Ibn al-Qayyim said:
“Among the signs of happiness and success is that whenever a servant increases in knowledge, he increases in humility and mercy; whenever he increases in good deeds, he increases in fear and caution; whenever he increases in age, his eagerness for worldly things decreases; whenever he increases in wealth, he increases in generosity and giving; and whenever he increases in status and prestige, he increases in closeness to the people, fulfilling their needs, and showing humility toward them.”
[Al-Fawā’id, p. 155]
Umar ibn Khattab رضي الله عنه said
“I am not worried about whether my dua will be responded to, but rather I am worried about whether I will be able to make dua or not.
So if I have been guided to make dua, then I know that the response will come with it.”
(Al-Awayishah p. 117)
I remember the German Interior Minister traveling to Qatar during the World Cup to support gay rights. Could she now travel to Gaza to stand with children for their right to drink water?
Some likely consequences of sustained low birth rates, off the top of my head:
- massive reduction or extinction of certain ethnic groups or nationalities
- mass immigration completely altering societies and nations
- decline in mental health, optimism, and future planning due to lack of children in society
- increased risk of heavy handed policies and state intervention
- collapse of pension systems
- collapse of socialised healthcare systems
- collapse of economies and sectors reliant on population growth
- weaker national security due to lack of potential recruits.
- greater risk of conscription
There are more.
Shaykh Abdus Salaam As Suhaymi حفظه الله
"It is better for you to be disliked by people while you clarify the truth to them than to be loved by them while you beautify falsehood for them."
Imām Ibn al-Qayyim رحمه الله said:
“The pillars of disbelief (kufr) are four:
arrogance, anger, desire, & envy.
Arrogance prevents submission, envy prevents accepting advice & offering it, anger prevents justice, & desires prevent devotion to worship.”
📖 [Al-Fawā’id, p. 157]
Mālik ibn Dinār (رحمه الله) said:
"Since I have learned (the reality of) people, I don’t care who praises or criticises me; as they’ll be excessive in both."
[az-Zuhd of al-Bayhaqī]