There are signs that point people in the direction of the truth, and there are routes that people take to get there. As a parallel, the Hadeeth that follows describes how the path to falsehood can be convoluted and how it can be reached via routes that eventually lead to its bogs:

“The Prophet of Allah, peace be upon him, drew a straight line with his hand and then said, ‘This is the path of Allah, which is straight.’” Then he drew other lines to the right and left of the first line and said, “These are paths on each of which there is a devil who invites to it.” then after that the following verse of the Quran was then recited by the Prophet Sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam (may Allah exalt his mention). And this is My path, which is straight, so follow it; and do not follow [other] ways, for you will be separated from His way. Allah says (what this means): “And this is My path, which is straight.” [Quran 6:153]

Ahmad: 4142 Annasa’i: 11174

The pursuit of truth is an arduous endeavor because along the way, a person will come across a wide variety of doctrines, beliefs, and religions, which they will have to analyze one after the other. If he adheres to impartiality and fairness and follows the sound intellectual approach and logical reasoning, then there is no doubt that Allah will direct him to the religion that is most true to Him. However, if he does not adhere to that methodology, he will be led astray by falsehood, and Satan, the bitter enemy of mankind who has vowed to mislead them, will adorn his actions for him. This is because the Quran describes Satan as having made a pledge to mislead mankind. What does it mean when Allah, the Most High, says:

“[Satan] said, “Because you have put me in error, I will surely sit in wait for them on Your straight path.” Then I will come to them from in front of them, from behind them, on their right and left, and in any direction in between, and You will not find the majority of them grateful [to You]”

[Quran 7:16-17]

Consequently, the methodical question that ought to be asked, even though a great number of people fail to take notice of it, is as follows:

What are the distractors that divert people away from the truth?

These distractions can be summed up using their various manifestations, which are as follows:

When a society is getting left behind in the progression of civilization and individuals have a very low social status, social oppression exists. Individuals in such a society are subjected to terrible marginalization, rampant unemployment, extreme poverty, and difficult social life conditions. Because of this, they are compelled to harbor hatred for such a society, despite the fact that it may have an advanced culture and a significant amount of regional heritage. This hatred extends to the core beliefs held by their social group as well as anything else that is considered to be holy to them.

Therefore, the person would boldly go against them, exemplifying the principle that “Dissent and you will be known.” He develops his own independent opinions, which are not in accordance with those of his social group, he chooses other paths, deviates from the straight one, and he disagrees with every concept that is presented by this society. As a consequence of this, he comes to hold a contemptuous attitude toward all of the beliefs that are held by his social group, looks down on them and their beliefs, and believes that he is among the most knowledgeable people in his society! He doesn’t listen to anyone, and even if he did, he wouldn’t pay attention to what they were saying. Furthermore, whenever he is invited to a debate, he neither comprehends the topic nor is willing to think about it.

Imitation without thought: this is what philosophers refer to as the “metaphysics of technology,” and it describes the behavior of an individual in a backward society. He makes the erroneous assumption that the other (competing) civilization, which has made appreciable advancements in science and technology, has also made comparable advancements with regard to the beliefs and values that they uphold. As a consequence of this, he subscribes to the specious claims and theories put forward by Orientalists. By doing so, the follower transforms himself into a replica of the followed one (the other), whether consciously or unconsciously. This serves as confirmation of the words spoken by the Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam (may Allah exalt his mention), when he said:

“You will follow the ways of those who were before you span by span and cubit by cubit, to the extent that even if they entered a lizard’s hole, The Companions questioned the Prophet of Allah, saying, “O Messenger of Allah, do you mean Jews and Christians?” Who else? The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam (may Allah exalt his mention) asked.

Albukhari: 3456

It is as if the Western civilization is embodying the statement made by Fir’aun (Pharaoh), which is stated in the Quran (which means):

“Pharaoh said, “I do not show you except what I see, and I do not guide you except to the way of right conduct.

[Quran 40:29]

Blind imitation of the West impairs the individual’s intellect, reducing him to a blind follower and sheeple, following the crowd.

Therefore, a person develops an emotional confidence in whatever is borrowed from the West, to the point where it is held as an ultimate referential authority, and as a result, he strays from the path that leads to the truth. This mindless imitating was condemned by the great Companion Ibn Mas’ood, may Allah be pleased with him, and he admonished his followers, saying,

“Do not be sheeples!” People were curious about who exactly these sheeple were. He made the following statement:

“Those who say, ‘I do what the people do. If they are misguided, I will also be misguided, and if they are guiding, then I will not be guiding!’ Instead, each of you ought to put a lot of effort into training yourself so that even if other people stopped believing, you wouldn’t do the same.

The same is true for following in the footsteps of one’s contemporaries, ancestors, affiliations, and others. It’s possible that some music fans in the West will go so far as to adopt the singer’s worldview and spiritual practices. One of the things that leads people astray and keeps them from seeing the truth is this.

Ignorance of the religion is the primary factor that contributes to people straying from the path leading to the truth. When a person is unfamiliar with Islam, he is more likely to adopt the beliefs of others, much like a dry sponge will readily take in any type of liquid, regardless of whether or not it is pure. The same is true for a researcher who does not learn Islam from its referential sources, but rather lazily settles for relying on the studies that orientalists have done on Islam, despite the fact that the majority of these studies were biased, as is common knowledge. Therefore, he starts reading their misunderstandings and false claims, which ultimately leads to him becoming estranged from Islam. This has been the primary goal of Orientalists ever since the ancient times, and it continues to be the primary objective today.

I strongly encourage you, as someone who is interested in finding the truth, to study Islam from its pure referential sources rather than limiting your knowledge of it to what orientalists and missionaries teach about it, and to refrain from selling your mind for a low price. This is an important and fateful matter, and it is not appropriate to leave any room within it for mindless mimicry or laziness in this regard.

Following whims and desires: when a person is indifferent to religion and sometimes existential questions come to his mind, he distracts himself from them by following his whims and desires, as an escape, until death befalls him all of a sudden or he comes back to his senses and returns to the straight path in a moment of sincerity.

Indulging in sin, numbing one’s consciousness with intoxicants, and distracting one’s spirit with the pursuit of pleasure are, in reality, nothing more than painkillers that weaken both the body and the spirit. A person like that would get up in the morning and go to work while simultaneously considering where he should spend the night. As a result, this person falls into a destructive routine that undoubtedly distracts him from the truth. Sins can be compared to sleeping pills in that they cause one to become distracted from what is truly important in their lives and ultimately lead to obvious loss in both this life and the life to come. Reflect on your predicament and ask yourselves how much longer you plan to allow yourselves to be in such a state for as long as you can. You are wasting your time and your lives, so stop doing that.

One of the factors that contribute to deviating from the truth is the presence of dysfunctional psychological coping mechanisms. The life of this world is an abode of suffering, in which human beings experience both joy and sorrow, health and illness, unity and disunity, prosperity and destitution… When a catastrophe befalls a person and he is unable to adapt to his new circumstances, that person is either afflicted with an incurable psychological illness or complex, and in either case, this will negatively affect his belief system. When a catastrophe befalls a person and he is unable to adapt to his new circumstances, he is either afflicted with an incurable psychological illness or complex. in confirmation of the Saying of Allah that reads (what means): 

And of the people is he who worships Allah on an edge. If he is touched by good, he is reassured by it; but if he is struck by trial, he turns on his face [to the other direction]. He has lost [this] world and the Hereafter. That is what is the manifest loss

[Quran 22:11]

The search for the truth and the spiritual journey to Allah, the Most High, are both made much simpler for a person who adheres to fairness and keenly avoids straying from his objective by these distractors. On the other hand, they are made difficult for those who do not adhere to that methodology and wade through the waves of falsehood and stubbornness that toss them from every side.