One of the greatest afflictions upon the ummah today is amazement with the technological developments of the past few centuries. The claim to moral superiority of the kuffar depends on belief in the inherent value of their technology. Thus, to maintain a position of political dominance, they must cultivate the idea that improvements in certain metrics like nutrition and the incidence of infectious diseases represent moral advancement.

Individualism is core to this deception. Modern technology was developed with unimaginable quantities of theft, murder, and injustice, but since this was done by their ancestors, we are meant to excuse the tribes and nations that committed these crimes. That is, it was their cruel ancestors that secured wealth and power for them, and now that peace and civility are mandated by law (ensuring no one can take power from them) they accept tribal inheritance while denying tribal debts.

Furthermore, the technology itself causes a lot of ecological and social problems, amassing a large ecological “debt” that has to be paid at some point in the future when synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, antibiotics, and economic inequality finally explode into famine, plague and war. The idea that this inevitable reckoning is avoidable allows them to continue their spreading of corruption for a little bit longer, by offering false promises that there can be an escape from Allah’s judgment.

For example, I once spoke with a practicing Christian in Germany on this topic. He told me that he understands very well that the actions of the West will cause a huge amount of destruction and suffering on the earth in the future. But he told me that he expected that he would die before the problems got really bad, so it wouldn’t be his problem.

They believe that Jesus died for their sins, so they think that everything will be forgiven, and they can destroy the earth for their own enjoyment and escape the consequences for it by dying. This is the doctrine of “salvation by faith alone.” This principle emphasizes belief, while de-emphasizing actions. This is not the logic of every Christian individual, but it is the logic of their civilization.

By contrast, in the Quran, Allah, subhanahu wa t’ala, repeatedly describes those who are rightly guides as “those who believe and work righteousness.” A balance exists between faith and actions, and it is understood that we will be held accountable for all of our actions. It’s horrific to see Muslims trading the religion of Allah for the evil lie that salvation and morality can be found in technology, which is a notion originating from Christian beliefs. It’s sad in particular to see the Gulf Arabs believing that technology can be a source of honor, when in reality they are simply humiliating themselves.

It is humiliation, because they are ridiculed by the entire world for squandering their wealth. It is humiliation because in many cases, Western contractors working in the Gulf deceive the Arabs into overpaying for technology, or to purchase technology they don’t really need. And most of all, it is humiliation because they are not able to independently manufacture, maintain or operate the technology, which forces them into a cycle of ever deeper dependence on Judeo-Christian civilization.

عَنْ طَارِقِ بْنِ شِهَابٍ قَالَ عُمَرُ بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ رضي الله عنه إِنَّا كُنَّا أَذَلَّ قَوْمٍ فَأَعَزَّنَا اللَّهُ بِالْإِسْلَامِ فَمَهْمَا نَطْلُبُ الْعِزَّةَ بِغَيْرِ مَا أَعَزَّنَا اللَّهُ بِهِ أَذَلَّنَا اللَّهُ

Tariq ibn Shihab reported that Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “Verily, we were a disgraceful people and Allah honored us with Islam. If we seek honor from anything besides that with which Allah honored us, Allah will disgrace us.”

Al-Mustadrak, 214

Anyone from among the Muslims who thinks they can achieve honor from something other than Islam will be bitterly disappointed in this life and the akhira. This is why it is so important to dispel this illusion. There may be some who willfully accept this deception in order to enjoy the dunya for a time, but it seems a large number of sincere Muslims are also duped by this deception, which is why it deserves more attention.