Struggling to Guide a Young Revert Brother Away from a Risky Connection
As-salamu alaykum, dear brothers and sisters. I'm part of a small online group where we've been supporting a young brother who embraced Islam a few months ago. He's about 14, still learning the ropes, but alhamdulillah he's made strides: he ditched some bad habits, deleted music apps, started tuning into Qur'an translations, and became more regular in his practices. Lately, he's grown close to a Muslim girl offline. He started asking about relationships, so we explained that boyfriend/girlfriend setups aren't allowed in Islam, and that things should follow proper Islamic guidelines with family involved. What worries me is that this girl is openly non-practicing. She doesn't pray or fast, and says she's not interested in starting now. When reminded about death and tawbah, she brushes it off, saying she's young and wants to repent later. She also identifies as pansexual. We explained that feelings alone aren't sinful, but she admitted to past same-sex relationships, doesn't see them as mistakes, and would repeat them if she were single. I'm not making takfir or digging up her sins. My concern is that she's not just struggling-she's openly rejecting repentance and refusing to acknowledge that certain acts are wrong in Islam. Since getting attached to her, this young revert has become vague and defensive about Islamic limits. For instance, he now says we should be 'neutral' about these matters, without clarifying if he means socially respectful or religiously neutral. He's also started suggesting that delaying repentance can be caught up later, and that good non-Muslims might enter jannah, even though we've explained that belief in Allah is crucial and quoted relevant verses. He still hides behind 'Allah knows best.' I fear his deen might suffer due to emotional attachment-at his age, critical thinking can be tough in today's world. How can we counsel him without making him defensive or pushing him toward her? Jazakum Allahu khayran.