to the grave major sins, as the eminent scholar Ibn al-Qayyim notes when he lists the successive hurdles by which Satan expels a person, one after the other (1).

Yet the disbelievers may not be able to accomplish this at first sight, so they choose whatever path lies closest to turn the Muslims away from their religion. They do so by casting before them temptations that distract them from obeying their Lord, fulfilling His commands, and avoiding His prohibitions, and by launching specious arguments that bewilder them and sow doubt in their faith.

Many of today’s media outlets hurl such enticements into most people’s homes, sparing no effort in wreaking havoc upon the Muslims and eagerly working to corrupt their beliefs and morals.

Among the nearest routes to undermining Muslim societies is the corruption of the woman; hence their relentless campaign to mislead and debauch her, for when the woman is corrupted, her corruption spreads throughout the community.

Know, then, that every cause of apostasy ultimately traces back to a single issue: its opposition to the two testimonies of faith.

Islam revolves around the testimony that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. Thus, if a disbeliever bears witness—outwardly and inwardly—that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, he becomes a Muslim. If, however, he utters it with his tongue alone, he is a hypocrite, and in this world and in its legal rulings the hypocrite is counted among the Muslims.