The advent of the internet was a major breakthrough; it brought a
great revolution along with it and has been a helpful tool for
preachers, seekers of knowledge and workers in all areas of human
benefit. It also proved to be a useful means for the idle, small-minded
and irresolute people, enabling them to arrive at the object of their
quest as well. However, our focus here is on the benefits gained by the
workers in the field of Da‘wah, acquisition of useful knowledge and
good-doing.
The internet has been a blessing, and so was the introduction of social media platforms as a culmination of this blessing for those who made the best of them and harnessed them to achieve their objectives, disseminate their useful knowledge and promote Da‘wah.
It is painfully unfortunate though that we find that some virtuous people and influential workers in the Da‘wah field have fallen into the trap of social media and became addicted to them until they have become their main concern; they cannot keep away from their social media accounts, compulsively check them for new posts and cannot break free from their chains. They have become like someone who has slipped in mud, the more he tries to get out, the deeper he sinks.
Disaster:
The internet has been a blessing, and so was the introduction of social media platforms as a culmination of this blessing for those who made the best of them and harnessed them to achieve their objectives, disseminate their useful knowledge and promote Da‘wah.
It is painfully unfortunate though that we find that some virtuous people and influential workers in the Da‘wah field have fallen into the trap of social media and became addicted to them until they have become their main concern; they cannot keep away from their social media accounts, compulsively check them for new posts and cannot break free from their chains. They have become like someone who has slipped in mud, the more he tries to get out, the deeper he sinks.
Disaster:
Some
good people have turned into social media addicts and this is a
disaster. What a terrible disaster indeed when positive impactful
people, seekers of knowledge, callers to Allah and people we turn to for
advice should be diverted from knowledge and scientific production,
practical application, realization of sublime objectives and serving the
community to succumbing to consumerism!
It is a disaster that these elite individuals should swerve from minimizing wasted time and taking advantage of every moment in order to benefit thereof to wasting long hours on trivial internet activities!
It is a disaster that people who are able to create an impact and make a change should settle for following social media, retweeting and adding likes and comments here and there!
It is a disaster when those people, whom Allah endowed with a share of knowledge or understanding or awareness become preoccupied with checking their WhatsApp, Snapchat, Twitter and Instagram accounts to catch up with what is trending online!
It is a disaster that such people should spend more time on their mobile phones than they do reading, studying, helping their students, performing prayers, reciting Quraan, tending to their families and striving to realize their goals.
It is heartbreaking that these “role models” should be a bad example for others in wasting time, giving things the wrong order of priority and addictive use of technology.
It is a disaster when the noblest and meanest of people alike, and their cultured and commoners alike are all equal in their passive attitude and vulnerability to the goings-on on social media.
It is a disaster when those people think of themselves as influential actors with perceptible impacts simply because they echo the voices of others and react to their initiatives.
It is a disaster when one of them thinks that such waste of time on social media – which is condemned by the Shari‘ah – is a means to construe current conditions or a manifestation of caring about Muslims’ affairs, whereas it is nothing but an addiction in the full sense of the word and an actual implementation of the Sahih Hadith of the Prophet (saws) about the three prohibitions that Allah disliked for us: “… idle talk, asking too many questions (about matters that yield no real benefit) and wasting wealth.”
It is disastrous when those people collude to turn a blind eye to such internet addiction because they themselves are afflicted with it; so they legitimize it instead of counteracting it and treating themselves and others.
It is a disaster that these elite individuals should swerve from minimizing wasted time and taking advantage of every moment in order to benefit thereof to wasting long hours on trivial internet activities!
It is a disaster that people who are able to create an impact and make a change should settle for following social media, retweeting and adding likes and comments here and there!
It is a disaster when those people, whom Allah endowed with a share of knowledge or understanding or awareness become preoccupied with checking their WhatsApp, Snapchat, Twitter and Instagram accounts to catch up with what is trending online!
It is a disaster that such people should spend more time on their mobile phones than they do reading, studying, helping their students, performing prayers, reciting Quraan, tending to their families and striving to realize their goals.
It is heartbreaking that these “role models” should be a bad example for others in wasting time, giving things the wrong order of priority and addictive use of technology.
It is a disaster when the noblest and meanest of people alike, and their cultured and commoners alike are all equal in their passive attitude and vulnerability to the goings-on on social media.
It is a disaster when those people think of themselves as influential actors with perceptible impacts simply because they echo the voices of others and react to their initiatives.
It is a disaster when one of them thinks that such waste of time on social media – which is condemned by the Shari‘ah – is a means to construe current conditions or a manifestation of caring about Muslims’ affairs, whereas it is nothing but an addiction in the full sense of the word and an actual implementation of the Sahih Hadith of the Prophet (saws) about the three prohibitions that Allah disliked for us: “… idle talk, asking too many questions (about matters that yield no real benefit) and wasting wealth.”
It is disastrous when those people collude to turn a blind eye to such internet addiction because they themselves are afflicted with it; so they legitimize it instead of counteracting it and treating themselves and others.
We stand in dire need for a revolution against this dangerous internet addiction to be led by the repentant role models against this blind passive drifting behind technology and social networks and what goes on therein!
We stand in dire need to set up parameters, fences and warning signs against this pathological attachment, infatuation and losing oneself to social media even if it is disguised as good and as a means for crowding out evil and triviality!
We stand in dire need to continue denouncing this addiction, developing the tools for denouncement, diversifying its methods, not accepting the status quo under the pretext of ‘Umoom Al-Balwa (i.e., permissibility due to unavoidable necessity; when a matter becomes widespread and is difficult to avoid)!
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