✨Islam And Social Media

Out of Allah’s knowledge and wisdom, He creates for His servants great means that they do not expect, which necessitates reflecting upon Allah’s graces and blessings. Allah Almighty said:
Al Baqarah (2) 29: It is He who created for you all of that which is on the earth.

And for this reason, Sulayman, peace be upon him, said when Allah Almighty taught him the language of the birds:
An Naml (27) 40: This is from the favor of my Lord to test me whether I will be grateful or ungrateful.

Indeed Allah’s blessings are continuous. People do not enjoy a grace except that it is followed by another one; graces in wealth, and graces in livelihood, and graces that have facilitated modern life bringing distances closer and compressing time.

The person in the east hears the greeting from somebody in the west instantly as if it took no time to arrive. And if someone sighs in the north, the one listening in the south hears it instantly as if it took no time to reach.

It is an amazing reality. If such a thing would have been mentioned to our forefathers they would have considered it nothing more than daydreaming or a figment of the imagination or wishful thinking that only exists in the imagination with no chance of becoming a reality.

For them, the one who travelled far away was considered absent and missing until he returned. And for them to hear about matters that happened in nearby communities took a long time.

Now a word barely exits someone’s mouth and it is heard virtually instantly halfway across the world or seen on their screen. A person explores far off lands while he is resting in the comfort of his home and doesn’t even need to sit up. For he doesn’t need to leave his home to learn all of that. And he doesn’t need to go to people’s homes and gatherings to learn their news. It is the blessing of social media and modern communication media, that has amazed minds and captivated the eyes and ears with its speed, accuracy and reliability. It is a great blessing from Allah to test mankind whether they will be grateful or deny. Will they use it for what pleases Allah and for what is permitted or will they use it to exceed the limits of Allah or hoover around the His limits almost falling in ?! Allah Almighty said:
Saba (34) 13: And few of My servants are grateful.

Due to the fast progress made in means of communications, many people are not able to distinguish between its good and evil. They do not realize that it is just like any other types of media that have good and bad, as well as sins and benefits. And its good is wonderful, and its bad is ugly. However, its nature and newness have produced practices indifferent to morals and traditions. And goodness mixed with the disgraceful. And a person’s fingertips have come to represent his thoughts more than his mind and tongue. Most of the time, through social media, people communicate in isolation from one another and not face to face. Because of that, people do not realize the weightiness of their words and the serious consequences.

The Prophet ﷺ disliked he said/she said. However, social media is full of gossip, slander, backbiting, mocking, ridiculing and deriding except for those saved from it through the mercy of Allah. The Prophet warned of the seriousness of communications saying:
A person may say a statement, without realizing its significance, causing him to descend into the fire for a distance greater than between the east and the west. [Bukhari 6478, Muslim 2988b]

When this hadith was mentioned before the advances in technology, people’s understanding was confined and limited to their reality at the time. However, now the meaning has become clearer and broader.

Among the biggest mistakes is to consider these means of communications as ends and not just as means. Otherwise, one should not be surprised to see a generation growing up with scattered thinking and shaky foundations. Being easy to manipulate and brain wash and not having a will of their own; if the people are corrupt, then they are corrupt and if people transgress then they also transgress. And Allah Almighty said:
Al Maedah (34) 105: O you who have believed, upon you is [responsibility for] yourselves. Those who have gone astray will not harm you when you have been guided. To Allāh is your return all together; then He will inform you of what you used to do.

And the Prophet ﷺ said:
Do not be a person without a will of your own, saying, If people treat us well, we will treat them well; and if they do wrong, we will do wrong. But accustom yourselves to do good if people do good, and do not behave unjustly if they do evil. [Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2007]

Oh Muslims:Know that social media and other means of communication are tools that Allah Almighty has made for our disposal. And it is a reality and there is no escaping. And there is no denying that it has good and evil aspects. So it is incumbent upon the wise, knowledgeable and those of sound understanding to outdo the evil, reckless and negligent. And it is necessary to extinguish the heat of recklessness and indifference with the coolness of patience and care and deliberation and responsibility.

So be conscious of Allah and know that these means of communication are like travel bags. So be careful with what you carry inside of them.

So rectify your deeds while you still have a chance. For you will be recompensed in the everlasting abode. Good will be rewarded with goodness and evil with ruin. Allah Almighty said:
Ash Shams (34) 9-10: (9) He has succeeded who purifies it, (10) And he has failed who instills it (with corruption).

May Allah have mercy on those who realize their weaknesses and that they have a vigilant observer who is recording all their actions.

We ask Allah Almighty to make us among those having gratitude for His graces and to help us use them in the best possible fashion. Indeed Allah is All Hearing, Answering.

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