Allāh, Exalted be He, Says: (what means): "There has come to you from Allāh a light and a clear Book [i.e., the Quran]. By which Allāh guides those who pursue His pleasure to the ways of peace and brings them out from darknesses into the light, by His permission, and guides them to a straight path." (Quran 5:15-16)

Indeed, humanity's need for religion in general, and for Islam in particular, is not a secondary or marginal need; it is a fundamental and inherent need.

1. Because Islam is the religion that Allāh has chosen for all humankind. It is the religion with which He sent all messengers: Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad. All of them came with one religion, which is the religion of Islam – the religion based on the Oneness of Allāh (Tawhid), worshipping Him alone, and not associating partners with Him. The foundation of this religion is the declaration "La ilaha illa Allāh" (There is no god but Allāh).

The Messengers, peace and blessings be upon them, are intermediaries between Allāh the Almighty and His creation in conveying His commands and prohibitions. They are ambassadors between Him and His servants. The seal, master, and most honored of them by his Lord was Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him and all of them. Allāh sent him as a mercy to all worlds, an argument for those who tread the path, and a proof against all creation.

2. The Path to Happiness: Imam Ibn al-Qayyim says in his book "Zad al-Ma’ad fi Huda Khair al-Abbad" “Provisions of the Hereafter”: “There is no way to happiness and success, neither in this world nor in the Hereafter, except through the Messengers. There is no way to know good2 from evil in detail except through them. The pleasure of Allāh cannot be attained at all except through them. Good deeds, words, and morals are only found in their guidance and what they brought. Thus, the need for them is greater than the body's need for its soul, the eye for its light, or the soul for its life”.

3. Because without religion, a person remains anxious in soul, starved in spirit, and thirsty in their innate nature (Fitra). They feel emptiness and deficiency until they find faith in Allāh. Then, they find reassurance after anxiety, tranquility after turmoil, security after fear, and feel they have found themselves.

4. Humanity's need for religion stems, above all, from the need to know the reality of oneself and the great truths of existence. The first and greatest of these truths is the existence of Allāh Almighty, His Oneness, and His perfection, Glorified is He. By knowing Him and believing in Him – Majestic is His affair – the purpose and direction become clear to humanity, and the methodology and path are defined.

Faith as Support in Adversity

5. Because a person needs a strong pillar to resort to and a firm support to rely on when calamities strike and disasters befall them; when they lose what they love, face what they dislike, are disappointed in what they hope for, or encounter what they fear. Here comes the role of faith in Allāh, granting strength in weakness, hope in times of despair, reliance in moments of fear, and patience in adversity, hardship, and times of peril.

Psychological and Spiritual Benefits of Faith

6. Faith in Allāh, His justice, His mercy, and in the compensation and reward with Him in the Abode of Eternity, grants a person psychological health and spiritual strength. Joy spreads through their being, optimism overwhelms their soul, the scope of existence expands in their eyes, and they view life through a bright lens. It makes light for them what they encounter and endure in this short, transient life. They find solace, hope, and tranquility that no knowledge, philosophy, wealth, children, nor dominion of the East and West can replace or suffice for.

Religion Answers Life’s Big Questions

7. And because religion is what provides humanity with comprehensive answers to the major questions: Why were they created? Why were they honored and favored? It informs them of the purpose of their existence and their mission within it. They were not created in vain, nor left without purpose. They were created to cultivate the Earth as Allah commanded, to cultivate it as Allāh commanded, and to utilize it for what Allāh loves; to uncover its treasures and eat of its good things, without transgressing the rights of others or forgetting the rights of their Lord.

The first of their Lord's rights upon them is to worship Him alone, associating nothing with Him, and to worship Him according to what He legislated through His messengers, whom He sent as guides, teachers, bringers of glad tidings, and warners. If one fulfills their mission in this abode of responsibility and trial, they will find their reward there in the Hereafter: "(The Day) when every soul will find what it has done of good present (before it)." (Quran 3:30)

The Role of Worship and Obedience

8. Therefore, Imam Ibn Taymiyyah states in his book "Majmu' al-Fatawa" (The Collection of Fatwas): “ the mission of the beloved Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, had astounding results. He transferred humanity from a woeful state to the best of states, brought them out of darkness into light, from misguidance to guidance, and from confusion and bewilderment to security and tranquility.

Thus, people's need for the Messenger is not like their need for the sun, moon, wind, and rain, nor like the body's need for food and drink. Rather, it is greater than that and more pressing than anything imaginable. For without Islam, they lose both this world and the Hereafter, whereas without food, they lose only this world. The religion of Islam is life, light, guidance, healing, happiness, security, triumph, success, and salvation.

Allāh, Exalted be He, Says: (what means): "And is one who was dead and We gave him life and made for him light by which to walk among the people like one who is in darkness, never to emerge therefrom? Thus it has been made pleasing to the disbelievers that which they were doing." (Quran 6:122)