Grazing Around the Edges

Rasul Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said: “The lawful is clear and the unlawful is clear and between the two are doubtful matters that many people do not know about. Thus, he who avoids these doubtful matters certainly clears himself in regard to his religion and honour. But he who falls into the doubtful matters falls into that which is unlawful: like the shepherd who pastures around a sanctuary, all but grazing therein and Allah's sanctuary is His prohibitions.” [Sahih Muslim]

The haraam matters are like a private ground, going into which we have been forbidden. It looks beautiful, but as soon as one sets foot on it, he/she falls into the deepest quicksand. In order to be safe, we should try to stay as far away from the boundaries of this forbidden land as we can. This means that those matters we are not sure about, we should stay clear of. One may find several matters that lie in the grey area and are not clearly halal or haraam. The safety of one's eeman and akhirah is in avoiding them.