What Leads Us Away from Allah’s Path? Do We Stray Because We Are Bad People?

In my view, this is the most important question we need to focus on to understand verses 6 and 7 of Surah Luqman:

Does a person go astray because they are bad, or do they begin to acquire bad habits as they continue down the wrong path?

Both are possible, in fact. But it would not be right to call everyone who goes astray a bad person.

Because sometimes people are mistaken because they do not know. Sometimes because they are afraid. Sometimes because they do not want to lose the people they love. Sometimes to earn more money. And sometimes, although they know what they are doing is wrong, they give in to their desires.

But verses 6 and 7 of Surah Luqman describe something more serious.

Verse 6 speaks of people who use distracting talk to lead others away from Allah’s path and mock Allah’s verses.

Verse 7 describes a person who arrogantly turns away when the verses are recited to them.

The fundamental issue here is not merely making a mistake; it is disregarding the truth, distancing others from it, and arrogantly rejecting what is right when it is shown to them.

1. What Distances Us from the Straight Path Today?

Let us not limit this to alcohol, gambling, theft, or behavior that is clearly forbidden.

What distances people from Allah’s path can sometimes be a habit that looks perfectly normal at first glance.

Not Earning Money, but Being Willing to Do Anything for Money

Let us imagine a businessman. He works, produces, invests, and provides jobs for people.

So far, so good.

But to earn more, he begins delaying what he owes his employees, misleading his customers, and slandering his competitors.

Now let us ask:

Is money what distances this person from Allah’s path?

No. Earning money is not bad in itself.

What distances him is putting money ahead of justice and honesty.

So sometimes the issue is not what we possess, but the priority we give it in our lives.

Not Loving Our Family, but Wronging Others for Our Family

A father loves his child very much.

His child wrongs someone else.

The father knows this, but says:

“My child would never do that.”

He even blames the other person to protect his child.

Now let us ask:

Is love what leads this father down the wrong path?

No. Loving one’s child is beautiful.

But if love takes the place of justice, it can lead us into wrongdoing.

Allah’s straight path is not merely doing good to the people we love. It also means upholding justice toward people we do not love or get along with.

Not Being Successful, but Silencing Our Conscience for Success

Let us imagine a student.

Their family expects high grades. They are afraid of failing.

They cheat in an exam.

Then they defend themselves like this:

“Everyone does it. If I do not, I will fall behind.”

Now there is a very important question here:

Does something wrong become right when everyone does it?

No.

But sometimes people take the majority’s behavior as their standard.

This is one of the things that distances us from the path: beginning to determine what is right by what people do, rather than by Allah’s standard.

Not Having Fun, but Making Entertainment the Purpose of Life

People need to rest, laugh, and enjoy themselves.

There is nothing wrong with this.

But what happens if our whole lives are built only around having more fun, consuming more, and showing off more?

After a while, we may stop asking ourselves these questions:

Why am I living?

To whom am I responsible?

Whose rights did I fail to respect today?

What am I spending my life on?

One of the important dangers Luqman 6 prompts people today to consider is this:

Sometimes, before openly rejecting what is right, people stop thinking about it.

However, we cannot place every kind of entertainment within the lahw al-hadith mentioned in the verse. What the verse particularly emphasizes is using distracting talk for the purpose of leading people away from Allah’s path.

2. So Why Do People Go Astray?

I see five important reasons here.

First, people mistake what pleases them for what is right.

For example, two people give us advice. One points out our mistake; the other praises us.

Which is easier to listen to?

Of course, the one who praises us.

But is the person who praises us always the person who wants what is best for us?

Second, the fear of loss.

An employee may remain silent about their employer’s wrongdoing to avoid losing their job.

A shopkeeper may conceal the truth to avoid losing a customer.

A young person may join in their friends’ wrongdoing to avoid losing them.

Can we simply describe all these people as bad people?

No. But their fears can drive them into wrong behavior. This does not make what they do right; it helps us understand their reasons.

Third, our environment.

If everyone in a village talks behind one another’s backs, gossip may become normalized over time.

If everyone in a workplace misleads customers, a new employee may think this is part of the job.

If people in a family constantly speak by shouting, a child may learn that problems are solved by shouting.

People are influenced by their environment.

But the fact that our environment influences us does not remove our responsibility entirely.

Fourth, constantly seeing ourselves as right.

In my view, this is one of the issues most strongly connected with verse 7.

A sibling warns us.

We say, “I am older than you.”

Our child points out our mistake.

We say, “You are still young.”

Our employee points out an error.

We say, “This is my company.”

So who is going to speak the truth?

Only people older, wealthier, or more powerful than us?

This is how arrogance can prevent people from correcting themselves.

Fifth, constantly postponing dealing with our mistakes.

“One day I will change.”

“Let my work settle down a little.”

“Let the children grow up.”

“Let these debts be paid off.”

“Once I retire, I will live more carefully.”

But do we know how much life we have left?

No.

So why do we keep postponing a behavior we know is right?

3. Do People Stray Because They Are Bad, or Become Worse After Straying?

Now let us come to our main question.

Let us consider this through three different people.

The first person: They do not know and do wrong.

When they learn what is right, they are open to thinking and correcting their behavior. What this person needs first may be knowledge and guidance.

The second person: They know what is right but give in to their desires.

They do wrong and then feel remorse. Rather than defending their mistake, they try to correct it. This person’s struggle continues.

The third person: They defend their mistake and belittle what is right.

They arrogantly reject the warning they receive. They even try to draw others into the same wrongdoing. This is the attitude we should particularly connect with the serious warning in Luqman 6–7.

Now think about this:

Is the situation of someone who lies and says, “I did wrong,” the same as that of someone who says, “You cannot live in this world without lying; everyone should do it”?

Of course not.

One sees their mistake.

The other tries to turn their mistake into something right.

This is how a person’s moral decline can sometimes begin.

First, they do something wrong.

Then they find an excuse for it.

Later, they begin to see that wrong as normal.

Eventually, they may become angry with those who warn them.

But this is not an inevitable process. At every stage, a person can stop, reflect, repent, and change direction.

4. The Qur’an Tells Us That People Can Change

Let us also remember verse 53 of Surah Az-Zumar here.

Allah tells even His servants who have transgressed against themselves not to despair of Allah’s mercy.

This is very important.

Because the Qur’an does not define people only by their mistakes. It also shows them a way to turn back from their wrongdoing.

Now let us ask:

If someone became entirely bad and beyond reform because they did wrong, what meaning would repentance have?

So a person’s mistake today does not, by itself, determine what kind of person they will be tomorrow.

But there is another point we need to pay attention to here.

People can sometimes go astray even while seeing themselves as good people.

They may say, “I never harm anyone.”

Yet they may unknowingly neglect their employee’s rights.

They may say, “I love my family very much.”

Yet they may put pressure on their children in the name of love.

They may say, “I am an honest person.”

Yet they may depart from honesty when their own interests are affected.

So merely saying, “I am a good person,” is not a sufficient measure.

What matters is the standard by which we determine good and evil, and how willing we are to correct our behavior according to that standard.

5. The Most Important Question We Can Ask Listeners During a Live Broadcast

Now let us invite everyone to reflect briefly.

Imagine a person.

They perform their prayers. They read the Qur’an. They say they believe in Allah.

But at the same time, they have deprived their sibling of their rights.

They have not spoken to their sibling for years.

They also know that they have acted unjustly.

Now let us ask this person:

“Do you want to walk on Allah’s path?”

They say, “Yes.”

Then would you like to put right the injustice between you and your sibling?

They say, “No. Let them come first.”

Then one more question:

Do we want to walk on Allah’s path, or do we expect Allah’s path to conform to our wishes?

This question is very important for all of us.

Because the straight path does not mean accepting only the truths that please us.

Sometimes it requires giving up our own interests.

Sometimes apologizing.

Sometimes giving someone else their due.

Sometimes admitting that an idea we have defended for years is wrong.

And sometimes saying this sentence to ourselves:

“I was mistaken about this.”

Conclusion — What Leads Us Astray Is Not Always Our Desire to Do Evil

When we consider verses 6 and 7 of Surah Luqman alongside today’s world, we can reach this conclusion:

People may distance themselves from the right path because of their love of money, their desire for status, their fears, the influence of their environment, or their arrogance.

But it is not right to label everyone who makes a mistake as bad.

What matters is how we respond to our mistake.

Now let us ask one final question:

How can we tell that someone is turning toward goodness?

By their never making a mistake?

Or by their trying to correct their mistake when they recognize it?

Of course, accepting what is right, taking responsibility for what they have done, and correcting their behavior are important signs.

I think we can end our lesson with this sentence:

“It is not only the wrongs people commit that distance them from the right path. Sometimes it is their beginning to defend those wrongs. What brings people closer to what is right again is admitting their mistake and changing direction.”

And the question each of us can ask ourselves today is this:

“Am I truly searching for the truth, or am I trying to justify what I already believe is right?”