until the shadow becomes equal to the length of a spear; then refrain from praying, for at that time Hell is stoked.”

Second benefit:
Many rulings of the sharia have been established on the principle of distancing oneself from resembling the polytheists. Imitating them exerts an influence on the soul that grows, step by step, until one comes to admire their deeds and copy them. In the process, the Muslims’ sense of dignity, unity, and independence is eroded; they end up mere followers whose identity and spirit dissolve into that of others, and thus those others gain the upper hand over the Muslims.

Islam, however, desires that the Muslims possess dignity and solidarity in their acts of worship, their customs, their traditions, and their general affairs. It wants them to be an independent community with its own distinctive character and well-known features.

To our deep regret, we find the Muslims of our age chasing after others without deliberation or insight. Everything that comes from the West is deemed admirable, every practice they adopt is considered beautiful—even if it clashes with religion and morality. To Allah we belong and to Him we return.

O Allah, awaken the Muslims from their slumber, rouse them from their heedlessness, and unite their word upon truth and guidance. You are indeed All-Hearing, Ever-Responsive.

This is not to say that we should refrain from learning the sciences and inventions they have produced. Such knowledge is available to everyone, and we have a greater right to it than they do, for when we master it we will employ it in accordance with our religion’s commands—to establish security and peace and to bring happiness to humanity.

But when these sciences remain in the hands of tyrannical colonisers, they become an instrument of ruin and devastation for the world.