The Prophet (PBUH) said,
“There will come upon the people a time when holding onto the religion will be like holding onto hot coal.”
For Muslims in the modern age — in almost every country and culture — there are innumerable obstacles and temptations.
The world around us seduces us with almost everything that is prohibited in our deen, and following the rules of Islam can feel like a constant, uphill battle.
One might think that the biggest influence that pulls Muslims away from their deen is non-Muslims.
However, for many Muslims, the enemy is within; it is their own brothers and sisters in faith who make them question their beliefs and compromise their values.
In many cases, younger or less experienced Muslims will turn to their elders for advice, trusting that the elders have both knowledge and their best interests at heart.
Unfortunately, many Muslims (no matter their age) lack a correct understanding of their deen. Some are negatively influenced by cultural norms that are un-Islamic.
Other times, they have very weak imaan (faith) themselves and are in no position to give advice to others. Sadly, sometimes they are even motivated by jealousy or pettiness.
They know that they are sinning and wish to draw others into sin with them. Some people with tainted hearts cannot bear to see someone with a pure heart, and they strive to misguide that person.
If you are a Muslim who is struggling with your practice of Islam, be very careful whom you turn to for advice.
Also, do not place too much value on a Muslim’s opinion, unless that person is known to be firm in their Islamic knowledge and pure of heart.
Just because someone is older, outspoken and opinionated, or a born-Muslim does not mean that they are knowledgeable or pious.
Once they start expressing opinions that are contrary to Islam, you should know that pleasing Allah is not their first priority.
If you are the kind of person who gives others advice that contradicts Islam, you should think deeply about the ramifications of your choice.
Of course, it is our free will to disobey Allah. Whether we choose to submit or rebel, all of us will find our hands, mouths, eyes, and ears testifying to our actions on the Day of Judgement.
It will be hard enough to answer for our own misdeeds. But what if we also misguided a pure soul who trusted us for advice?
Would any of us like to be responsible for a sister removing her hijab, or a family buying a house with haram funding, or a teen-aged girl committing zina?
What if all those sins — and the sins that branch off from those sins, multiplying and intensifying– end up on our scale of bad deeds on the Day of Judgement?
We must not let our arrogance, ignorance, recklessness, or stubbornness affect another person.
It is far better to remain silent than to give advice when one does not have a thorough understanding of Islam and pure intentions.
Therefore, we must think very carefully before we advise others.
We must purify our own heart so that we do not corrupt the hearts of others.
May Allah SWT keep us all firm in our beliefs and humble in our words and actions. Ameen.
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This article is from our archive, originally published on an earlier date and highlighted here for its importance.
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