Advising a sinner

Q 4: What is the legal ruling on the following case: When someone advises a man or a woman saying: What you are doing is Haram (prohibited) – such as telling a woman not to wear short clothes, or telling a man not to smoke cigarettes – and they reply by saying that everyone does that, or that all the women in our country dress this way?

A: The response that you describe is wrong, and just because people commit evil deeds does not mean that it is permissible for others to do such things. Allah (Glorified be He) says: And if you obey most of those on the earth, they will mislead you far away from Allâh’s Path. Rulings on what is Halal (lawful) and what is Haram are taken from the Qur'an and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace be upon him); not from what people do, (Part No. 12; Page No. 349) because people may be wrong or right.May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.