and Christianity—is jāhiliyyah. That was the universal, all-embracing age of ignorance.

After the Prophet’s mission ﷺ, however, jāhiliyyah may appear in one land while being absent from another, just as it is found in the territories of the unbelievers. It may also exist in one person but not in another; a man before he embraces Islam is in a state of jāhiliyyah even if he lives in the abode of Islam. As for any era taken in an absolute sense, there is no comprehensive jāhiliyyah after the sending of Muhammad ﷺ, for a faction of his community will always remain manifest upon the truth until the Hour is established.

Restricted jāhiliyyah, nonetheless, can arise in certain Muslim lands and among many Muslim individuals, as the Prophet ﷺ said, “Four traits in my community are from the practices of jāhiliyyah” (1), and he said to Abū Dharr, “You are a man in whom there is something of jāhiliyyah” (2), and the like (3). End quote.

In summary, the term jāhiliyyah is derived from jahl—lack of knowledge—and it is divided into two categories:
1 – Universal jāhiliyyah: the condition that prevailed before the Prophet’s mission ﷺ, and it ended with his advent.