Regardless of me having people read this or not, I most probably would have thought of writing this. All my observations come from observing the self and those around in past times who discussed this with me.
Many of the times when young Muslims, especially in the Western world, start to gain interest in Islam, there are 3 things people tend to the think:
1 - Masha Allah, this kid is very religious,
2 - I hope this kid doesn't become an "extremist", or
3- Mehh, he'll get over this phase.
99.8934% of kids will take the first impression extremely seriously and at times, a little too serious. They start to talk a lot, give small halaqas every time him and his boys chill, and start posting heartfelt Islamic words of wisdom online. This itself is a phase. But when I was experiencing this phase myself, it lasted for a matter of a few months which I was lucky to get away with. One of my friends battled this phase for less than me, but for most it can last a matter of a year or even more. The moment I realized I was going through such a troublesome phase that damages my spiritual state, I turned to Allah and sought His assistance since He Himself instilled in my mind a mature approach to advancing oneself from a certain deficiency. I battled for a few weeks and I eventually moved onto another test from Allah.
Another problem is when he is asked to give a formal lecture - specifically a khutbah. There will be again 3 things that happen:
1 - He starts talking about Sunnis and Shias, or Sunni-Sufis and Salafis/Wahabis,
2 - He starts talking things that don't concern the audience like the fiqh of slaughtering a goat,
3 - He will speak too highly intellectual for the audience and think he's too good for everyone, or
4 - He starts giving a superficial lecture that makes everyone's heart melt.... for attention.
75% of the time, what happens to take place is the fourth one listed. There is absolutely nothing wrong with giving touchy khutbahs and relate metaphors the entire time to try to connect with the audience, but the problem is the attention they seek with it. I've been in situations in which brothers had confessed to doing so but unfortunately they don't regret it. Besides, it's a great way for future rishtas for them, right? Well, that's what they said.
Also, even those who did not confess to giving khutbahs for such reasons, it was quite clear that they were seeking attention. An example:
Conversation of group of Muslim girls that happen to be attractive and happen to be heard by the khatib as he oh-so-modestly walks by them...
Girl A: This [random topic] needs a lot of attention. I would love for somebody to speak about this!
Girl B: I know, right? We need people to be more brave about speaking about this issue.
5 minutes later in khutbah:
Masha Allah Guy: Brothers and sisters, we must be aware of [topic that the girls were interested in listening to]. We must unite for Allah's sake to change ourselves then go out to change the rest of the world.
This is legitimately a similar real life scenario. But hey, it won't be soon until they meet up at an MSA meeting for an important community dinner at the masjid or local hall; they'll feel the need to exchange numbers. The guy can either play along or he can have no idea of what's going on. Let's go with the former since it's a lot more common in such situations. Since all of them happen to give him his number he will start texting all of them one by one as he is friendzoned. One of them will not friendzone him and then it will a completely whole new game and once they reveal to each other about their feelings, they will both say to each other, "I never thought about you in such a way, but you have truly opened up my heart and by the blessing of Allah, this can work out.." But in the back of their mind they know it's all haram if they continue what they're doing with consulting an older mentor that understands the situation like a chaplain or youth director/mentor. The best way to go is to inform their parents about it in a serious manner, if they aren't able to do so then they're not spiritually prepared to take if further in a Prophetic manner. If people are becoming "religious" - whatever that means - for attention, the fact that they changed really doesn't mean much.
I can make 2-3 times longer, but whatever tho, ya know? I need to work on myself. I've been there, done that. The thing that saved me were 3; 1. The Infinite Mercy of Allah, 2. The Prophet's endless prayers at night, and 3. the prayers of those who actually cared for me and prayed for my guidance at the last 3rd of the night. Subhan Allah.
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