:wasalam: Eric.
The post is for you as I tend sometime to go offtopic.
Thank you for your wise and kind words!
Good perspectives in your posts mashaAllah.
That would be the right attitude. Allah knows best with no relative comparison to us. We are often weak in human knowledge, mercy, judgement and compassion.
Of course we should know people around us and be awere of their faults if they are well open, well known, chose our priorities and company well and not propagate sins (and less productive habits), but we as muslims should always be at the side of mercy, compassion, kindness and without pride. We should be grateful to Allah that he saved us from apparent sins. Only Allah knows our status in full vastness and true reality.
Of course, islamically good belivers are often described in primary and secundary sources (like books of tasawwuf, tazakiya...) and there are effects of good deeds and sins that can be noticed as well as character traits/ahlaq (thought in addition to islamic sources also during our upbringing and learning pedagogy, psychology, sociology or psychiatry etc.) but everything can, change...
Maybe a worst sinner can become better than a best beliver if he changes in his belives and deeds and stays so.
Maybe one sincere repentence/tawba/istigfar is enough so that the sins will be erased and even changed to good deeds.
It is possible, and we have the primary sources as most important guidelines and mercy and if we want to be good and put efforts it will be good inshaAllah.
Consistency is the key.
Often it is noticed that more kindness, mercy, compassion etc. is needed in nowdays world, often with muslims too. Talk is often needed and learning/studying of cultures, upbringing, roles and habits of others, to have insight and empathy.
We should focus in trying our best to improve our and other people lives and deeds counts.
We do not of course seek to get them into worse situation in both of the worlds as satan wishes-with our improper and unkind behaviour we could be adversaries of good in them.
With right insights and right knowledge/wisdom and right manners in our altruistic "dawah"-calling others to improveent a lot can be done inshaAllah.
A lot of these paradigms are thought from good sufi teachers and some can be found in tasawwuf, tazakiya books. It would be even better after tasawwuf/tazakiya training to deepen our knowledge with pedagogy, psychology, sociology etc.
For example, Fodayl ibn Iyad was a highwayman.
Often only one situation/word/deed changed villains lives and they became saints.
Often people even do not know it is a sin, or a great sin. We should present them the knowledge in best manners, trying to be interesting, humourful, alluring to them.
Often intentions of dawah were made by "wise fools" not to harm the persons dignity or to talk in a direct manner or uncover their faults, be pridefull etc.
Many people are less educated and even "simpleton" talks are needed similarly as we upbring children.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Fudayl_ibn_%27Iyad
Some related links, for you Eric:
https://www.abuaminaelias.com/islam-...to-the-worlds/
https://www.abuaminaelias.com/people...mage-of-allah/
https://www.abuaminaelias.com/islam-...acism-bigotry/
https://www.abuaminaelias.com/are-mu...-to-believers/