If you would like to see the strength of Islam amongst people "

Ibn Taymiyyah rahimahullah said " If you would like to see the strength of Islam amongst people then do not look at the masses overcrowding at the gates of the grand mosques, nor their cries of Labbayk at ‘Arafa. But look at their intermingle with the enemies of the Sharia.Ibn al-Rawandi and al-Ma’ri lived amongst the Muslims writing many poems and literature – may Allah curse them both. Ibn al-Rawandi would say: Ahadeeth are old-wives’ tales, and al-Ma’ri would refer to the Quran as falsehood. Yet, they lived for years. Their graves were honoured and their works sold well. This shows coldness of the hearts towards the religion -

al-Adab al-Shar'iya by Ibn Muflih 1/309)

This is originally stated by Ibn 'Aqil al-Hanbali, and repeated by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyya:


وَقَالَ أَيْضًا : إذَا أَرَدْت أَنْ تَعْلَمَ مَحَلَّ الْإِسْلَامِ مِنْ أَهْلِ الزَّمَانِ فَلَا تَنْظُرْ إلَى زِحَامِهِمْ فِي أَبْوَابِ الْجَوَامِعِ ، وَلَا ضَجِيجِهِمْ فِي الْمَوْقِفِ بِلَبَّيْكَ ، وَإِنَّمَا اُنْظُرْ إلَى مُوَاطَأَتِهِمْ أَعْدَاءَ الشَّرِيعَةِ ، عَاشَ ابْنُ الرَّاوَنْدِيِّ وَالْمَعَرِّيُّ عَلَيْهِمَا لَعَائِنُ اللَّهِ يَنْظِمُونَ وَيَنْثِرُونَ ، هَذَا يَقُولُ : حَدِيثُ خُرَافَةَ وَالْمَعَرِّيُّ يَقُولُ : تَلَوْا بَاطِلًا وَجَلَوْا صَارِمًا وَقَالُوا صَدَقْنَا فَقُلْنَا نَعَمْ يَعْنِي بِالْبَاطِلِ كِتَابَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَعَاشُوا سِنِينَ وَعُظِّمَتْ قُبُورُهُمْ وَاشْتُرِيَتْ تَصَانِيفُهُمْ ، وَهَذَا يَدُلُّ عَلَى بُرُودَةِ الدِّينِ فِي الْقَلْبِ وَهَذَا الْمَعْنَى قَالَهُ الشَّيْخُ تَقِيُّ الدِّينِ بْنُ تَيْمِيَّةَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى