Will today’s believers also decline one day like earlier communities?

Only God is eternal, and everything created passes away in the end, a community included. But just as a well kept house lasts much longer, believers can delay decline for a very long time through constant renewal.

In their daily prayer Muslims ask not to follow the path of earlier communities that went astray. Some therefore worry whether decline awaits them too in the end. An honest answer begins with a simple truth. Only God is eternal. Everything that comes into being passes away one day, whether a nation, a culture or a religious community.

History confirms this. No one can raise his followers above the rank of the Companions of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw), and yet even their descendants declined over time. The Holy Qur’an indicates that many of the very best come from the early generations and fewer from the later ones. Whoever sees this will not become arrogant.

But none of this leads to despair. Think of two neighbours living in houses built exactly alike. One makes a repair the moment a single drop of rain seeps through the roof. The other lets everything go. The careless man’s house falls into ruin within a few years, while the careful man’s house may last a hundred years. It is the same with clothes, shoes or a bicycle. Everything depends on how they are cared for.

The same is true of a community of believers. Decline cannot be prevented forever, but it can be held off for a long time. This happens through constant renewal, through watchfulness, and by learning from history where earlier communities stumbled. The aim is not only a long life but a healthy and meaningful one.

For Muslims there is a special responsibility as well. Islam understands itself as the final religion for all of humanity. That is why Muslims should guard their faith with particular care, not only for their own sake but for the sake of all people.