Blessings and Tests of Social Media

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

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

Even if you try to run away from social media (like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Whatsap, etc.), you can't unless you decide to be a hermit and throw away all your electronics. Undoubtedly, social media are part of our lives. They are both blessings and tests from Allah for which we should be grateful and patient as they are means to righteousness and high ranks with Allah. Realizing this, control yourself and use it only to do good deeds -- to keep family ties, to show people how to do things that can help them in this life, to learn and spread Islam and for other Islamic purposes.

You have to fear Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and let Islam govern your conduct when you use the social media, lest you will fall into the shaytan's many many subtle tricks designed to take us away from worshiping and remembering Allah. The social media can become a great fitnah (trial) for you, your social network friends, our communities and societies at large. Therefore, you must not go there unless you have something beneficial to do there.

Remember, time is a precious capital and we are losing it with each breath we take. Like any business the aim is to maximize the return in our investment. We can profit, break even or even lose all our capital. It all depends on how we use our capital. So, invest your time prudently. Do not allow yourself to drift away in social media, ending up wasting your time, maybe even sinning with gossip, backbiting, tale-bearing, lying, exposing your own and people's sins, etc.

Allah Almighty says,

وَٱلْعَصْرِ ﴿١﴾ إِنَّ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ لَفِى خُسْرٍ ﴿٢﴾ إِلَّا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ وَتَوَاصَوْا۟ بِٱلْحَقِّ وَتَوَاصَوْا۟ بِٱلصَّبْرِ ﴿٣

By time, (1) Indeed, mankind is in loss, (2) Except for those who have believed and done righteous deeds and advised each other to truth and advised each other to patience. (3)

[Qur'an, Al-'Asr 103:1-3]

How to avoid falling into shaytan's social media tricks?

1. Follow the Islamic etiquette in gender interaction

This includes your interaction in cyberspace with the opposite gender. Don't chat with the opposite gender, not your mahram. Chatting with the opposite gender, not your mahram, is extremely dangerous! Love can ignite within moments. Shaytan will try to find some words that appear to be seductive and attractive to you or to the other person and the fitnah begins. Everything you have will be out the window -- your marriage (if you are married), your iman, your piety, etc. Those who are engaged to be married, you are not safe either -- don't spend time together in the chatrooms.

You may chat with your wives or your husbands. For man you don't chat with other people's wives or other people's daughters, and for woman, you don't chat with other people's husbands or other people's sons. If you don't have a spouse to chat with, go get married, if you are able. Islam has made it easy for man or woman to be together -- through marriage. There are Islamic rules that govern this process of finding a spouse and getting married which are all for your benefit. So, follow them. Otherwise, suffice yourselves with same gender friendships.

2. Don’t narrate every thought.

The Prophet salallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said: It is enough sin for a man to speak of everything that he hears. [Al-Silsilah al-Saheehah] How often do you share people’s statuses expressing their mood or even post about your own fleeting thoughts? Is it of any benefit to yourself or others? Ask before posting anything, "Is this something that will benefit me in the Hereafter?"

3. Verify the information before sharing

How often do you share someone else’s information without even knowing if it’s really true?

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ إِن جَآءَكُمْ فَاسِقٌۢ بِنَبَإٍ فَتَبَيَّنُوٓا۟ أَن تُصِيبُوا۟ قَوْمًۢا بِجَهَـٰلَةٍ فَتُصْبِحُوا۟ عَلَىٰ مَا فَعَلْتُمْ نَـٰدِمِينَ ﴿٦

O you who have believed, if there comes to you a disobedient one with information, investigate, lest you harm a people out of ignorance and become, over what you have done, regretful. (6)

[Quran, Al-Hujurat 49:6]

The scholars have advised us to verify matters and not to rush to pass on news until we are sure that it is true, even if the news is good news, because if it becomes apparent that the one who passed it on is mistaken, you risk losing your credibility with others.

4. Guard your modesty, dignity and chastity

Avoid posting images of you and other people (man or woman, hijab or not, in niqab or not). They are doing more harm than good to our souls.

If you openly backbite without shame on Facebook or Twitter, or talk about your sins, you are telling the world who you are.

Salmaan al-Faarisee radiyallahu ‘anhu said: "When Allah wants destruction for a person, he takes shame away (from his heart)."

Would you declare your sins in public? Remind yourself that even though you are behind a computer or phone screen, you are still responsible for what you do.

5. Don’t ‘like’ everything

The Prophet salallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said: You will be with those whom you love. [Bukhari] Be careful with clicking that “like” button, especially when it comes to liking certain brands or certain people who are involved in haram activities. An extra good or bad effect is that whatever you like ends up in your friends’ newsfeeds, so you might be double-gaining or double-losing by promoting immoral people or ideas.

6. Sharing maybe fatal. Wrong deeds multiply.

Allah has told us that each good deed shall be multiplied at least ten times, while each sin only once. However, through social media statements, bad words and other wrong deeds can be re-posted and re-tweeted for others to share again and again. Imagine that you posted a backbiting statement and 1000 people like and share it. Imagine that you shared pictures/photos/videos of people who are not properly covered (their awra are showing) or scenes between people that are not becoming of believers, and 1000 people like and share it.

The Prophet salallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said: Verily a person utters a word, that he deems harmless, but it results in his falling into the depths of the Hellfire. [At-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah] So when you sign out or log off, your wrong action may multiply long after!

7. Don’t spread marital secrets

The Prophet salallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said: Among the most evil of people before Allah on the Day of Resurrection will be a man who is intimate with a woman and she with him, then he spreads her secret. [Muslim] This points out to spreading marital secrets. Another common practice is showing pictures of the gifts your husband gave you, the places you went with your spouse for dinner, and sharing greetings and love messages to your spouse, etc. Apart from these things being private, it can also incite hasad (envy) from those who are not as happy.

8. Pay attention to the recording angels

Every post on Facebook, every tweet on Twitter, and each word on Whatsap becomes a fixed record that will either count for you or against you when you stand before Allah. You might have security settings, only allowing your friends to see what you post, but the recording angels write down everything. And long after you deleted your account and you might be all bones in the grave, your messages and posts will live on in your record of deeds.

مَّا يَلْفِظُ مِن قَوْلٍ إِلَّا لَدَيْهِ رَقِيبٌ عَتِيدٌ ﴿١٨

Man does not utter any word except that with him is an observer prepared [to record]. (18)

[Quran, Qaf 50:18]

Imagine the day your book of deeds will be presented to you and scrolls of Facebook conversations about nothing, Tweets, and Whatsap messages full of gossip and tale-bearing...

ٱقْرَأْ كِتَـٰبَكَ كَفَىٰ بِنَفْسِكَ ٱلْيَوْمَ عَلَيْكَ حَسِيبًا ﴿١٤

[It will be said], "Read your record. Sufficient is yourself against you this Day as accountant." (14)

[Quran, Al-Isra' 17:14]

Everything we do carries weight.

يَوْمَئِذٍ يَصْدُرُ ٱلنَّاسُ أَشْتَاتًا لِّيُرَوْا۟ أَعْمَـٰلَهُمْ ﴿٦﴾ فَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ خَيْرًا يَرَهُۥ ﴿٧﴾ وَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ شَرًّا يَرَهُۥ

Upon that day men shall issue in scatterings to see their works, (6) and whoso has done an atom's weight of good shall see it, (7) and whoso has done an atom's weight of evil shall see it. (8)

[Qur'an Zalzala 99:6-8]

When you feel tempted to read all those statuses, spend hours on commenting, or even arguing on insignificant matters online, realize what your purpose of life is. A believer is a person of purpose. We seek good of this life and good of the next life.

Allah puts us here to worship Him [وَمَا خَلَقْتُ ٱلْجِنَّ وَٱلْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ ﴿٥٦ And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me. (Qur'an, Adh-Dhariyat 51:56)] and so our goal in life should be just that -- to serve and please Him alone, and not to earn His anger. By knowing our limits, we can maximize the fulfillment of our responsibilities that Allah has placed on our shoulders as His khalifah/vice-regent on earth.

If you really understand this, it will change your view of life and the world, and how you prioritize and conduct your life. You will not be wasteful with the resources which Allah blesses you with, including your time, health and wealth. Instead, you are conscious in what you do with them.

Keep fighting temptations and distractions. Stick with people who strive for Allah and who keep their focus on the Hereafter. Keep the company of the righteous, the people of remembrance, so they can remind us of our purpose on this earth. BTW, why would you even be interested in those who don’t remember Allah?

Be reminded of our invocation during our daily prayers.

ٱهْدِنَا ٱلصِّرَ‌ٰطَ ٱلْمُسْتَقِيمَ ﴿٦﴾ صِرَ‌ٰطَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ ٱلْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا ٱلضَّآلِّينَ ﴿٧

You only we serve; to You alone we pray for succor. (5) Guide us in the straight path, (6) the path of those whom You have blessed, not of those against whom You are wrathful, nor of those who are astray. (7) [Qur'an, Al-Fatiha 1:5-7] Ameen.

Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakum Allahu khairan.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam