In The Name of Allaah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy.

The Messenger [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him] said, “Verily he lives long among you will see a lot of differing, so you must keep to my Sunnah and to the Sunnah of the Khulafaa ar-Rashideen [the rightly guided caliphs]. Adhere to it with your molar teeth (i.e. adhere to it firmly). And beware of newly invented matters [in the religion], for every newly invented matter [in the religion] is a bidah [innovation in the religion], and every bidah is misguidance”. [Abu Dawood. Number 4607] [Tirmidhee. Number 2676]

Imaam Maalik [may Allaah have mercy upon him] said, “The latter part of this Ummah [i.e. those who will come after the Salaf] will not be rectified except by way of that which rectified it’s earlier part [i.e. the Salaf].’’ And he [rahimahullaah) said: ‘’Whoever innovates a bidah in Islaam and considers it to be something good, then indeed he has claimed that Muhammad betrayed the Risaalah (i.e. the message he was entrusted with); because Allaah said: [ٱلۡيَوۡمَ أَكۡمَلۡتُ لَكُمۡ دِينَكُمۡ – This day, I have perfected your religion for you]. Therefore, what was not part of the religion at that time [i.e. during the time of the Messenger] cannot be part of the religion today (i.e. after his departure from this world)”. [Al-Itisaam of Imaam Shaatibee 1/28]

Imaam Sadi [may Allaah have mercy upon him] said: Indeed, it is impossible to rectify the souls and acquire virtue solely through the worldly sciences. Experience and clearly witnessed circumstances are the greatest proofs regarding this affair, because despite its advancement and vastness it has been unable to nurture and rectify the souls [i.e. upon excellent traits, manners, dealings, characteristics, sound creed etc] which are the determinants of [sound] rectification and success. What the Religion of Islaam propagates is that which is entrusted with this rectification; it is what will guide the thoughts towards the truthful and authentic sources of knowledge, guide the actions of the people towards good and prevent them from evil. Islam is The Rectifier of the Creeds and Manners- the thing that cultivates the thoughts [upon righteousness], urges towards virtuousness and prevents from depravity.

The essence of that which the religion calls to – regarding belief in the Unseen, which includes belief in Allaah and that which He possesses of Names, Attributes and Actions of perfection; belief in Angels, belief in recompense for one’s good and bad deeds in this life and the next, which cannot be known except through the Messengers, is what acquaints a person with the fact that rectification – in reality – is not possible through other than sound belief and the religion of Islaam.

Therefore, even if the worldly sciences rectify [some] affairs based upon that which [some] people know in detail, it will still not be equal [in perfection, excellence etc] to the knowledge of the Messengers [in the least]. It will neither reach that which is reached through the knowledge of the Messengers nor can it influence the souls in the manner in which the knowledge of the Messengers has done; for indeed the souls do not voluntarily submit except through belief in Allaah, belief in His Angels, belief in His Books, belief in His Messengers and belief in the hereafter. And without this, voluntary submission is impossible, as is well known regarding human nature. [Al-Adillah Al-Qawaati Wal-Baraaheen Fee Ibtaalil Usoolil Mulhideen 49-50]

Imaam As-Sadi [may Allaah have mercy upon him] said, “Industrialization And Modern Inventions: Everyone has participated in it – the righteous, the wicked, the believer and the disbeliever. As for religion and [virtuous] manners, then indeed -in this era-, it has greatly declined. So, when this industrial advancement is devoid of Deen and Eemaan, it became a great harm from two angles: Firstly: It beguiled many people, who – due of their ignorance – think that worldly advancement is proof to show that its people are more worthy of achieving every good than others. They are clearly misguided, for indeed a person might be from the most skillful in affairs related to the material world, whilst he is one of the most ignorant people in affairs related to the deen, virtuous manners and the [other] beneficial affairs in this life and the next. Secondly: When these inventions are devoid of Deen, its mercy and wisdom, it becomes a great disaster for humankind due to the wars that resulted from them, killing, destruction and other affairs related to it. Its regulators [or overseers] and scholars are unable to laydown – for humankind -a stable, just and good life, rather they have not ceased moving from one misrable state to another. This is inevitable and the continuous state of affairs shows that [to be the case]. Therefore all good is found in the sound religion and all evil is found in rejecting and willfully denying [Allaah, His Messengers, His Laws, Guidance, Commands, Prohibitions etc] [Al-Adilladul Qawaati Wal Baraaheen Fee Ibtaalil Usoolil Mulhideen. 45-46]

Imaam Sadi [may Allaah have mercy upon him] said: Allaah [The Most High] said:

لَقَدۡ مَنَّ ٱللَّهُ عَلَى ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ إِذۡ بَعَثَ فِيہِمۡ رَسُولاً۬ مِّنۡ أَنفُسِهِمۡ يَتۡلُواْ عَلَيۡہِمۡ ءَايَـٰتِهِۦ وَيُزَڪِّيہِمۡ وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ ٱلۡكِتَـٰبَ وَٱلۡحِڪۡمَةَ وَإِن كَانُواْ مِن قَبۡلُ لَفِى ضَلَـٰلٍ۬ مُّبِينٍ

Indeed, Allah conferred a great favour on the believers when He sent among them a Messenger (Muhammad) from among themselves, reciting unto them His Verses (the Qur’an), and purifying them (from sins by their following him), and instructing them (in) the Book (the Qur’an) and Al-Hikmah [the wisdom and the Sunnah of the Prophet (i.e. his legal ways, statements, acts of worship, etc.)], while before that they had been in manifest error. [Surah Aal Imran. Verse 164]

Allaah [The Most High] said:

وَٱذۡكُرُواْ نِعۡمَتَ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيۡكُمۡ إِذۡ كُنتُمۡ أَعۡدَآءً۬ فَأَلَّفَ بَيۡنَ قُلُوبِكُمۡ فَأَصۡبَحۡتُم بِنِعۡمَتِهِۦۤ إِخۡوَٲنً۬ا وَكُنتُمۡ عَلَىٰ شَفَا حُفۡرَةٍ۬ مِّنَ ٱلنَّارِ فَأَنقَذَكُم مِّنۡہَا‌ۗ كَذَٲلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ ٱللَّهُ لَكُمۡ ءَايَـٰتِهِۦ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَہۡتَدُونَ

And remember Allah’s Favour on you, for you were enemies one to another but He joined your hearts together, so that, by His Grace, you became brethren (in Islamic Faith), and you were on the brink of a pit of Fire, and He saved you from it. Thus, Allah makes His Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.,) clear to you, that you may be guided. [Surah Aal Imran. Verse 103]

Allaah [The Most High] said: [ ٱلۡيَوۡمَ أَكۡمَلۡتُ لَكُمۡ دِينَكُمۡ وَأَتۡمَمۡتُ عَلَيۡكُمۡ نِعۡمَتِى وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ ٱلۡإِسۡلَـٰمَ دِينً۬ا‌ۚ – This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My Favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion]. [Surah Al-Maa’idah. Verse 3]

Allaah [The Most High] said: [وَمَنۡ أَحۡسَنُ مِنَ ٱللَّهِ حُكۡمً۬ا لِّقَوۡمٍ۬ يُوقِنُونَ – And who is better in judgement than Allah for a people who have firm Faith]. [Surah Aal Imran. Verse 50]

Whoever utilises sound intellect to examine what the Messengers brought [i.e. the revelation] – what they commanded and guided the people to, such as knowledge and Awareness of Allaah, the worship of Allaah alone, turning to Allaah in repentance and obedience with true Faith (Islamic Monotheism) and the command to fulfil all the rights [of the people] based on courteous good will, perfecting one’s actions [i.e. based on sincerity to Allaah alone] and treating others with kindness [by sincerely seeking to benefit them though one’s knowledge, wealth or position], and that which they [i.e. Messengers] forbade; then thereafter he examines what those who have deviated from the path of Allaah call to, he will know that good [and its outcomes], success, sound rectification of the hearts and deeds, [sound rectification of] the worldly affairs and [sound rectification of the religious affairs and their end results in the afterlife] are all in agreement with what the Messengers called to. On the other hand, he will know that the call of those who have deviated from the path of Allaah is designed to do away with good manners [traits, characteristics etc], whose end result is nothing but complete chaos and a state in which one goes along with lust [or evil desires of the soul] until the animals become more noble and beneficial than humans. This is no doubt their state of affairs – clearly manifested by what they are upon and what they proclaim with their tongues. Among the most amazing of affairs is that many contemporary writers and politicians seek to remedy the many social ills and try to do so do from many angles, however as for the problem of deviation from Allaah’s path- whose surge has carried away the majority of young people – they have not rushed to stop it by returning to sound Eemaan and certainty; rather they have been abandoned to wander blindly in their misguidance and wavering in beguilement, and thus the social ills they seek to remedy gives birth to other social ills- because if the path to remedying social ills is not based on Eemaan and sound Deen, they will increase and become worse. [An Excerpt from ‘Al-Adillatul Qawaatiq’ pages 40-41′. slightly paraphrased]

Imaam Ibnul Qayyim [may Allaah have mercy upon him] said: Everyone with a bit of (sound) intellect knows that the corruption of the world and its ruin occurs due to giving precedence to opinion over the divine revelation and (evil) desires over sound intellect. These two corrupt motives are not entrenched in a heart except that its destruction becomes inevitable nor in a nation except that its affairs are completely corrupted. [ I’laam Al-Muwaqqi’een 1/67-69]

Shaikh Abu Iyaadh [may Allaah preserve him] stated: The wisdom of the Islamic Shariah: Cut off evils and harms to society from their very roots and enjoy the resulting freedom, ease and wholesome life. In contrast: the barbarity and backwardness of commercialising corrosive evils– usurious banking, alcohol, gambling–in order to profit from the masses through affairs in which their ruin and impoverishment lies–and then managing this commercialisation through legislation, policies, guidelines and so on to “limit the harms”. The result? Inescapable enslavement, bondage, disease and ruin of the masses for the enrichment of the few who peddle these vices. Where is the intellect?! http://www.shariah.ws/articles/suokooj-there-is-no-safe-limit-in-the-consumption-of-alcohol-and-the-prohibition-of-alcohol-in-the-quran.cfm

Finally, Abu Hurairah [may Allaah be pleased with him] narrated that the Messenger of Allaah [peace and blessings be upon him], said, “The worldly life is a prison for the believer [in Allaah and the final Messenger] and a paradise for the disbeliever [in Allaah and the final Messenger]”. [Ṣaḥeeh Muslim 2956]

The Meaning of The Above Hadeeth

Imaam An-Nawawi [may Allaah have mercy be upon him] said: Every believer is imprisoned and prevented – in the worldly life – from evil and repugnant desires and obligated to perform demanding acts of obedience. But after death, he relaxes and receives what Allaah [The Exalted] promised of permanent bliss and perfect relaxation. As for the disbeliever [in Allaah and the final Messenger], he gets what he receives in the worldly life together with the fact that it is very little and disrupted by distress. And after he dies, he finds himself in permanent punishment and eternal wretchedness. [Sharh Saheeh Muslim 18/74. Daar Al-Kutub Al-Ilmiyyah. 1st Edition 1421AH (2000)]

Imaam Muhammad Ibn Saaleh Al-Uthaymeen [may Allaah have mercy upon him] said: Regardless how great the affair of the worldly life is – its good days and its dwelling places (surrounded by beautiful trees, plants, scenery etc), then indeed it is like a prison for the believer, because a believer looks forward to a bliss that is better, more perfect and loftier. As for the disbeliever [in Allaah and the final Messenger], the worldly life is his paradise because he enjoys himself in it [i.e. outside the boundaries of halaal and haraam] and forgets the afterlife, and thus becomes like those about whom Allaah [The Exalted] stated:

وَٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ يَتَمَتَّعُونَ وَيَأۡكُلُونَ كَمَا تَأۡكُلُ ٱلۡأَنۡعَـٰمُ وَٱلنَّارُ مَثۡوً۬ى لَّهُمۡ

Those who disbelieve enjoy themselves and eat as cattle eat, and the Fire will be their abode. [Surah Muhammad Aayah 12]

Therefore, when the disbeliever dies, he does not find anything in front of him except the fire and Allaah’s punishment, and woe to the people of the fire. So that which is found in the worldly life of distress, grief, sadness and sorrow is like a paradise in relation to the state of affairs of the disbeliever [in Allaah and the final Messenger], because he will leave this world to receive Allaah’s punishment.

It has been mentioned about Ibn Hajar Al Asqalaani – the author of Fat’hul Baari – that he used to be the chief of the judges in Egypt in his era, and he used go past the market with an entourage. So, one day a Yahoodi stopped him and said, “Your Prophet said, ‘The worldly life is a prison of the believer and paradise of the disbeliever’, and how can this be the case whilst you are in a state of luxury and joy, and I am in a state of extreme poverty and low status?” So, Ibn Hajr said to him, “If in your view I am in state of joy and that people are at my service, then this state is a prison in comparison to what a believer will receive of bliss in Paradise. As for yourself, even though you are in state of extreme poverty and low status, then it is like paradise in comparison to what a disbeliever will receive in the fire”. So, the Yahoodi was amazed by this statement and then testified that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allaah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah. https://binothaimeen.net/content/8835 ]