The Ruling on One Who Says: Today's Societies Are in a State of Pre-Islamic Ignorance

Question:
This is also from Sudan, a letter containing some discussion, sent by one of the sisters. She says: Salwa Ahmad Uthman. During my university studies at the University of Khartoum, I got to know a girl who says: All societies today are societies of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance, meaning: disbelievers. She argues as follows:
That these societies rule by other than what Allah has revealed, and Allah the Exalted said: [Al-Ma'idah: 44]. She says: Ibn Abbas's statement regarding this verse was tied to a specific incident, and it is not obligatory to act upon it now in judging the rulers of this time. They judge by other than the law of Allah, meaning: they judge by the taghut. And Allah the Exalted said: [An-Nisa: 60].
She also argues with the saying of Allah the Exalted: [An-Nisa: 65].
Is this statement correct? That anyone who judges by the civil laws existing in his country becomes a disbeliever, exiting the religion of Islam, under all circumstances? And that he has no excuse before Allah?
I hope, O honorable Shaykh! that you will answer this topic, which worries me, with great detail, and give me sufficient evidence to convince any person who holds such a thought. I feel that declaring the entire society as disbelievers is not correct, and I love to guide this friend of mine to the straight path. And it would be wonderful if you could direct me to some books that would benefit me in such a topic? May Allah reward you with good.

Answer:
There is no doubt that this generalization by this girl is not correct. Not all societies are in a state of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance; rather, in them, by the praise of Allah, are people of goodness, knowledge, righteousness, and uprightness. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said in the authentic hadith: .
So the group exists, praise be to Allah, and exists in large numbers in many places. It is not permissible to say: All of them—the societies in the East and the West—are in a state of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance and there is no Islam in them. This is an error and an abomination. Yes, the majority are in a state of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance, the majority and the most are in a state of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance contrary to the Shari'ah, but there exists, by the praise of Allah, a victorious group. There are those who are upon the truth, even if they are not confined to a specific place, but they are, by the praise of Allah, present in many countries and in many lands. Especially, by the praise of Allah, in this era, in the beginning of this century and the end of the last century, the call to Allah has expanded, the callers to Allah have multiplied, and the youth have become active in Islam everywhere, except what Allah wills, in the call to Allah, encouraging good, guiding to good, and caring for the Qur'an and the Sunnah. So this generalization that the girl said is not correct. She must repent to Allah for that and return to Him, and she should fear Allah and watch over Him .
As for the existence of judging by other than the Shari'ah, its sin is upon the one who did that and was pleased with it. As for the one who hated it and was not pleased with it, there is no sin upon him from it. Allah says: [Al-An'am: 164]. So whoever rules by other than the Shari'ah from the states and their helpers, and they are pleased with that, they are the sinful ones. As for the one who was not pleased with this from the subjects, men and women, in any country, he is not held accountable for the action of others, nor is he sinful for the action of others. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: . And this is the meaning of the saying of His Lord: [Al-An'am: 164].
So it is obligatory to be careful in matters and not to issue judgments rashly without insight. There is no doubt that ruling by other than what Allah has revealed is a great abomination and one of the types of disbelief, as Allah explained, and it is from the ruling of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance, as He the Exalted said: [Al-Ma'idah: 50]. And no one has the right to rule by other than what Allah has revealed; rather, this is a great abomination and a heinous crime.
As for it being disbelief that takes one out of the religion, this is the place of detail among the scholars. So whoever does the ruling by other than what Allah has revealed, and he considers it permissible and sees that there is no harm in it, or sees that it is like the ruling of Allah, or sees what is more heinous than that: that the Shari'ah is not suitable for today and that the laws are more suitable and better than it, all of this is major shirk under all three conditions. Whoever claims that the ruling of other than Allah is better than His ruling, or like His ruling, at any time, or that it is permissible to rule by other than what Allah has revealed, even if he says: The Shari'ah is better and more excellent, in these three conditions the one who says that is a disbeliever. And so is the one who believes that, whoever believes that the ruling of other than Allah is permissible, or similar to the ruling of Allah, or better than the ruling of Allah, he is an apostate according to all the people of Islam.
As for the one who did that for one of the purposes, and he knows that he is wrong and that he is a sinner, but he did that for a purpose: for a bribe, or to please a group of people, or for other reasons, and Allah knows from his heart that he disapproves of this and that he sees it as false, and that it is a sin, this does not make him a disbeliever. He becomes a sinner, and he becomes a disbeliever with a disbelief less than disbelief, and an oppressor with an oppression less than oppression, and an open sinner with an open sinfulness less than open sinfulness, as Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him), Mujahid ibn Jabr, and a group of others said, and this is what is known among the scholars. And if one who declared him a disbeliever did so, his intention is a disbelief less than disbelief.
As for the one who believes in the permissibility of the ruling of other than Allah, even if he says: The Shari'ah is better, or says: It is similar to the ruling of Allah, or says: It is better than the ruling of Allah, in these three conditions he is a disbeliever—we ask Allah for safety—as mentioned before.
And I direct you in this to review the tafsir of Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him), Ibn Jarir, al-Baghawi, and others on the verses of Al-Ma'idah: [Al-Ma'idah: 44], [Al-Ma'idah: 45], [Al-Ma'idah: 47], and to review the words of Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) in I'lam al-Muwaqqi'in and in Al-Turuq al-Hukmiyyah, and to review the words of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, the words of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah in his books, in his fatwas and others, and so to review the words of the scholars in the school of al-Shafi'i, al-Maliki, al-Hanafi, and others from the scholars, so that you learn the Shari'ah ruling. And the most appropriate thing in this is: the chapter on the ruling of the apostate, for they explained in it everything, in all four schools of jurisprudence and in other words of the scholars, and they clarified the detail of ruling by other than what Allah has revealed. Perhaps with this and the girl from whom you quoted, perhaps she will find thereby tranquility, and return to the truth and leave the generalization that contradicts the pure Shari'ah. We ask Allah for guidance and success for everyone.

The presenter: O Allah, amen. May Allah reward you with good.