:bism: (In the Name of God, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful)
:sl: (Peace be upon you)
I have talked to various apostates on the Internet; and one of the persistent things I've come across in such situations is that either one or both parents didn't properly inculcate the values of Islam or teach about Islam to these persons. So, yes, culturally Muslim parents have a lot for which they have to answer because they have failed their children.
There have been some apostates on the Internet who have become apostates after coming across harshness from fellow Muslims on the Internet or in real life; instead of fellow Muslims answering some seemingly tough questions about Islam or the Muslim community in a calm and collected manner or addressing the intellectual concern of a fellow Muslim, the ill-mannered and probably insecure Muslim will attack the person for asking the questions as if these questions are not learning opportunities but berating opportunities.
Also, as a side note, I have also seen that some apostates just didn't ever believe but haven't said anything out of not wanting to lose the family or communal support.
To be honest, I have often wished that some Muslims would stop acting in a manner that bespeaks of anxiety as if a question or a negative comment means that Islam must somehow be imperfect. Imperfect are human beings, not God, and not Islam which I'd remind myself and everyone simply means "submission to God" which has been the primordial faith of all the prophets
(peace be upon them all) from the beginning of the existence of Adam :as:
(peace be upon him). So, our duty as a believer is to humble ourselves and submit our will to God. There are no unanswerable questions or comments but sometimes for whatever reason a Muslim may not have sufficient knowledge to answer the query of the questioner; in that case, it is perfectly acceptable to say, "I'm sorry; I don't know the answer to your question, but I hope someone who does will be able to answer your question" or "I don't know the answer to your question, but may I direct you to another resource where I think you may able to find your answer?"
I think sometimes Muslims say by the tongue that they believe Islam is the Truth but entirely fail to show that in action; showing the Truth, however, pivots entirely in action and not in words. This is one of the wisdom of Prophet :saws: (peace and blessings be upon him) saying, “I have only been sent to perfect good moral character.”
Also, because of a very harrowing
hadith I'd read in which it was said (and I'm paraphrasing) that one of the biggest trial for the
ummah in the Last Days would many people leaving Islam, I recommend that everyone surround themselves with good company, the kind of righteous company by which you would be happy to be known. The wisdom of this is also enumerated in what Prophet :saws:
(peace and blessings be upon him) had said: “A good friend and a bad friend are like a perfume-seller and a blacksmith: The perfume-seller might give you some perfume as a gift, or you might buy some from him, or at least you might smell its fragrance. As for the blacksmith, he might singe your clothes, and at the very least you will breathe in the fumes of the furnace.”
In our time, there are two forces battling for human beings' souls all over the world; one is dark and the other is light. I already see this spiritual struggle becoming clearer and clearer with passage of time, though I hope more people are able to perceive it; and I note that all of us are going to feel it too at some point or another whether a person is a believer or unbeliever. Many of the predictions in
hadiths (prophetic traditions) that have been foretold by Prophet :saws:
(peace and blessings be upon him) and other prophets before him
(peace be upon them all) have come true and others will be increasingly coming true as well. It may seem funny for us to think on this matter, but I hope people are aware that the one-eyed
Dajjal (Anti-Christ) without having appeared as himself has long been using the forces of darkness to prepare the world for his appearance and so has continued to pull the wool over the eyes of people since who do not realize that his agenda is to make people forswear belief in Allah. The forces of darkness' biggest tool against believers is both materialism and atheism because both are dead-ends to spiritual awakening if a person does not try to move out of the comfort zone to set out in search for the truth.
That is why I ask everyone to if possible and this applies to me first to ensure that your income is from halal
(permissble) sources and also to engage with
dhikrullah (remembrance of God) as much as possible because that's the only way your
basira (spiritual inner eye) will be open so that you can attain certainty. Remember the
shahada (testimony of faith)says, "
I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger." Make the aim to move from
ilmul yaqeen (certainty based on knowledge) to
ainul yaqeen (certainty based on sight) and
haqqul yaqeen (certainty based on experience; having fully realized the conscious truth); these three stages are mentioned in the Qur'an so that we may strive for them and so make
duas (supplications) that Allah opens this knowledge for you as the sages are indeed right: "Knowledge is power." If you attain any certainty based on the above, you'll be able to safeguard your
iman (faith) even if an atheist or any non-Muslim were to argue and debate with you from a million reasons as to why not to believe because you will
know that the person is talking from conjecture whereas you have certainty. That is why Allah says in the Qur'an (
13:16) to have us ask us of unbelievers, "
Are the blind equal with those who see? Or the depths of darkness equal with light?" However, you yourself have to be able to ask this question on the basis of what you know; and if you yourself do not know, how will you be able to ask such a weighty question?
:wa: (And peace be upon you)