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The question

What is the view regarding the mindset of young people who believe that exposure to Western civilization takes precedence over knowledge of their own civilization and values, under the pretext of "whoever learns the culture of a people is safe from their cunning," and what is the advice for them?

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Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 20261 min readAlso available in العربية
The answer

This view is mistaken and dangerous, stemming from admiration for the West, and it is a result of the intellectual invasion that has affected the weak-spirited due to their lack of fortification with Islamic culture. How can a Muslim prioritize learning about Western civilization over their own culture and creed? This is a danger that leads to abandoning the religion and admiring enemies. The order of seeking knowledge for a Muslim begins with understanding the creed, then individual obligations (fard al-ayn), then communal obligations (fard al-kifaya), and then other forms of knowledge. There is no impediment to a Muslim learning about Western culture and benefiting from it, as long as it does not dominate their thinking, for wisdom is the lost property of the believer. The early Muslims benefited from other civilizations without compromising their creed.

Summary from Ftawy's records · added here

Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.

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Where this answer came from
Source platform
Ftawy
Original fatwa ID
56767
Added here
. This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
Text
Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full ruling
Read the full answer on Ftawy