Unplug The Computer

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

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

Computer and internet are here and it is not going away any time soon. In fact, they are getting more and more sophisticated. Unfortunately, unlike television, which can be removed from the house, the computer is more like the telephone, an indispensable communication tool.

The computer is a tool, not a life, and even for compelling reasons, one should not spend more than five hours a day on it, no more than 2 hours of which online, and no hours at all after nightfall. Exceptions may be made for work, but one should ask Allah for a job that permits one to observe these limits.

Aimless surfing, chatting, computer gaming, movie-watching and video-watching are among the many addictive online activities that waste one's life. They reduce one's life to the size of a small screen. They directly reverse the effect of the remembrance of Allah, which is to expand the soul's horizons to the Lord. Wasting time on anything without a real this-worldly or next-worldly benefit is makruh or offensive, not merely permissible.

Parents should treat the computer like a household appliance, not a source of entertainment, and should use it only when needed. Children don't need to be on the computer except for older school children whose assignment requires the use of the computer/internet. Don't believe that if children do not become computer-literate at an early age, they will fall behind. The truth is the opposite: children who learn from books, people, and the physical and spiritual worlds do far better later in life. Have a good collection of books, or borrow from a public library, and read together aloud as a family for entertainment for a few minutes after dinner.

Some statistics show that an alarming 90% of 8 to 16-year-olds in Western countries view pornography on-line. Not to mention gaming addiction, cyber-dating and endless music downloads. Being parents, we are obligated to protect our children. Keep the computer in a central location with the screen in full view and a parent nearby. Replace headphones with speakers and do not buy children devices like MP3 players, iPods, Game Boys, and the like.

Unplug the computer and disconnect the internet as much as possible.

May Allah protect us from what detracts from His remembrance. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam.