We are a group of friends who get together to talk about and discuss worldly and religious matters. In one of our gatherings a question was asked, as follows: Can a Muslim live a 100% Muslim life whilst continuing to live and interact with his society with all the good and bad things that that involves? What I mean is that if he wants to keep away from everything that Allaah has forbidden and enjoy everything that Allaah has permitted in His Holy Book, and follow the Sunnah of His chosen Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in what he has permitted and keep away from that which he has forbidden?. Praise be to Allah. The Muslim is not infallible. Every son of Adam inevitably commits sin and the best of those who sin are those who continually repent, as it says in the hadeeth. But it is possible for the Muslim to live in an Islamic society and adhere to his religion as much as he can, following the words of Allaah (interpretation of the meaning): “So keep your duty to Allaah and fear Him as much as you can” [al-Taghaabun 64:16 – interpretation of the meaning] His religious commitment is not affected by some sins that he may commit without meaning to, or that he thinks are permissible according to his own ijtihaad and reasoning and the information that he has, or that he asked some scholars about and they gave him a fatwa concerning that but the fatwa was not in accordance with sharee’ah. To sum up, what the Muslim has to do is to keep his duty towards Allaah and fear Him as much as he can, to regard as forbidden that which Allaah has forbidden to him, and to strive to do that which Allaah has enjoined upon him. If he slips or stumbles then he must hasten to repent sincerely. Question
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