Wouldn't we be held accountable for this?

Are we pushing Muslims to rebellion and Apostacy?

Frightened of what is happening to humanity, and particularly to us Muslims, and what it is leading up to.

What is happening to us today?

We have seen poverty, and our major fear is that if we do not give our children a professional degree or an established business, they will lag behind. We want the best for them, and so we work extra hard, thinking that we have provided the latest gadgets, food on the table, bigger and bigger houses. Unfortunately, the world is not being run according to Islamic principles, so we have to live according to its economic rules. These in turn are flouted by those of who can - Muslim or non-Muslim. We cater to our children's whims, or we discipline them harshly. We look at the world, and think it is money that makes it go round, so we want our children to have money and status. We guide them to secure, well-paying professions, without checking if they are suited to these.

At the same time, we are afraid that the children, particularly afraid that the girls, will go astray, and have relationships or occupations or marriages that are not Islamic. We are not that worried much about our sons doing unIslamic things. Where it comes to our women, we are extra conservative. What we tolerate from our brothers and sons, we cannot see in our sisters or daughters. When they ask why can we not do what this person is doing, we say because he/she is a non-Muslim. And if a Muslim does it, we say he is a bad example. He will end up in Hell, and we want to go to Heaven.

Unfortunately we too sometimes, if not often, set bad examples. We tell lies. We cut corners. We engage in interest-bearing activities. Some of us take alcohol.

In the teen years, we notice a change in our children's behaviour that is bewildering to us. They are rebellious. They experiment with bad taste. At college they prefer to go away from home. Many start living a double life - drink, dance and sex at school, Salah and obedience at home. Those who cannot live a double life, feel miserable, rebel, and leave home to live the life they want.

This is in the West, where despite economic meltdowns, there is a safety net, and the jobs are still many orders of magnitude more than in the East.

But quite often we shut the doors on women who sin in our eyes. Deprived of community contact and support, they seek comfort among non-Muslims, and eventually become apostates.

Wouldn't we be held accountable for this?

I saw this when I reviewed The Spy Princess. The entire Universal Sufi Movement in the West had gone apostate, but there was no dialogue with it from Muslims.

Researching for my novel, I came across a model who did not say she was giving up Islam, but her actions were contrary to Islam, and she admitted it as such. She was shunned by the community, and pushed away, so that eventually she married a Jew, and lives a life with Jewish friends. What chance is there of her or her children coming back to Islam. Had her Muslim friends maintained a cordial relationship with her, she may have had a chance to come back to Islam.

There must be many more in society who had been similarly made outcast by our community, and they will, on the Day of Judgement, accuse us of abandoning them. They will be right.

In the Muslim countries too this apostacy has also existed. However, people eventually did come back to Islam, with time. Very few would die apostate. This is now changing, too.

There is a saying of the Prophet something to the effect that a time will come when a person will be momin in the morning, but kaafir in the evening; and momin in the evening, but kaafir in the morning. We see this happening today. Fitnahs are coming rapidly line drops of rain.

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jazakallah khair A good summary of many of our problems and a good reminder. How much are we to blame for others' choices? We all make choices that affect others. They're responsible for their actions and we're responsible for ours. If each person lived up to their end of the bargain the system would work. unfortunately seems like neither side is.