The Ruling on Adopting from the West What Is Beneficial in Terms of Works and Industries

Question:
We thank the Honorable Shaykh, may Allah reward him with all good, for the advice, guidance, and clarification he has provided to us. The questioner, may Allah grant us and him success, says: Honorable Shaykh, may Allah’s peace, mercy, and blessings be upon you. My question is: What is the ruling on one who adopts from the West certain works that do not harm his Islam, and which are not mentioned in Islam, but he adopts them solely for the sake of progress and civilization? Please inform us, may Allah reward you with good.

Answer:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Beneficial things that are not specific to them, but which Allah the Exalted and Sublime created for the benefit of humanity, there is no harm in adopting them: weapons, clothing, goods, and permissible foods. These do not belong to them; Allah the Exalted and Sublime created these benefits for the Muslims primarily, and the disbelievers are merely followers. Allah the Exalted said: Allah created them , . This is among the blessings of Allah the Exalted and Sublime. These benefits and these good things that Allah the Exalted and Sublime created are originally for the Muslims, but when the Muslims lagged behind and were lazy, the disbelievers got ahead of them in industries and inventions. So there is no harm for Muslims to buy these things from the disbelievers and import them, because they are beneficial and because they were originally created for them. Buying them with our money, without them having any favor or grace over us, and we only buy them with our money, there is no harm in this. Rather, Allah the Exalted commanded us to take hold of beneficial means. Allah the Exalted said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to wear what the disbelievers wove and buy their goods, and they exchanged sales and purchases with them. There is no harm in this. This is not imitation or tashabbuh (imitating the disbelievers), but rather this is taking hold of beneficial things and benefiting from their experience in industry, in trade, in works, and in agriculture. Benefiting from their permissible experience is not a problem, and this is not called tashabbuh, but rather this is considered taking hold of beneficial means. And we take them from them for a price, without them having any grace over us in it, and praise be to Allah, we buy them from them with our money, and they have no grace over us in it. Yes.