SOCIAL
ETIQUETTE IN ISLAM: HARMS OF SPREADING MISINFORMATION
ASSEMBLED BY MALLAM ABBA ABANA, KUBWA,
ABUJA, NIGERIA
http://variousislamicdawadocuments.blogspot.com
https://web.facebook.com/abba.abana
emails:gonidamgamiri@yahoo.com; abba.abana@gmail.com
(WHATSAPP (+2348186961697))
Tuesday 1st October 2019 CE
AND 2nd Safar 1441 AH
Bismillah
Walhamdulillah Was Salaatu Was Salaam 'ala Rasulillah. As-Salaam Alaikum
Wa-Rahmatullahi Wa-Barakatuhu. Praise be to Allaah; we seek His help and His
forgiveness. We seek refuge with Allaah from the evil of our own souls and from
our bad deeds. Whomsoever Allaah guides will never be led astray, and
whomsoever Allaah leaves astray, no one can guide. I bear witness that there is
no god but Allaah, and I bear witness that Muhammad (Sallalhu alaihi Wasalam)
is His slave and Messenger.
PREAMBLE/INTRODUCTION
My regrets from Bid”a or innovators, hypocrites and ignorant ones posting
fake Islamic information to ourselves in forum groups or individuals. What are
the consequences if none give us feedback on our mistakes? Thus, those pointing
out our mistakes are our great dear lover and friend in the eyes of Allah.
Truth and truth and not lies. Our topic of discussions in this article is on ‘’Regrets on Bid’a
(Innovations), Social Media Chats or Harms
of Spreading Misinformation Etc.’’.
We
are concerned with ‘’Forwarding mails
via modern means of communication’’ and hereby give a clue to our
brethren about emails that Muslims are sending out to "everyone on their
lists." It seems that a lot of them are not really based on the teachings
of Islam that is the Quran and authentic Hadiths.
(٦٩) يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ ٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَ وَقُولُواْ
قَوۡلاً۬ سَدِيدً۬ا (٧٠)
"O you who believe, fear Allah and keep your duty to Him and always speak the truth." Holy Quran chapter [33:69].
"O you who believe, fear Allah and keep your duty to Him and always speak the truth." Holy Quran chapter [33:69].
"Whoever attributes to me something
that I did not say, let him reserve his seat in the Hellfire." - Prophet
Muhammad, peace be upon him.
With this hadith; yet we have multitude
of people posting fabricated or non-Islamic information knowingly or
unknowingly into the group forum and when you alert them the truth they get
annoyed and say, ‘’are you the only
Ulamas or scholar we must follow?” In the nutshell, do not get annoyed as what they
did to you but go ahead with the truth as Prophets were told nasty statements.
(٣٥) وَلَا تَقۡفُ مَا لَيۡسَ لَكَ بِهِۦ عِلۡمٌۚ إِنَّ ٱلسَّمۡعَ وَٱلۡبَصَرَ
وَٱلۡفُؤَادَ كُلُّ أُوْلَـٰٓٮِٕكَ كَانَ عَنۡهُ مَسۡـُٔولاً۬ (٣٦)
In the Holy Quran Chapter 17:36,
Allah Subhanahu Wa Taala said; "You shall not accept any information,
unless you verify it for yourself. I have given you the hearing, the eyesight,
and the brain, and you are responsible for using them."
يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓاْ
إِن جَآءَكُمۡ فَاسِقُۢ بِنَبَإٍ۬ فَتَبَيَّنُوٓاْ أَن تُصِيبُواْ قَوۡمَۢا
بِجَهَـٰلَةٍ۬ فَتُصۡبِحُواْ عَلَىٰ مَا فَعَلۡتُمۡ نَـٰدِمِينَ (٦)
Holy Quran Chapter 49:6] O ye who believe! if a wicked
person comes to you with any news, ascertain the truth, lest ye harm people
unwittingly, and afterwards become full of repentance for what ye have done.
The very unfortunate is some people who mix this
good deed with a bad deed, which is a kind of lying and falsehood.
a) Al-Halal (the lawful): That which is permitted, with respect
to which no restriction exists, and the doing of which the Law-Giver, Allah,
has allowed.
b)
Al-Haram Al-Haram (the
prohibited or unlawful): That which the Law-Giver has absolutely
prohibited; anyone who engages in it is liable to incur the punishment of Allah
in the Hereafter as well as a legal punishment in this world.
c)
Al-Makruh Al-Makruh (the detested): That which is
disapproved by the Law-Giver but not very strongly. The makruh is less in degree than the haram, and the punishment for makruh acts is less than for those that
are haram, except when done to excess and in
a manner which leads an individual toward what isharam.
(٣٢) قُلۡ إِنَّمَا حَرَّمَ رَبِّىَ ٱلۡفَوَٲحِشَ مَا ظَهَرَ مِنۡہَا وَمَا بَطَنَ
وَٱلۡإِثۡمَ وَٱلۡبَغۡىَ بِغَيۡرِ ٱلۡحَقِّ وَأَن تُشۡرِكُواْ بِٱللَّهِ مَا لَمۡ يُنَزِّلۡ بِهِۦ سُلۡطَـٰنً۬ا وَأَن تَقُولُواْ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ مَا لَا تَعۡلَمُونَ (٣٣)
“Say (O Muhammad (Sallalahu Alaihi Wa Salam) :
‘(But) the things that my Lord has indeed forbidden are Al‑Fawaahish (great
evil sins and every kind of unlawful sexual intercourse) whether committed
openly or secretly, sins (of all kinds), unrighteous oppression, joining
partners (in worship) with Allaah for which He has given no authority, and
saying things about Allaah of which you have no knowledge’” Holy Quran chapter
[al-A’raaf 7:33]
Let’s make it a
habit of verifying any Islamic information on "Forwarding as received" which has serious implications
on our account after death. It is affiliated to saying: "I am just
repeating what I heard, don't blame me if it is not true". Another grave
mistakes are from Bid’a or innovators knowingly forwarding posts which
disguised as truth but fabricated hadith. Sometimes it would come from known
Ulamas or scholar who also might be deceived like me and you. Others knowingly
post to your inbox. As a human; one day you might make mistakes to forward to
your contact lists and it would go viral. There is no way you retrieve all as
they permanently saved for life.
Every post on
Facebook, every tweet on Twitter, and each word on Whatsapp becomes a FIXED RECORD that will either count for
you or against you when you stand for Allah ‘Azza Wa Jalla!
You might have
security settings, only allowing your friends to see what you post; BUT THE RECORDING ANGELS WRITE DOWN
EVERYTHING!
(١٧) مَّا يَلۡفِظُ مِن قَوۡلٍ إِلَّا لَدَيۡهِ رَقِيبٌ عَتِيدٌ۬ (١٨)
Not a word does he utter but there is a recorder by him,
ready (to note it) [Holy Quran Chapter, 50:18].
Imagine the day
your book of deeds will be presented to you and scrolls of Facebook
conversations about nothing, Tweets, and Whatsapp messages full of fabricated
hadith or gossip and tale-bearing:
(١٣) وَأَصۡحَـٰبُ ٱلۡأَيۡكَةِ وَقَوۡمُ تُبَّعٍ۬ۚ كُلٌّ۬ كَذَّبَ ٱلرُّسُلَ فَحَقَّ وَعِيدِ (١٤)
[It will be said], “Read your record. Sufficient is
yourself against you this Day as accountant’’. [Holy Quran Chapter, 17:14]
Long after you
delete your account; your messages and posts will live on in your record of
deeds.
Allah ‘Azza Wa
Jalla 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 fabricated Hadith or statement to 3,000 people -----ended up ‘’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-Tirmidhee, Ibn Majah].
So when you
sign out or log off from media; your wrong action may multiply long after your
death!
I regret and continue
to regret those knowingly posting evils and/or wrongs to me. This is applicable
to each and every one who believes in the last Day. Based on the assertion,
let’s see how many angels are there with
each Muslim? What are their functions concerning him/her?
Allahu Akbar; The honourable
angels accompany the children of Adam from the day they are formed in their
mothers’ wombs until the day when their souls are brought forth from their
bodies at the time of death. They also accompany them in their graves and in
the Hereafter.
Their accompanying them in this world is as follows:
1 – They take care of him when he is created.
It was reported from Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Allah appoints an
angel in the womb, who says, ‘O Lord, a nutfah (mixed drop of male and female
sexual discharges)? O Lord, an ‘alaqah (a clot)? O Lord, a mudghah (lump of
chewed flesh)?’ When Allah decrees that it is to be created, (the angel) says,
‘O Lord, male or female? Doomed or blessed? What is his provision? What is his
lifespan?’ And that is written in his mother’s womb.” [al-Bukhaari, Muslim].
2 – They guard the son of Adam
(٩)
سَوَآءٌ۬ مِّنكُم مَّنۡ أَسَرَّ ٱلۡقَوۡلَ وَمَن جَهَرَ بِهِۦ وَمَنۡ هُوَ مُسۡتَخۡفِۭ بِٱلَّيۡلِ وَسَارِبُۢ بِٱلنَّہَارِ (١٠) لَهُ ۥ مُعَقِّبَـٰتٌ۬ مِّنۢ بَيۡنِ يَدَيۡهِ وَمِنۡ
خَلۡفِهِۦ يَحۡفَظُونَهُ ۥ مِنۡ أَمۡرِ ٱللَّهِۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يُغَيِّرُ مَا بِقَوۡمٍ حَتَّىٰ يُغَيِّرُواْ مَا بِأَنفُسِہِمۡۗ وَإِذَآ أَرَادَ
ٱللَّهُ بِقَوۡمٍ۬ سُوٓءً۬ا فَلَا مَرَدَّ لَهُ ۥۚ وَمَا لَهُم مِّن دُونِهِۦ مِن وَالٍ (١١)
Allah says (interpretation of
the meaning): “It is the same (to Him) whether any of you conceals his speech
or declares it openly, whether he be hid by night or goes forth freely by day.
For him (each person), there are angels in succession, before and behind him.
They guard him by the command of Allah.” [Holy Quran Chapter 13:10-11].
The commentator on the Quran who had the best understanding of it, Ibn
‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) explained that the mu’aqqibat
[translated here as “angels in succession”] refers to the angels whom Allah has
appointed to guard man from in front
and from behind. When the decree of Allah comes – when He decrees that
some accident or calamity etc. should befall him – the angels withdraw from
him.
Mujahid said: There is no person who does not have an angel appointed to
protect him when he is asleep and when he is awake, from the jinn, men and wild
beasts. There is nothing that comes to him but the angels tell it to clear off,
except for that which Allah grants permission for it to befall him.
A man said to ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him): “A
group from (the tribe of) Murad wanted to kill you.” ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased
with him) said, “With every man there are two angels who protect him from
everything that is not decreed; when the decree comes, they withdraw and do not
stand between him and it. A man's decreed lifespan is his protection.”
The “angels in succession” mentioned in the ayah (verse) from Soorat
al-R’ad are what is referred to in another ayah (interpretation of the
meaning):
(٦٠) وَهُوَ ٱلۡقَاهِرُ فَوۡقَ عِبَادِهِۦۖ وَيُرۡسِلُ عَلَيۡكُمۡ حَفَظَةً حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا جَآءَ أَحَدَكُمُ
ٱلۡمَوۡتُ تَوَفَّتۡهُ رُسُلُنَا وَهُمۡ لَا يُفَرِّطُونَ (٦١)
“He is the Irresistible
(Supreme), over His slaves, and He sends guardians (angels guarding and writing
all of one’s good and bad deeds) over you, until when death approaches one of
you, Our messengers (angel of death and his assistants) take his soul, and they
never neglect their duty.” [Holy Quran Chapter 6:61].
The guardians whom Allah sends protect a person until the appointed time
(of death) that has been decreed for him comes.
3 – The angels who write down Hasanat (Good Deeds) And Sayyiat (Bad
Deeds)
Every single person has two angels who write down his deeds, both good
and bad, minor and major. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
(٩)
وَإِنَّ عَلَيۡكُمۡ لَحَـٰفِظِينَ
(١٠) كِرَامً۬ا كَـٰتِبِينَ (١١) يَعۡلَمُونَ مَا تَفۡعَلُونَ
(١٢)
“But verily, over you (are
appointed angels in charge of mankind) to watch you, Kiraman (Honourable)
Katibeen —writing down (your deeds), They know all that you do.” [Holy Quran
Chapter 82:10-12]
(١٥) وَلَقَدۡ خَلَقۡنَا ٱلۡإِنسَـٰنَ وَنَعۡلَمُ مَا تُوَسۡوِسُ
بِهِۦ نَفۡسُهُ ۥۖ وَنَحۡنُ أَقۡرَبُ إِلَيۡهِ مِنۡ حَبۡلِ ٱلۡوَرِيدِ (١٦) إِذۡ يَتَلَقَّى
ٱلۡمُتَلَقِّيَانِ عَنِ ٱلۡيَمِينِ وَعَنِ ٱلشِّمَالِ قَعِيدٌ۬ (١٧) مَّا
يَلۡفِظُ مِن قَوۡلٍ
إِلَّا لَدَيۡهِ رَقِيبٌ عَتِيدٌ۬ (١٨)
“And indeed We have created
man, and We know what his own self whispers to him. And We are nearer to him
than his jugular vein (by Our Knowledge). (Remember) that the two receivers
(recording angels) receive (each human being), one sitting on the right and one
on the left (to note his or her actions).
Not a word does he (or she)
utter but there is a watcher by him ready (to record it).” [Holy Quran Chapter
50:16-18].
The angel on the right records hasanat (good deeds) and
the angel on the left records sayyiat (bad deeds).
It was reported from Abu Umamah that the Messenger of Allah (peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “The angel on the left does not write
down anything until six hours have passed after a Muslim does a bad deed. If he
regrets it and asks Allah for forgiveness, he casts it aside [does not write it
down], otherwise he writes down one (sayyiah/bad deed).” [al-Tabaraani]
Once we know this, the number of angels who accompany the son of Adam
after he is born will become clear: four angels.
Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
(٩)
سَوَآءٌ۬ مِّنكُم مَّنۡ أَسَرَّ ٱلۡقَوۡلَ وَمَن جَهَرَ بِهِۦ وَمَنۡ هُوَ مُسۡتَخۡفِۭ بِٱلَّيۡلِ وَسَارِبُۢ بِٱلنَّہَارِ (١٠) لَهُ ۥ مُعَقِّبَـٰتٌ۬ مِّنۢ بَيۡنِ يَدَيۡهِ وَمِنۡ
خَلۡفِهِۦ يَحۡفَظُونَهُ ۥ مِنۡ أَمۡرِ ٱللَّهِۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يُغَيِّرُ مَا بِقَوۡمٍ حَتَّىٰ يُغَيِّرُواْ مَا بِأَنفُسِہِمۡۗ وَإِذَآ أَرَادَ
ٱللَّهُ بِقَوۡمٍ۬ سُوٓءً۬ا فَلَا مَرَدَّ لَهُ ۥۚ وَمَا لَهُم مِّن دُونِهِۦ مِن وَالٍ (١١)
“The ayah (interpretation of
the meaning): ‘For him (each person), there are angels in succession, before
and behind him. They guard him by the command of Allah’ [Holy Quran Chapter 13:10-11]
means: each person has angels
who take turns in guarding him by night and day, who protect him from evil and
from accidents, just as other angels take turns in recording his deeds, good
and bad, by night and by day.
Two angels, on the right and the left, record his deeds. The one on the
right writes down his hasanat (good deeds) and the one on his left writes down
his sayyiat (evil deeds).
Two other angels guard him and protect him, one from behind and one from
in front.
So there are four angels by day and four others by night.” [Tafsir Ibn
Kathir].
2.0 TRICKS OF SHAYTAN ON USE OF THE SOCIAL MEDIA CHATS
Social
media is a paradise and it can take anyone to a scene of paradise. If I put
something interesting on social networking site, even if my account is unknown,
it reaches the whole world. If it’s a good item, it will revolve the universe
and at the same time, if it’s bad, YOU ARE MULTIPLYING YOUR SINS. Mufti Menk
reminds us about the usage and bad usage of social networking sites and
applications. Nowadays there are a number of platforms available for chatting
and communication. Whether it’s Viber, Whatsapp, Facebook, Telegram or
whatever, we have to keep a good deal in communication. In the current scenario
of information super highway, it’s very easy to dig up your chat or
communication history. Whenever you use your mobile or other social accounts,
use it for a drop of goodness, use it for making a good friendship and use it
for a moral cherishing activity. Then only the almighty, Allah can take care of
you and to lead you to a powerful future.http://www.alim.org/recent-lectures/use-social-media-stop-misuse
BIG QUESTION TO ME AND YOU?
1) How fabulous is Facebook?
2) How tempting is Twitter?
3) How stimulating is Internet?
4) How thought-provoking is Skype?
5) How indulgent is Instagram?
6) How distrustful are you on Whatsapp? Etc.
Social media
are part of our lives and they are both BLESSINGS
and TESTS from Allah ‘Azza Wa
Jalla. You might be able to control yourself and use technology to do good
deeds, like sharing Islamic knowledge and keeping ties with family, or you
might find yourself drifting away from your good intentions and ending up
wasting your time, maybe even backbiting.
In the central
ayah Allah ‘Azza Wa Jalla says:
(٢٧) وَٱصۡبِرۡ نَفۡسَكَ مَعَ ٱلَّذِينَ يَدۡعُونَ رَبَّہُم بِٱلۡغَدَوٰةِ وَٱلۡعَشِىِّ يُرِيدُونَ وَجۡهَهُ ۥۖ وَلَا تَعۡدُ عَيۡنَاكَ عَنۡہُمۡ
تُرِيدُ زِينَةَ ٱلۡحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنۡيَاۖ وَلَا تُطِعۡ مَنۡ أَغۡفَلۡنَا
قَلۡبَهُ ۥ عَن ذِكۡرِنَا وَٱتَّبَعَ هَوَٮٰهُ وَكَانَ أَمۡرُهُ ۥ فُرُطً۬ا (٢٨)
And keep
yourself patient [by being] with those who call upon their Lord in the morning
and the evening, seeking His countenance. And let not your eyes pass beyond
them . . . [Holy Quran, 18:28]
3.0 WARNING TO ME AND YOU - 2: CHECK IF IT’S TRUE.
How often do
you share someone else’s information without even knowing if it’s true? ‘’O you
who believe! If a Faasiq (liar — evil person) comes to you with any news,
verify it, lest you should harm people in ignorance, and afterwards you become
regretful for what you have done’’.[Holy Quran chapter, 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.
If you openly
backbite without shame on Facebook or Twitter, or talk about your sins, you are
telling the world who you are. Did you know that openly talking about your sin
is a sin?
Salmaan al-Faarisee Radiyallahu ‘Anhu said: When Allah
wants destruction for a person, he takes shame away (from his heart).
If you were
walking outside you wouldn’t just start proclaiming your sins, right?
(٩) سَوَآءٌ۬ مِّنكُم مَّنۡ أَسَرَّ ٱلۡقَوۡلَ وَمَن جَهَرَ بِهِۦ وَمَنۡ هُوَ مُسۡتَخۡفِۭ بِٱلَّيۡلِ
وَسَارِبُۢ بِٱلنَّہَارِ (١٠)
’’ It is all alike [to Him] whether any of you conceals
his thought or brings it into the open, and whether he seeks to hide [his evil
deeds] under the cover of night or walks [boldly] in the light of day’’. [Holy
Quran chapter, 13:10].
Tips: Keep
reminding yourself that even though you are behind a computer or phone screen,
you are still responsible for what you do.
The Prophet
Salallahu ‘Alayhi Wa Sallam said: You will be with those whom you love.
[Al-Bukhaaree] Be careful with clicking that “like” button, especially when it
comes to liking certain brands or certain people who are involved in haraam
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.
It’s easy to
get sucked into Facebook and other media. The beautiful central ayah is your
homework.
Deeply reflect
on its advice when you feel tempted to read all those statuses, spend hours on
commenting, or even arguing on insignificant matters online and realize what
your purpose of this life is:
(٢٧) وَٱصۡبِرۡ نَفۡسَكَ مَعَ ٱلَّذِينَ يَدۡعُونَ رَبَّہُم بِٱلۡغَدَوٰةِ وَٱلۡعَشِىِّ يُرِيدُونَ وَجۡهَهُ ۥۖ وَلَا تَعۡدُ عَيۡنَاكَ عَنۡہُمۡ
تُرِيدُ زِينَةَ ٱلۡحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنۡيَاۖ وَلَا تُطِعۡ مَنۡ أَغۡفَلۡنَا قَلۡبَهُ ۥ عَن ذِكۡرِنَا وَٱتَّبَعَ
هَوَٮٰهُ وَكَانَ أَمۡرُهُ ۥ فُرُطً۬ا (٢٨)
‘’And keep yourself patient [by being] with those who
call upon their Lord in the morning and the evening, seeking His countenance.
And let not your eyes pass beyond them, desiring adornments of the worldly
life, and do not obey one whose heart We have made heedless of Our remembrance
and who follows his desire and whose affair is ever [in] neglect’’. [Holy Quran
chapter, 18:28].
Keep fighting
temptations and distractions. Stick to the people who strive for Allah ‘Azza Wa
Jall, and keep focused on the Hereafter.
It cannot be denied that there are a number of benefits in the Web site,
which are attained by wise people who are keen to guide people to goodness.
These people have done well by using modern means of communication – such as
the Internet, mobile phones and satellite channels; they have entered the world
of those people to serve their religion and call people to their Lord,
especially activities that are done collectively, because that makes it less
likely that the one who does this type of work collectively will fall into the
temptations of that world. Among the benefits of that website are the
following:
1. Personal pages for some shaykhs and daa‘iyahs,
in which they offer advice to the people and answer their questions, especially
those who have groups. The leader or founder of the group benefits when a
number of people who are part of that group get together and send out messages
to the group, open up topics for discussion, and post a large number of
high-quality video clips.
2. Global campaigns to alert users of that site
to global Islamic events that are suppressed and ignored by the non-Muslim
media, or to support oppressed peoples, or to close a website or personal page.
3. Spreading useful and beneficial books,
articles and websites among visitors to that site.
4. Communication between friends and relatives,
especially those who live far apart from one another. Communication has a good
impact in maintaining bonds and encouraging one another to remain steadfast in
Islam.
4.0 THE SHAR‘I (RELIGIOUS) ON SIGNING UP FOR FACEBOOK
With regard to the shar‘i (religious) ruling on signing up for Facebook,
it depends on the intention of the one who wants to sign up. If he is a man of
knowledge or a seeker thereof or a member of a da‘wah group, then it is
permissible and good, because of the benefits they have to offer to the people.
But for the one who joins it for evil purposes or for whom there is no
guarantee that he will be safe from temptation and may easily slip, especially
young men and women, it is not permissible for them to sign up for it.
The one who knows the reality of our times and the temptation and turmoil
that is knocking at the door of all of our houses will not object to any faqeeh
or mufti (religious scholar) who disallows anything in which there is harm,
whether it is totally or mostly harmful. The fact that there is some small
benefit does not encourage one to say that it is permissible because there is
still fear for the one who embarks upon it. If what is good and beneficial is
great and the evil and harm is small or non-existent, then we may with a clear
conscience say that it is permissible. Hence some of our scholars were very
strict about satellite channels at first, because of the pure harm and evil in
them; but when there started to be some great good in them and completely
Islamic channels were founded, and receivers that only accepted those channels
became available, the view that they are permissible became valid; indeed we
see that many scholars have contributed to these channels and have useful
programs on them.
The one who cannot control himself on Facebook and similar sites should
refrain from joining them. Joining them is permissible for the one who acts in
accordance with the shar‘i guidelines by controlling himself and not following
his whims and desires, and who joins them so that he can benefit himself
and others.
We ask Allah to keep us safe from temptations both visible and invisible,
for He is the Guide to the straight path.
5.0 FORWARDING ANY TYPE OF MAILS VIA
MODERN MEANS OF COMMUNICATION WITH REFERENCE TO NIGERIA
Today we have
multiple methods of mobile phones (SMS), WhatsApp, BBM, Facebook, Web Blog,
telegram etc. and internet e-mail to spread advice, exhortations, reminders and
guidance which is a good deed, because it is possible to reach hundreds of
people with one click of the button. The worst is the opposite side of the coin
which this short and brief article is all about!
It is well known
that the one who guides others to do good is like the one who does it, and that
the one who calls others to guidance will have a reward like that of those who
follow him.
With special
reference to Nigeria today, we noticed many fabricated news, lies, tarnishing
images of politicians, campaigning for self-services, forwarding all types of
grudges and abuses to meet desired goals. Think of Allah, as you will be asked
every point you mentioned or forwarded to anybody whether a lie is or for the
campaigning purposes of your party.
فَمَن يَعۡمَلۡ
مِثۡقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ خَيۡرً۬ا يَرَهُ ۥ (٧) وَمَن يَعۡمَلۡ مِثۡقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ۬
شَرًّ۬ا يَرَهُ ۥ (٨)
Holy Quran Chapter 99:
Then shall anyone who has done an atom's weight of good, see it! (7) And
anyone who has done an atom's weight of evil, shall see it. (8).
Another one is
doctoring mails originally sent out by the sender for desired purpose on lawful
and truthful basis but among the recipients on the list changed or twisted the
earlier truthful statements or reminders etc. The worst is using religion to
fight for their own rights which hitherto are already biased.
Muslim (2674) narrated
from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“Whoever calls
others to guidance will have a reward like that of those who follow it, without
that detracting from their reward in the slightest.”
And Muslim (1893)
narrated from Abu Mas’ood al-Ansaari (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The one
who tells another about something good is like the one who does it.”
If a Muslims
writes some advice or article on Islamic topic, and sends it to a hundred
people, and many of them follow his advice, then he will have a great reward
for that and the same applies to false or lies which you will be asked
for. We should make use of these means of communication and raise the
level of the messages that are transmitted through them, so that they will be
most effective and beneficial.
These people think
that they are making people spread good by encouraging and warning them, but
they are mistaken and they are overstepping the mark. They should limit
themselves to that which is mentioned in Sunnah, which is sufficient, praise be
to Allaah, such as saying: “Whoever spreads this good, there is the hope that
he will have a reward like that of all those who act upon it.” That should be
sufficient to encourage people to spread it.
The one who
receives any false messages should advise the one who sent it and explain to
him that he should stop using these false incentives.
يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓاْ
إِن جَآءَكُمۡ فَاسِقُۢ بِنَبَإٍ۬ فَتَبَيَّنُوٓاْ أَن تُصِيبُواْ قَوۡمَۢا
بِجَهَـٰلَةٍ۬ فَتُصۡبِحُواْ عَلَىٰ مَا فَعَلۡتُمۡ نَـٰدِمِينَ (٦)
Holy
Quran Chapter 49: O ye who believe! if a wicked person comes to you with any
news, ascertain the truth, lest ye harm people unwittingly, and afterwards
become full of repentance for what ye have done. (6).
Let us remember
some very important points to keep in mind:
1. As Muslims we cannot lie about anything, especially about
our religion.
2. We can always prove what our religion teaches because we have original recorded sources of our religion:
A) The Quran and B) Teachings of Muhammad (Sallalahu Alaihi Wa Salam) .
This is a very unique part of Islam, not available in any other ancient religions.
3. Sometimes "questions" contain misinformation. We must qualify and verify what it is that someone is saying against what they are implying. In most cases we don’t authenticate before forwarding same.
4. If you find the answer to your question makes you say, "I didn't know that" or "This is good" are you ready to worship your God (Allah) by submitting your choices to His Will? This what Islam is really all about?The most important subject is the worship of Almighty God, without any partners or associates or "gods" besides Almighty God.
2. We can always prove what our religion teaches because we have original recorded sources of our religion:
A) The Quran and B) Teachings of Muhammad (Sallalahu Alaihi Wa Salam) .
This is a very unique part of Islam, not available in any other ancient religions.
3. Sometimes "questions" contain misinformation. We must qualify and verify what it is that someone is saying against what they are implying. In most cases we don’t authenticate before forwarding same.
4. If you find the answer to your question makes you say, "I didn't know that" or "This is good" are you ready to worship your God (Allah) by submitting your choices to His Will? This what Islam is really all about?The most important subject is the worship of Almighty God, without any partners or associates or "gods" besides Almighty God.
Remember that the Devil only has ONE GOAL - to put as many
of the sons of Adam in the Hell Fire as he can. That is it! He does not really
care how they get there. And it works - for the enemy.
Shaytan (the devil) knows that most Muslims are ignorant of
their religion and think that they know enough that they don't need to ask
anyone about what they are doing. Or else, he counts on the fact that they will
consider that it looks like something that will "help" the ummah
(Muslim community) to do good deeds, even if it is a "little white
lie."
We must discourage this practice of just
"forwarding this to everyone on your list." You see many Muslims
today do not really know a lot about Islam and they are easily confused by
these people who know how to make up things to fool us or mistranslate or
misrepresent the verses of the Quran and the Hadeeth of the Prophet, peace be
upon him. May Allaah help us all to do
that which He loves and which pleases Him?
6.0
CONCLUSION
SOCIAL
ETIQUETTE IN ISLAM: HARMS OF SPREADING MISINFORMATION
Modern devices,
social media and internet provide us with breaking news almost as it happens. Never
before was it so easy to be in touch with the world. Sadly, the benefits of
such advancement have been overshadowed by its misuse. The same technology that
brings us news in a flash is also used to spread misinformation, hoax messages,
lies, slander, gossip and deception. These messages in turn create anxiety,
panic, spreading misinformation though lie, gossip, slander and deception is a
major sin.
The chief weapon of Dajjal (The Great deceiver)
will be lies, misinformation, and deceit. The real challenge of the information
age is to be truthful.
Many of us
can relate to receiving messages from well-meaning family members or friends
with dubious content or that are unverified. Many of us are also guilty of forwarding
such information with ‘’good intentions’’, only to find out later that the
information was false and potentially disruptive.
At times,
Shaytan misguides people by engaging them in a ‘cause’ they assume to be noble
but in reality causes tremendous harm by peddling false information about
families, scholars, organizations and their representatives. This entails cynism,
disrespect, untruths, assumptions and false information all in the name of ‘Truth’.
The noble Quran condemns
spreading information without verification i.e. Holy
Quran Chapter 49:6]
The Messenger
of Allah (Sallalahu Alaihi Wa Salaam) said, ‘’Deliberation and forethoughts
should go into everything except for deeds pertaining to the hereafter’ (Abu Dawod)
Anther hadiths
states: ‘’Deliberations is from Allah and haste is from Shaytan.’’ (Tirmidhi)
May Allah
Taala help us to guard what we say and protect us from spreading information
that is harmful?
And
Allaah knows best.
REFERENCES
Islam Q&A, ttps://islamqa.info/en/6523,Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid
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