Be A Good Example

Sh Muhammad Al-Ghazali [d.1996] said:

إن انتشار الكفر في العالم يحمل نصف أوزاره متدينون بغضوا الله إلى خلقه بسوء صنيعهم وسوء كلامهم
“As for the disbelief that exists in the world today, half of the blame (responsibility & sin) of that falls on the shoulders of religious people who make religion look ugly due to their bad conduct and grotesque speech.”

End quote.

We are the ambassadors of our nation and our religion.

People of other faiths don’t read Quran and Sunnah – they read us.

The reason why entire tribes and nations entered into Islam in the past is because they saw good conduct from our forefathers.

But when they see bad conduct from the Muslims: crime, drugs, lying, cheating, swearing, throwing litter on the floor etc. it makes them flee further from the truth.

They think: if their religion was any good, it would have reflected in their behaviour.

So, WE become a ‘fitnah’ for them, WE become a means of their misguidance.

The Qur’an states:
رَبَّنَا لَا تَجْعَلْنَا فِتْنَةً لِّلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَاغْفِرْ لَنَا رَبَّنَا ۖ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ
“Our Lord, do not make us a trial (fitnah) for those who disbelieve, and forgive us! Our Lord, you are the Powerful, the Wise!” [60:5].

This also happens even WITHIN the Muslim community:

The Prophet once said about someone who was prolonging the congregational prayer:
يا أيها الناس‏:‏ إن منكم منفرين
“0 people, some of you are scaring people away.”
[“Sahih Muslim”, 466].
https://sunnah.com/muslim:466a