What is the ruling on working to revive Islamic life, and how to know the best path?

Al-Halabi : He saysThe questioner : What is the ruling of the Shari'ah regarding working to revive Islamic life, and knowing the best path to achieve this, given that there are hadiths which some people understand to mean refraining from this work, namely the hadiths of al-Mahdi? What is your opinion on this?

The Shaykh : We have written more than once about the hadiths of al-Mahdi (peace be upon him) and the positions of the scholars of this era. They differ on this matter to the greatest extent. As for the scholars who still hold fast to what is established by the evidence from the Book and the authentic Sunnah, they still believe, and praise be to Allah, that the emergence of al-Mahdi is a truth without doubt. However, it is necessary to remind you on this occasion that there is another person who must also emerge and will meet al-Mahdi, and that is 'Isa (peace and blessings be upon him). The hadiths of 'Isa (peace be upon him) are stronger than the hadiths of al-Mahdi. Although the hadiths of both men meet in terms of authenticity, the hadiths of 'Isa (peace be upon him) are more authentic than the hadiths of al-Mahdi, as is clear to the people of hadith knowledge. This is because it is agreed upon by the people of hadith that the hadiths of 'Isa are mutawatir (mass-transmitted) and have reached the level of certain knowledge. Regarding the hadiths of al-Mahdi (peace and blessings be upon him), there is disagreement among some scholars as to whether they have reached this level or not. I am not concerned with reaching this level, although I lean toward the view that the hadiths of al-Mahdi have also reached this level. But it is sufficient for the Muslim to know that the hadiths of al-Mahdi are authentic, and that the scholars of the Muslims have inherited, generation after generation, the belief in the emergence of al-Mahdi and the descent of 'Isa (peace be upon them both). I say this because the question mentioned al-Mahdi, whereas it would have been better to mention 'Isa, because the hadiths of 'Isa are stronger. Therefore, this question opened the door for me to address the hadiths of 'Isa (peace and blessings be upon him). We said that this belief is a truth without doubt. Some scholars in the present era, who do not care about the studies of previous scholars, whether those related to authenticating hadiths or those related to authenticating beliefs based on hadiths, many of the scholars of the present era deny the emergence of al-Mahdi. Some of them went so far as to also deny the descent of 'Isa (peace be upon him). I do not want to go into detail on this issue except to the extent necessary to answer this question. Many of the contemporary reformers found that the general Muslim public rely on Islamic work, or more clearly, on abandoning work for Islam, saying that there is no benefit in working except when al-Mahdi emerges or 'Isa (peace be upon him) descends. This is what many people believe, and they have reached a level of despair that is not permissible for a Muslim to fall into, because in the Noble Qur'an. When some reformers found this despair dominating the Muslim masses, they thought that the cause of this despair was their belief in the descent of 'Isa and the emergence of al-Mahdi. They assumed that reform would come by denying these two correct beliefs, saying to people, "People, work! The belief in 'Isa (peace be upon him) is not established by certainty, and they are most wrong. Work, for the emergence of al-Mahdi is a Shi'ite belief and it is not correct. They are also wrong in that." So we have said repeatedly and written something of this meaning in some works: We said that reform will not be achieved by this method and this methodology of denying authentic hadiths and the beliefs built upon them, because continuing on this path will lead its followers to the past Kharijism. This is because the Kharijites denied what is more dangerous than the belief in 'Isa (peace be upon him) and al-Mahdi. What did they deny? They denied divine decree (qadar) and said there is no qadar, even though qadar is established in the Book and the Sunnah, and it is a belief, as you all know, . The Kharijites said there is no qadar. So if we study what led the Kharijites, who are naturally not disbelievers and not apostates from the religion of Islam; all we can say about them is that they are misguided Muslims, because they denied legal truths, including their denial of divine decree. But if we study the secret of their denial of divine decree, we find it similar to the denial by some of the contemporary reformers today of the belief in the emergence of al-Mahdi and the descent of 'Isa (peace be upon him). How? They found that many Muslims understood from the belief in qadar that it means compulsion (jabr) and that man is not given a choice in his obedience to Allah or his disobedience to Him. And they undoubtedly found texts in the Book and the Sunnah, and that is the requirement of sound, healthy reason, that compulsion and obligation do not coexist in a person; they are two opposites that do not coexist. The Kharijites looked and said, "If the meaning of qadar is compulsion, then it is not possible for our Lord, Mighty and Majestic, to compel a person to commit sins and then punish him. If so, this belief is a false belief." We agree with the Kharijites in their statement that compulsion is a false belief, just as we agree with those reformers that relying on the emergence of al-Mahdi and the descent of 'Isa and not working for Islam is also a false belief. But we do not agree with either these or those Kharijites in what they denied of correct beliefs, some of which are established in the Book and the Sunnah, and some by authentic, mass-transmitted hadiths. The Kharijites interpreted the verses that mention qadar, and they also interpreted the hadiths, and even denied some of them when they could not interpret them, so they fell into the denial of divine decree, which is established in the Qur'an and the Sunnah, as we mentioned. So we say to the Kharijites, as we say to these reformers today, "This is not how, O Sa'd, you drive the camels." This is not how, people, reform is achieved. Reform is not achieved by denying legal truths, but by teaching Muslims the correct understanding of those texts, whether they are based on establishing qadar or on establishing the descent of 'Isa and the emergence of al-Mahdi (peace be upon them both). So we say that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stayed among his people for twenty-three years, calling them day and night, until he was able to lay the foundation for the Islamic Caliphate in the Blessed City of Madinah. So it is upon us, Muslims, not to wait for what we have been promised of the coming of al-Mahdi or 'Isa. We must work, because the reality is that we feel completely that there are groups of Muslims scattered throughout the Islamic world. They are waiting for a leader who will take them by the hand and fight the enemies of Islam with them in every time and place. They lack this reforming leader. But imagine with me now if this promised one, al-Mahdi or 'Isa, came and started to reform the Muslims, as the scattered reformers do today in the Islamic world. How long would he remain in his work of reform? His life would be spent, unless he had a life like the life of Noah (peace be upon him), and we have not been promised that. His life would be spent in reforming the Muslims, teaching them the correct Islam, and getting them to work with the correct Islam. Today, for example, we know with certainty that one of the plagues of the Islamic world is being engrossed in this worldly life, and one of the effects of this engrossment is making lawful what Allah, Mighty and Majestic, has forbidden, such as riba (usury or interest) through the slightest of tricks, let alone other forbidden things. Can these people, if al-Mahdi emerges or 'Isa (peace be upon him) descends, be used to fight the disbelievers, or can the disbelievers be fought with them? The answer is no. So it is upon all Muslims in all lands of Islam to work with an understanding of Islam, first, a correct understanding, and to apply it in themselves, their families, and their children, second, so that when al-Mahdi comes or 'Isa descends, he finds the people in no need of reform. How much this long time has corrupted things...