talib
No one conceals something without its appearing in slips of the tongue and the features of the face.
Knowledge is better than wealth: knowledge guards you, while you guard wealth.