Below are three things I feel are worth considering to develop this.

Though not for everyone based on financial circumstances, but travelling (or even living) in different places is important.

Seeing a plain-clothed, beardless Egyptian taxi driver listening to Minshawi and a Qur’an on his dashboard will change your perception of religiositybeing restricted to a fist-length beard.

Seeing how certain Arab cultures successfully manage respectful gender interaction without resorting to women-only malls opens your eyes.

Seeing how some people from the Asian sub-continent and elsewhere have such a love for implementing the sunnah, even in the smallest of things such as eating on the floor is commendable.

Regardless if you consider things as custom or sunnah, seeing it in action and understanding motivations is good for the soul.

You appreciate different cultures and you will no doubt see Islam from a different nuance, though the foundation is exactly the same.

For those who want to study the religion properly, I believe one should be open to reading from different scholars. Just because you may ascribe to Salafism, does not mean you should avoid all the books of Imam al-Ghazali or Imam al-Haddad for example. I am sure many will find much benefit.

Likewise, if an ardent follower of Sufism or an order, you will find much benefit in the books or Fataawa of Ibn Taymiyyah. Spirituality from Ibn al-Qayyim is well known. Don’t be rigid.

You very likely won’t agree with everything you read, but it’s important to appreciate the methodology and understanding. I’m *not* saying consume the books of the Ithna Ashari’s or Rawaafidh (as Aqeedah is a pre-requisite), but ‘Ahlus-sunnah’ is wider than some people make out. Despite the disagreements of past scholars, everyone respects the Imam al-Suyuti, Ibn Hajar, ibn Qudaama and others of their time.

I anyway think naturally people will lean towards a particular group based on a number of factors. I just think it’s better to be intellectually informed prior to arriving to this result.

I caveat this that this is not just anyone’s opinion as we don’t give the same weight of an anonymous facebook poster compared to a known scholar.

However, if you come across someone of knowledge, adab and piety, then hear them out in a respectable way.

I remember when a well-known scholar wrote a contemporary piece on Zakah. Now, I have utmost respect for him and I actually consider him to be one of the leading scholars in the west.

But do I personally agree with this article, though I benefit from the other 99% he has written? Not entirely. On one side, I totally accept I have nowhere near the same level of knowledge as this individual so that’s a complete deficiency on my side which I must accept. But I do know the majority position on this issue which I have naturally fallen back on, in addition to a working application of its opposite being mis-used.

Still, it’s good to hear his position to see where he comes from. Even if I may humbly disagree, it doesn’t mean I throw the baby out with the bath water and not take anything from him.

We’ve all seen this recent trend of ‘blacklisting’ someone because of a unique fatwa or something the recipient disagrees with. Scholarly disagreements are natural. As long as someone doesn’t have too many ‘shaadh’ (irregular) opinions, I think there should be flexibility as long as its roots are from within the Qur’an, Sunnah and understanding of our pious predecessors.

Anyway, just some initial thoughts. I’m sure some may not agree, but I think being too restrictive is counter-intuitive with so much out there now.