Internet Menace

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

Is there anything you can't do on the internet? You can do practically everything-- playing games, looking at bad pictures, finding information, learning and teaching, shopping for things, finding old high school friends or lost cousins, finding spouse (and some shopping for spouse), getting married and so on. The possibilities are endless!

Everyday millions of people log on to the internet and enter a world of the wonderful and crazy, a world of information, intrusion and seduction. At the beginning it makes it easy and convenient to get in touch with people you know but new things keep popping up which prey upon the weak faith and the ignorant. Many people, adults and children, religious and non religious alike, have fallen into the great menace of this great invention of the 20th century.

Allah is always aware, not a moment He is not aware. He is Al-Raqib, the Ever Watchful. Whoever knows that He is the Raqib, over everything, and that He observes us in everything (our hearts, our minds, our fingers--what they are typing, our eyes--what they are looking, our ears--what they are hearing, our emails, Facebooks, our computer monitors, YouTubes and the like), we will be fearful and ashamed with all the things we do in private; we will be fearful to look at anything that we are not allowed to; we will be fearful to browse aimlessly and waste our time on the internet; we will be ashamed to have that dirty or evil thoughts while surfing on the internet.

In short, we will be fearful the moment we turn on that computer. Have you ever gone on the computer and searched something and something else, that’s bad and inappropriate pops up? Or you are on Youtube and bad images popped up? Did you look the other way or you kept looking, overwhelmed with curiosity? And has it occurred to you that your children are exposed to these things as well and they too might have looked, curious? Astaghfirullah Al-Adhim.

A man was asked, "What does a man use to lower his gaze away from the unlawful?" He answered, "His knowledge that seeing of the Real is prior to his seeing that forbidden thing."

Allah is present and watching everything. He is not absent. We cannot hide from Him. Everything is recorded. Not an ant small of good or bad is left out. One day we are going to face Him and be taken to task. He is Al-Hasib, the One who takes into account.

ثُمَّ رُدُّوٓا۟ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ مَوْلَىٰهُمُ ٱلْحَقِّ ۚ أَلَا لَهُ ٱلْحُكْمُ وَهُوَ أَسْرَعُ ٱلْحَٰسِبِينَ

"Then are men returned to God, their protector, the (only) reality: Is not His the command, and He is the swiftest in taking account." Qur'an Cattle 62:135

So we should watch what we do all the time. Be the raqib over our limbs, our souls, our hearts and our innermost being in everything. Even when you are praying, fasting or giving charity, you should watch your motives and make sure you are doing them to please your Lord, not to please your ego. Use everything your Lord gives you to draw near to Him, not take you away from Him.

وَمَا كَانَ ٱللَّهُ لِيُضِلَّ قَوْمًۢا بَعْدَ إِذْ هَدَىٰهُمْ حَتَّىٰ يُبَيِّنَ لَهُم مَّا يَتَّقُونَ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ بِكُلِّ شَىْءٍ عَلِيمٌ

"And God will not mislead a people after He has guided them, in order that He may make clear to them what to fear (and avoid)- for God has knowledge of all things. To God belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth. He gives life and He takes it. Except for Him you have no protector nor helper." Qur'an Repentance 9:115-116

Watch over those you are instructed to watch over of your family and the like, for the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said we are all shepherds and each one of us will be asked about our own flock.

May Allah protect us from the internet menace and help us lower our gazes away from what He forbids. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. JazakAllahu khairan.

Related archived articles:

The Most Loved and Hated Places By Allah

Raising Children To Know Allah

Sowing The Seeds

Facebook Fitnah

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam