The Ruling on Secularism and an Explanation of Its Reality

Question:
May Allah guide you, Honorable Shaykh. This questioner says: When did secularism appear? Is it a school of thought or an ideology? Is it disbelief or not? And how should one guard against it and its proponents?

Answer:
By Allah, we hear about it, and every day a new affliction appears, every day a new affliction appears. Do not be surprised, for you are in the end times. It is not that one becomes a disbeliever in the end times, nor that the concept of knowledge has not been fully clarified. However, as far as I can see, it does not forbid hope; rather, people will be on one school of thought throughout the world in economics and other matters, with no difference between Muslims and jurists. As far as I can see, this is the truth, yes. As for a specialized study on this topic, I have nothing of that. But now, it is reasonable that there is a conference in the Islamic world regarding scholars, so perhaps you would like research and decisions from which Muslims may benefit, if Allah wills.