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

An obstinate French Ideologue says, “The uncivilized envy us for the freedom we advocate and uphold”. Say to him that Allaah stated about the disbelievers of old:

إِنَّہُمۡ كَانُوٓاْ إِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمۡ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا ٱللَّهُ يَسۡتَكۡبِرُونَ
وَيَقُولُونَ أَٮِٕنَّا لَتَارِكُوٓاْ ءَالِهَتِنَا لِشَاعِرٍ۬ مَّجۡنُونِۭ

Truly, when it was said to them: La ilaha ill-Allah “(none has the right to be worshipped but Allah),” they puffed themselves up with pride (i.e. denied it). And (they) said: “Are we going to abandon our aliha (dieties) for the sake of a mad poet?” [Surah As-Saaffaat. Aayaat 35-36]

Allaah said that they said:

أَجَعَلَ ٱلۡأَلِهَةَ إِلَـٰهً۬ا وَٲحِدًا‌ۖ إِنَّ هَـٰذَا لَشَىۡءٌ عُجَابٌ۬
وَٱنطَلَقَ ٱلۡمَلَأُ مِنۡہُمۡ أَنِ ٱمۡشُواْ وَٱصۡبِرُواْ عَلَىٰٓ ءَالِهَتِكُمۡ‌ۖ إِنَّ هَـٰذَا لَشَىۡءٌ۬ يُرَادُ
مَا سَمِعۡنَا بِہَـٰذَا فِى ٱلۡمِلَّةِ ٱلۡأَخِرَةِ إِنۡ هَـٰذَآ إِلَّا ٱخۡتِلَـٰقٌ

“Has he (Muhammad) made the aliha (dieties) all into One Ilah (diety – Allah). Verily, this is a curious thing!” And the leaders among them went about (saying): “Go on, and remain constant to your aliha (gods)! Verily, This is a thing designed (against you)! We have not heard (the like) of this among the people of these later days. This is nothing but an invention!” [Surah Saad. Aayaat 5-7]

Then say to the obstinate French ideologue: Some of the freedom you advocate and uphold is not sanctioned by Allaah, rather it is a freedom based on the opinions, desires and fallible intellects of fellow human beings. Imaam Muhammad Ibn Saaleh Al-Uthaymeen [may Allaah have mercy upon him] was asked about the statement of a person who says, ‘I am free (or liberated)!’ The Imaam responded as follows, “If a free person says this and intends by it freedom from slavery to the creation, then yes he is free from slavery to the creation. However, if he intends by this that he is freed from servitude to Allaah [The Mighty and Majestic], then indeed he has erred in his understanding of servitude and he does not understand the meaning of freedom. That is because servitude to other than Allaah is bondage. As for servitude to Allaah [The Mighty and Majestic], then this is real freedom because if he does not humble himself to Allaah, he will humble himself to other than Allaah. So he deceives himself when he says that he is free- meaning, he is liberated from obedience to Allaah'”. (1)

Ahmad Ibn Aasim Al-Antaakiy [may Allaah have mercy upon him] said, “The most beneficial intellect is the one that makes you acknowledge the blessings Allaah; aids you in being grateful and oppose (evil) desires”. (2)

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”. (3)

Shaikh Abdur Razzaaq Al-Badr [may Allaah preserve him] said, “If you say that the intellect is to be given precedence over the revelation, then which intellect should we follow? Are the intellects of the people combined in the intellect of one man or do they differ? There are intellects of the philosophers, the atheists, the heretics, the people of evil desires and those who confound truth with falsehood; and due to this one of the pious predecessors said, ‘Had the desires been one, it would have been considered to be the (basis of) truth; therefore, we say that had the intellects been one, it would have been considered to be the (basis of) truth”. (4)

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?!” (5)

Finally, say to the osbtinate French ideologue: You are pitied but not envied because there are severe consequences – after death – for initiating misguidance. Allaah [The Exalted] said:

[إِنَّا نَحۡنُ نُحۡىِ ٱلۡمَوۡتَىٰ وَنَڪۡتُبُ مَا قَدَّمُواْ وَءَاثَـٰرَهُمۡۚ وَكُلَّ شَىۡءٍ أَحۡصَيۡنَـٰهُ فِىٓ إِمَامٍ۬ مُّبِينٍ۬ – Verily, We give life to the dead, and We record that which they send before (them), and their traces, and that which they leave behind], and all things We have recorded with numbers (as a record) in a Clear Book]. [Surah Yaaseen. Aayah 12]

[إِنَّا نَحۡنُ نُحۡىِ ٱلۡمَوۡتَىٰ – Verily, We give life to the dead]- Meaning, We’ll resurrect them after their death to recompense them for their deeds (6). [وَنَڪۡتُبُ مَا قَدَّمُواْ – and We record that which they send before (them)] – Meaning, good and evil, the deeds they did during their lifetime. (7) [وَءَاثَـٰرَهُمۡۚ – and their traces]. Imaam Ibnul Qayyim [may Allaah have mercy upon him] said: “That which they initiated of good or evil and thus they were followed by others after their death”. (8)

Imaam Al-Aloosee [may Allaah have mercy upon him] said, “That which they left behind of good deeds, such as the knowledge they taught people, books they wrote, land they gave as endowment or a building they built in the path of Allaah and other good deeds; or sins, such as establishment of laws (legislation, rules, regulations etc) that are tantamount to oppression and transgression, or setting up principles amongst the people that are tantamount to evil and corruption, and the evil Funoon (i.e. haraam professions, crafts etc) which they initiated and were revived after them by the corrupt people. (9)

Imaam As-Sadi [may Allaah have mercy upon him] said, “This subject matter makes clear to you regarding the lofty station of calling to the path of Allaah, guidance to His path through every means and path that leads to it; and the lowly status of the caller to evil and a leader in it, and that he is the most degraded human being- one who has committed the severest crime and the greatest sin”. (10)

[Ref 1: An Excerpt from ‘Al-Manaahiy al-Laf’dhiyyah: page: 117. slightly paraphrased]

[Ref 2: Seerah As-Salaf As-Saaliheen. 1/1073. Chapter: A mention of the At’baa At-Taabi’een]

[Ref 3: A’laam Al-Muwaqqi’een 1/67-69]

[Ref 4: Muqaddimah Fee Diraasah At-Tawheed’ by Shaikh Abdur-Razzaaq Al-Badr (may Allaah preserve him) Lesson: 3]

[Ref 5: 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

[Refs. 6 & 7: An Excerpt from Tafseer As-Sadi. Daar Ibn Hazm. 1st edition 1424AH (2003). Slightly paraphrased]

[Ref 8. An Excerpt from Badaa’i at-Tafseer Al-Jaami Limaa Fassarahu Al-Imaam Ibnul Qayyim 2/358. Daar Ibn Al-Jawziy 1431AH. Slightly paraphrased]

[Ref 9: An Excerpt from Roohul Ma’aanee 12/325. Daar Al-Fikr. 1417AH (1997). Slightly paraphrased]

[Ref 10: An Excerpt from Tafseer As-Sadi. Daar Ibn Hazm. 1st Edition 1424AH (2003). Slighrly paraphrased]