and He has said: ﴿فَهَلْ يَنْتَظِرُونَ إِلَّا مِثْلَ أَيَّامِ الَّذِينَ خَلَوْا مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ﴾[1]; “So do they wait for anything but the like of the days of those who were before them?!” He has also said: ﴿ثُمَّ جَعَلْنَاكُمْ خَلَائِفَ فِي الْأَرْضِ مِنْ بَعْدِهِمْ لِنَنْظُرَ كَيْفَ تَعْمَلُونَ﴾[2]; “Then We made you successors on the Earth after them so that We may see how you would act,” and He has said: ﴿الَّذِي خَلَقَ الْمَوْتَ وَالْحَيَاةَ لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا﴾[3]; “The One Who created death and life to test you as to which of you is most righteous in deed.” Therefore, they must observe the conditions of their forefathers from after the time of the Messenger of Allah until now and take lesson from their heedlessness and errors, which led to the non-establishment of Islam in their time, so that through this method, they may establish it, which has not yet had the opportunity to be established, and return to it after a prolonged period; as Allah has commanded this, saying: ﴿قُلْ سِيرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ فَانْظُرُوا كَيْفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلُ﴾[4]; “Say: ‘Travel through the Earth, then see how the end of those who came before was,’” and: ﴿أَفَلَمْ يَسِيرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ فَيَنْظُرُوا كَيْفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ﴾[5]; “So did they not travel through the Earth so that they may see how the end of those who came before them was?!”—despite those who, out of foolishness and imperiousness, regard observing the conditions of past people as inappropriate, considering it a cause of disrespect to the predecessors and misguidance for Muslims, so that with this guile, they may prevent them from knowing the truth and keep them in illusion and ignorance, all the while hypocritically showing themselves as their well-wishers; like those about whom Allah Almighty has said: ﴿بَلْ زُيِّنَ لِلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مَكْرُهُمْ وَصُدُّوا عَنِ السَّبِيلِ ۗ وَمَنْ يُضْلِلِ اللَّهُ فَمَا لَهُ مِنْ هَادٍ﴾[6]; “Rather, to those who disbelieved, their guile was made fair-seeming, and they were turned away from the path. And whomever Allah leads astray, there will be no guide for him,” and He has said: ﴿وَإِنَّهُمْ لَيَصُدُّونَهُمْ عَنِ السَّبِيلِ وَيَحْسَبُونَ أَنَّهُمْ مُهْتَدُونَ﴾[7]; “And undoubtedly, they surely turn them away from the path, while they think that they are guided.”