Stop Misguidance before It Starts

The shaikh, Dr. Muḥammad ibn Ghālib Al-ʿUmarī, may Allāh protect him, said:

Falling into misguidance doesn’t happen all at once; rather, there are steps to that, that come along with [things like] giving precedence to [one’s] intellect over Islamic law, considering things to be [Islamically] good based on intellect or emotion, loving fame, and other than that.

So cutting off [the steps to misguidance] from the very start is a tremendous means of attaining steadfastness [in Islam]. As for being drawn away bit by bit, that is [only] increasing the extent of [one’s] misguidance. And our Lord says:

{وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا خُطُوَاتِ الشَّيْطَانِ}

And do not follow in the Devil’s footsteps. (Al-Baqarah 168, extract)

Source: @m_g_alomari. 7 Mar 21.