We live in a world that has become delusional in many ways … truth is cast as falsehood, and falsehood as truth. We obsess with celebrities and are cast into a state of awe and admiration with the apparent beauty in their speech and words. We create artificial affinities towards people who we like to associate with, while shunning and demoting those that don’t necessarily fit the profile or qualities we seek. We rush to find company that will shower us with praise and aid in fueling our egos, yet frantically rush to escape those that kindly tell us what we need to hear and not just what we want to hear.

For far too long I have witnessed the injustices and harm that have been cast by our very own leaders, many times under the guise of religiosity. We’ve all seen the rise and fall of leaders, preachers, and imāms due to their abuse of both power and trust. Yet these all seem to fade into the sunset and we circle back to right where it all began … praise upon praise, self-promotion paired with a lens of humility, the rise of gargantuan egos, and the eventual placing of these so-called perfect beings on a pedestal, just short of being an object of worship.

For many people, reading this will result in shock, a feeling of disbelief, anger, and an internal question that may arise asking one’s self, “Why?!” I want to remind us all that goodness still exists and that the world is still composed of people who are genuine, truthful, and who embody the prophetic qualities. Many times when our leaders and role models falter, we begin to question our religion. This is usually because, in our minds, we have sought personification and representation of our deen through these individuals and sometimes cannot comprehend how one could speak with the passion and eloquence, yet engage in such egregious and evil acts. Know that our deen is perfect … it is one of truth, guidance, and rooted in protecting us and ensuring that we find success both in this life and the next. God is TRUTH, our Messenger ﷺ is TRUTH, and the message he brought to us is TRUTH!