Use of Social Media and Behaviors That Need Correction
Written by: Maulana Muhammad Hanif Jalandhari
All praise and thanks belong to Allah Almighty, who has blessed human beings with countless blessings and has granted them intellect, understanding, the ability to speak, and the ability to express themselves. May peace and blessings be upon Prophet Muhammad Mustafa ﷺ, who showed humanity the best principles for living life and guided them towards the path of noble character and good morals.
Allah Almighty has given human beings the ability to distinguish between good and evil. Through their words and actions, people can either become a source of goodness and ease for others or a means of causing pain, harm, and corruption. In earlier times, a person’s thoughts and conversations reached others within a limited circle. Today, however, social media has given human beings such power that their voice, writing, pictures, and messages can reach thousands, or even millions, of people within a few moments.
This is both a great blessing and a great test.
Social Media: Blessing or Trial?
Today, Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and other means of communication have become part of our daily lives. Through these platforms, we can acquire knowledge, share religious and reformative messages with others, remain informed about events around the world, and stay connected with people.
However, just as every blessing must be used correctly, social media must also be used responsibly. If it is used for good, it can become a means of Sadaqah Jariyah (ongoing charity), but if it is used to spread lies, backbiting, accusations, obscenity, rumors, and corruption, the same means can become a source of trouble and punishment for a person.
Therefore, we must understand that social media is not merely a means of passing time; it is also a test of our speech, character, and morals.
The Honor and Sanctity of a Believer
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ strongly emphasized protecting the honor and dignity of human beings. It is narrated from Abdullah ibn Umar رضي الله عنهما that the Prophet ﷺ said:
«مَا أَعْظَمَكَ وَأَعْظَمَ حُرْمَتَكَ، وَالْمُؤْمِنُ أَعْظَمُ حُرْمَةً عِنْدَ اللهِ مِنْكَ»
Meaning:
“How great you are, and how great is your sanctity! But the sanctity of a believer is greater in the sight of Allah than yours.”
When the honor of a Muslim is so important in the sight of Allah Almighty, then imagine how serious it is to circulate someone’s picture, video, or private matter without their permission, to damage their reputation, or to spread false information about them!
Today, we sometimes share posts or videos without considering the consequences, even though they may affect a person’s dignity, family, business, or future.
Therefore, before sharing every post, we should ask ourselves:
“How would I feel if this same thing were spread about me?”
Protecting the Tongue and Social Media
The tongue is a reflection of a person’s character. Today, alongside the tongue, the keyboard of our mobile phone has also become a means of expressing our speech.
What we previously communicated by speaking to a few people can now reach thousands of people through a single post or comment.
Hazrat Mu’adh ibn Jabal رضي الله عنه asked the Prophet ﷺ:
“يَا نَبِيَّ اللهِ، وَإِنَّا لَمُؤَاخَذُونَ بِمَا نَتَكَلَّمُ بِهِ؟”
Meaning:
“O Prophet of Allah! Will we also be held accountable for what we say?”
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ held his blessed tongue and said:
«كُفَّ عَلَيْكَ هَذَا»
Meaning:
“Hold this under control.”
In today’s age, one important implication of this Hadith is that we must also control our fingers, because whatever we write, comment on, or share through our mobile phones also becomes part of our deeds.
We Do Not Need to Forward Every News Report
Countless news reports circulate on social media every day. Some of them are true, while others are false. Some reports are created to provoke emotions, while others are designed to damage someone’s reputation.
Allah Almighty says in the Holy Qur’an:
﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِنْ جَاءَكُمْ فَاسِقٌ بِنَبَإٍ فَتَبَيَّنُوا﴾
“O believers! If a sinful person brings you any news, then verify it carefully.”
Therefore, we should not forward a piece of news merely because we find it interesting or because many people have already shared it.
Investigate before sharing. Verify before believing. Then make a decision.
It is possible that one false report may destroy the reputation of an innocent person, create conflict within a family, or spread disorder and unrest throughout society.
Speak Good or Remain Silent
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
«مَنْ كَانَ يُؤْمِنُ بِاللهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ فَلْيَقُلْ خَيْرًا أَوْ لِيَصْمُتْ»
“Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should speak what is good or remain silent.”
(Sahih al-Bukhari)
This Hadith is also an excellent principle for our use of social media.
Before posting a comment, we should ask ourselves:
Is this statement true?
Is it necessary?
Will it benefit anyone?
Could it hurt someone’s feelings?
Would I be able to say this same thing before Allah Almighty?
If the answer is not satisfactory, then remaining silent is better.
Backbiting, False Accusations, and Character Assassination
One dangerous behavior on social media is exposing and discussing the faults of others. Commenting on someone’s private life, searching for their faults, backbiting about them, making accusations against them, or turning their weaknesses into a source of mockery is not worthy of a Muslim.
Allah Almighty says in the Holy Qur’an:
﴿وَلَا يَغْتَبْ بَعْضُكُمْ بَعْضًا﴾
“And do not backbite one another.”
Likewise, damaging the honor of a Muslim is not a trivial matter. A statement spoken by a person may disappear within a few moments, but a post or video uploaded on social media may remain available for years.
Therefore, before writing or sharing anything against someone, we must ask ourselves whether we are damaging our own Hereafter.
Social Media and the Honor of Women and Families
In our society, people’s pictures, family matters, and private lives are sometimes turned into topics of discussion on social media. We especially need to be extremely careful regarding the honor and dignity of women.
During the Farewell Sermon, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ clearly established the sanctity of the blood, wealth, and honor of Muslims:
«فَإِنَّ دِمَاءَكُمْ وَأَمْوَالَكُمْ وَأَعْرَاضَكُمْ حَرَامٌ عَلَيْكُمْ»
Meaning:
“Indeed, your blood, your wealth, and your honor are sacred and inviolable among you.”
This principle applies not only to real life but also to social media.
Social Media and Wasting Time
One major disadvantage of social media is the waste of time. A person opens their mobile phone for a few minutes, but before they realize it, hours have passed.
A student becomes distracted from studies, a businessman from his work, and some people even become negligent regarding worship and the rights of their family members.
We should ask ourselves:
“Am I using social media, or is social media using me?”
This is a very important question.
Turn Social Media into a Means of Reform
Social media itself is not bad. The real issue is how it is used.
If we use it to:
Share verses of the Qur’an and Ahadith,
Spread religious and educational knowledge,
Invite people towards goodness,
Appeal for help for those in need,
Publish beneficial educational content,
Teach respect for parents, teachers, and elders,
Provide moral training to young people,
then social media can become a powerful means of reforming society.
Allah Almighty says:
﴿وَجَادِلْهُمْ بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ﴾
“And argue with them in the best manner.”
In other words, even when there is disagreement, our language should remain respectful, our tone gentle, and our approach wise.
Difference of Opinion and Our Responsibility
People with different political, religious, social, and intellectual views are present on social media. Differences of opinion are part of human society, but disagreement does not mean that we should ridicule one another, use abusive language, or begin attacking someone’s character.
The character of a Muslim should be such that even in disagreement, the dignity of another person remains protected.
Speak with evidence, not with abuse.
Explain with wisdom, not with humiliation.
Bring about reform; do not spread corruption.
Our Real Need: Moral Reform
With the rapid spread of social media today, we also need to reform our morals and behaviors.
We should not teach our children and young people merely how to use a mobile phone; we must also teach them:
What to watch, what to write, what to share, and what to refrain from.
It is essential to make them realize that even behind the screen of a mobile phone, Allah Almighty is watching us.
If we write or share something in private that Allah dislikes, we may hide it from people’s eyes, but we can never hide it from Allah Almighty.
Our Deeds Will Be Accounted for in the Hereafter
We must never forget that every action of our lives is being recorded. The Holy Qur’an says:
﴿يَوْمَ تَشْهَدُ عَلَيْهِمْ أَلْسِنَتُهُمْ وَأَيْدِيهِمْ وَأَرْجُلُهُمْ بِمَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ﴾
“On the Day when their tongues, their hands, and their feet will testify against them concerning what they used to do.”
Today, whatever we say with our tongues and whatever we write with our hands may tomorrow become evidence either for us or against us.
Therefore, every comment, every post, every share, and every video we publish on social media should remind us of our accountability in the Hereafter.
Conclusion
Social media is a powerful tool. This power is in our hands. We can use it to spread knowledge, goodness, reform, and love, or we can use the very same tool to spread lies, backbiting, hatred, discord, and obscenity.
Therefore, we do not need to abandon social media; rather, we need to use it correctly and responsibly.
Let us make a commitment that:
We will not share false news.
We will not play with anyone’s honor and dignity.
We will avoid backbiting and false accusations.
We will not abandon good manners even when we disagree.
We will not waste our time.
We will make social media a means of spreading goodness, knowledge, and reform.
May Allah Almighty grant us the ability to recognize the truth as truth and follow it, and to recognize falsehood as falsehood and avoid it.
اللهم أرنا الحق حقًا وارزقنا اتباعه، وأرنا الباطل باطلًا وارزقنا اجتنابه۔
O Allah! Show us the truth as truth and grant us the ability to follow it, and show us falsehood as falsehood and grant us the ability to avoid it.
Ameen, O Lord of the worlds.
