of the world; yet when they turned away from their religion, Allah empowered their enemies against them, so the latter humiliated and debased them, and they became mere playthings in their hands. Allah the Exalted says, “Indeed, Allah does not change the condition of a people until they change what is within themselves” (al-Raʿd 13:11).
Whoever abandons this religion out of arrogance, Allah will crush him; and whoever seeks guidance apart from His Book, Allah will lead him astray. The warning of Allah has come to pass upon these bewildered nations that claim to be Muslim: they wander in confusion, oblivious to what would benefit them in their religious and worldly affairs.
4 – Muslims have no road to honour, leadership, or true happiness in this life and the next except through this mighty religion. Nothing will set right the last part of this community except what set right its first. “Whoever desires power—then all power belongs to Allah” (Fāṭir 35:10); and, “Allah will surely help those who help Him; indeed Allah is All-Powerful, Almighty” (al-Ḥajj 22:40).
- A word of counsel to the youth:
If the young Muslims are sincere in turning to Allah, eager to draw near to Him, and seek happiness and prominence in this world as they seek, in the Hereafter, a Garden as wide as the heavens and the earth prepared for the God-fearing, then they must follow this succinct advice:
First: They must be truthful and sincere to Allah in their words and deeds, so that Allah will be their Helper, direct their steps, and guide them to paths of goodness and success.
Second: They must adhere to the Book of Allah and to what is authentically reported from the Sunnah of Muhammad ﷺ. That is the straight path walked by the righteous servants of Allah; it is the sound method that reduces their disagreements, brings their viewpoints closer, and unites their word and direction.
Third: They must cast aside mutual disputes, so that subsidiary scholarly issues do not become a source of contention leading to enmity and hatred, quarrelling and mutual estrangement, for disagreement in