Nowadays, religious, political and social figures move around surrounded by a huge entourage. These people excessively praise, compliment and voice their ultimate admiration and loyalty to their icons. Religious scholars have their own fans who shower them with compliments about how perfect they are. They continuously inject the scholar with doses of glory telling him he is a blessing and that his books, fatwas and lessons have contributed so much to religion and society. The poor guy believes what these people tell him. He takes the bait and becomes infected with arrogance and superiority.

The politician has his own fake retinue, too. These assistants or advisers know how to sweet-talk their leader and make him believe that he is the heart of the nation. They whisper to him all types of lies about how good, just, straight and extraordinary he is, and that children, teenagers and elderly people pray for his safety, happiness and wellbeing. He becomes full of himself and starts treating people with disrespect.

As for businessmen, the rich and the famous, they have their special type of entourage. They know exactly how to sweetly and softly mislead their heroes and give them the wrong impression about things. They aim to become trusted assistants to extort money from their bosses. But when they’re gone, they backbite and double-cross them. And if someone wants to uncover the truth, his voice would fall on deaf ears and he would be forced to go along with the flaw of having no conscience.

This is the shallowness and superficiality that our Ummah has reached. In the old days, Umar ibn Al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) delivered a sermon telling people to lessen the dowry.

A woman at the back of the mosque stood up and said, “Umar, how can you ask people to lessen the dowry when Allah says in His Book: ‘Even if ye had given the latter a whole treasure for dower, take not the least bit of it back.’” So Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) replied, “The woman has got it right and Umar has made a mistake.”

We are only asking people to be polite to religious, political and national figures, and all other people. There is no need to defame or condemn; there is no need for social hypocrisy and to conceal the truth to create illusions.

The well-known Arab theologian and scholar of Islam, Hasan Al-Basri, once said, “Al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf, the governor of Iraq, was a wise and just person. People praised him so much until he became a foolish and careless person.”

Honorary titles and ranks, praising and complimenting became the norm when the Ummah lost its religious morals and honesty. The Prophet’s companions called each other by their names; they conquered the world with peace and justice.

Half-truths that confuse decision makers and prominent figures lead to a loss of life and land. People that flatter are the same people who often repeat the slogan: “Everything is just all right.” You find scholars making great mistakes, but their supporters ignore their mistakes until they believe they are naturally immune from wrongdoing.

Those that surround political leaders prevent them from appraising the real situation on the ground, claiming everything is just all right and the people are happy. This continues until the leader loses interest in caring for people’s needs, and the country’s plunge into poverty and illiteracy begins.

These people who surround their leaders fulfill their personal needs and secure a guaranteed future for themselves. So why should they care about others?

We must take off these masks and say what is appropriate at the right time to allow our leaders, scholars, and the rich and the famous see things as they are and make the right decisions.

Ask people about the person they idolize and you will hear a sermon of compliments, praises and accolades that will make you sick and cause a horrific migraine.