Man cannot, under any circumstances, live without religion.
Just as man is social by nature and cannot live alone and be isolated from society, he is also innately devout and cannot live properly without religion. Religiousness is a natural instinct in man.
The clearest proof of this is that man flees to Allah Almighty when facing difficulties and hard times. Allah says: }And when they embark on a ship, they invoke Allâh, making their Faith pure for Him only, but when He brings them safely to land, behold, they give a share of their worship to others{(Al-’Ankabût: 65)
Just like a person who manufactures a machine knows best about how it works and about its maintenance, the Creator likewise knows best about His creation and their needs: }Should not He Who has created know? And He is the Most Kind and Courteous (to His slaves) All-Aware (of everything).{(Al-Mulk:14)
Due to the fact that the Creator is Compassionate All-forgiving and All-Generous, He prescribed for people religion, so that their souls would flourish and their lives would be set right. Allah says: }O you who believe! Answer Allâh (by obeying Him) and (His) Messenger when he (pbuh) calls you to that which will give you life.{(Al-Anfâl:24)
This is why even those who go against their natural instinct and deny Allah, know within their souls that they are liars and are ungrateful. Allah says: }And they belied them (those Ayât) wrongfully and arrogantly, though their ownselves were convinced thereof [i.e. those (Ayât) are from Allâh, and Mûsa (Moses) is the Messenger of Allâh in truth, but they disliked to obey Mûsa (Moses), and hated to believe in his Message of Monotheism]. So see what was the end of the Mufsidûn (disbelievers, disobedient to Allâh, evil-doers, liars.).{(An-Naml:14)
This is clearly seen during difficulties and hard times. Allah says: }40. Say (O Muhammad pbuh): “Tell me if Allâh’s Torment comes upon you, or the Hour comes upon you, would you then call upon anyone other than Allâh? (Reply) if you are truthful!” 41. Nay! To Him Alone you call, and, if He will, He would remove that (distress) for which you call upon Him, and you forget at that time whatever partners you joined with Him (in worship)!{(Al-An’âm:40-41)
He also says: }And when some hurt touches man, he cries to his Lord (Allâh Alone), turning to Him in repentance, but when He bestows a favour upon him from Himself, he forgets that for which he cried for before, and he sets up rivals to Allâh, in order to mislead others from His Path. Say: “Take pleasure in your disbelief for a while: surely, you are (one) of the dwellers of the Fire!{(Az-Zumar:8)
For that reason, all humans have been created with a natural instinct placed inside them by Allah, which is the desire to want to worship a god in whose hands all power lies, Who does whatever He wishes and ordains what He wishes.Allah says: }And if Allâh touches you with harm, none can remove it but He, and if He touches you with good, then He is Able to do all things.{(Al-An’âm:17)
He also says: }Whatever of mercy (i.e. of good) Allâh may grant to mankind, none can withhold it, and whatever He may withhold, none can grant it thereafter.{(Fâtir:2)
Man has two powers: the power of knowledge, and that of will; and the more effort he exerts to achieve them, the closer he becomes to reaching the goal he desires. Such is the case with happiness. As for the first, i.e. the strength of knowledge; the highness of his degree of servitude to Allah, as well as the degree of his status, his happiness in this world, not to mention the Afterlife, all depend on the extent he knows Allah, His names and attributes, what he should and should not do, and his behavior and the personal code of ethics he adopts. This is also affected by whether he takes the path of those who are close to Allah and the lofty path of those who tread the route that leads to Allah, and if he possesses knowledge of the human soul with its diseases and impurities, and knows how to overcome them, its enemies and all that comes between it and its Lord. One needs to know how to lift the soul high and purify it with godly ethics in a manner that elevates it to the level of exalted souls, makes it attain a firmness of purpose and keeps it away from nonsensical materialistic issues and the filth of desires and suspicions. The more one does this the higher ones level of worship and ones place (with Allah) will be, even the level of his happiness in this life, and of course his final position in the Afterlife, will be higher.
Moreover, this power of knowledge is the benefactor and the provider of willpower, surrounding him with guidance, as well as making him steadfastness and righteousness. Allah says: }O you who believe! Answer Allâh (by obeying Him) and (His) Messenger when he (pbuh) calls you to that which will give you life.{(Al-Anfâl:24)
And here we have the doctrines of atheism imposing severe bankruptcy as far as granting comfort to the body is concerned, let alone satisfying the soul. These doctrines fail to provide true happiness to the human being, no matter how much they inspire one another with adorned speech so as to delude others.
To who then should man resort in case of disasters and calamities?! It only makes sense that he resorts to a strong support. He turns to Allah Almighty; where there is strength and hope, belief, patience, and a beneficial trust. Therefore, we should entrust Him with all our affairs. Allah says: }Those who believe (in the Oneness of Allâh - Islâmic Monotheism), and whose hearts find rest in the remembrance of Allâh, Verily, in the remembrance of Allâh do hearts find rest{(Ar-Ra’d:28)
Even if one is battered by the winds of injustice and tastes its bitterness, he is sure that the universe has a Lord, who lends support to the oppressed, even if it comes after some time, and that the Day of Judgment is drawing near, when each person will be recompensed for all his deeds, good or bad. As for the doers of good deeds they will be rewarded, and the doers of bad ones they will be punished, so his heart is filled with confidence and certainity in Allah. Allah says the following about such people: }Is then one who follows (seeks) the good Pleasure of Allâh (by not taking illegally a part of the booty) like the one who draws on himself the Wrath of Allâh (by taking a part of the booty illegally - Ghulul)? - his abode is Hell, - and worst indeed is that destination!{(Âl-’Imrân:162)
In contrast to what is mentioned above, whoever has lost the knowledge of Allah and faith in Him, has lost all power. He loses all comfort, reassurance and happiness, and lives amidst the folds of worry and sorrow, since there is no certainty or internal stability in his soul. The entire life of this kind of person is built around pleasures and desires, materialism and wealth. He does not know the goal of his existence, nor does he know the aim of his life. Rather, he rambles through his daily life aimlessly, looking for happiness, as a follower of desires, until he relapses and falls back to the level of the beasts and even worse. Allah Almighty says the following about this kind of person: }Or do you think that most of them hear or understand? They are only like cattle; nay, they are even farther astray from the Path. (i.e. even worst than cattle).{(Al-Furqân:44)
If hit by a calamity, he falls an easy prey to spiritual destruction and internal anxiety: }But whosoever turns away from My Reminder (i.e. neither believes in this Qur’ân nor acts on its orders, etc.) verily, for him is a life of hardship, and We shall raise him up blind on the Day of Resurrection.{(Tâ-¬Hâ:124)
What a distinction there is between those who know their Lord, realize His Greatness, know what is due to Him, care to please Him, follow what is prescribed by Him, refrain from His prohibitions, and know that he is in urgent and everlasting need of his Lord in all affairs, however small or big, little or great, at all times and periods, and those who don’t. The most Exalted says: }O mankind! It is you who stand in need of Allâh, but Allâh is Rich (Free of all wants and needs), Worthy of all praise.{(Fâtir:15)
The other is thrown by suspicions and fantasies into the deep darkness of misery and the gloominess of unhappiness, where he wanders blindly here and there, his heart filled with skepticism and confusion. Whenever he tries to grope for happiness, he finds one mirage after another, even if he achieves all the pleasures of this world coupled with all of its desires, and holds the highest and loftiest of positions. For whoever loses Allah, What does he find?! And whoever finds Allah, what does he lose?!
Download : Man's need for religion -
The Path to Happiness Does man need religion? - Book path-2-happiness
