Shaykhul Islām Ibn Taymiyyah قدّس الله روحه said:
And the statement of Allah, the Most-High:
﴾وَلَا تُفْسِدُوا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ بَعْدَ إِصْلَـٰحِهَا﴿
“And do not do mischief on the earth, after it has been set in order.” [Surah Al-A’raf: 56]
Most of the (Qur’an) exegetes said: Do not cause mischief there with sins. And the one who calls to other than the obedience of Allah after Allah has set it to order by sending messengers and explaining the Sharee’ah and calling to the obedience of Allah is a mischief maker; because worshipping other than Allah, calling to other than Him and associating partners with him is the greatest mischief on the earth, in fact causing mischief on the earth in its reality is associating partners with Allah and opposing His commandments.
Allah the Most-High said:
﴾ظَهَرَ ٱلْفَسَادُ فِى ٱلْبَرِّ وَٱلْبَحْرِ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ أَيْدِى ٱلنَّاسِ﴿
“Evil (sins and disobedience of Allah, etc.) has appeared on land and sea because of what the hands of men have earned (by oppression and evil deeds, etc.).” [Rūm:41]
Ibn ‘Atiyyah said regarding the verse:
“Do not commit sin on the land lest Allah stops the rain and destroys the crops due to your sins.”
More than one of the salaf said: “When there is drought, the animals curse the sinners among the children of Adam; they would say: ‘Curse them, O Allah. It was because of them that the earth was infertile and it is not raining.’”
Summarily, associating partners with Allah, calling upon other than Allah, bringing other things to be worshipped other than Allah or other things to be obeyed or to be followed other than the Messenger ﷺ, is the greatest mischief on the land. There is no rectitude for it and its inhabitants except that only Allah is worshiped, all supplications are (directed) to Him alone and none other than Him.
And all obedience and following should be for the Messenger ﷺ, and it is only compulsory to obey other than him if he commands with obedience to the Messenger ﷺ, but if he commands with his disobedience, it should not be heard and it should not be obeyed.
As Allah has put the earth in order by His Messenger ﷺ, His religion, His command with Tawheed and prohibition of causing mischief on it by associating partners with Him and opposing His Messenger ﷺ.
Whoever looks at the situations of the world carefully would see that all of the goodness in the world is due to taking Allah as one, worshipping Him and obeying His Messenger ﷺ. And all evil, tribulations, disasters, droughts, enemies’ subjugation and other than that in the world is due to opposing the Messenger ﷺ and calling to other than Allah.
Whoever looks at these carefully would see it like this within himself and in other than himself, generally and specifically. There is no power nor strength except by Allah.
Majmū’ Al-Fatāwa (15/24-25)
Translated by Abū Muḥsinah Mubārak
