Twenty-fourth Ramadan Lecture Presented by Al-Sayyid Abdul Malik Badruddin Al-Houthi, 1444 A.H.
The blessing of expression (4)
its misuse by the followers of Shaytan
I seek refuge in Allah from Shaytan, the outcast.
In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful.
Praise is to Allah, Lord of the Worlds. I believe that there is no god but Allah, the Sovereign and the Manifest Truth, and that Muhammad, our master, is His servant, Messenger, and Last Prophet.
O Allah, confer Your salat and blessings upon Muhammad and the Family of Muhammad as You conferred Your salat and blessings upon Ibrahim and the Family of Ibrahim. You are Owner of Praise, Owner of Glory! And be pleased with Muhammad's good companions and all Your righteous servants and mujahidin.
O Allah, guide us and grant us acceptance, for You are All-Hearing, All-Knowing; accept our repentance, for You are the Relenting and the Merciful.
Brothers and sisters, peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.
In our discussion that highlighted the great blessing Allah (Glory be to Him) has bestowed upon humanity—the blessing of speech and writing—and the importance this blessing extensively holds in all aspects of people's lives, we found that people can benefit from this blessing in their religion and worldly affairs when they express gratitude to Allah (Glory be to Him) and use this blessing in what benefits them. This blessing of great significance has a significant impact, and it can be a means for receiving great goodness from Allah (Glory be to Him). This can be received through mentioning Him, speaking the truth, sticking to good words, and using this blessing in all areas of life in a proper way that is free from any prohibitions and forms of misuse that have negative effects on the individual, those around, and the reality of life and cause one to bear a sin and burden (We seek refuge in Allah).
As we mentioned, a person might choose to be grateful for this blessing and use it in a proper and beneficial way that expresses his faith, good morals, righteous soul, pure heart, and good feelings and intentions, or he might choose to misuse this blessing, just as the saying that goes in poetry and proverbs: 'Nothing comes out of a plate except what is in it.' It expresses how evil the soul and inner feelings of a person are when he sticks to bad speech and expression, supports falsehood, lies, attributes lies to Allah and His servants, insults others without justification, violates their honour, talks about them in a bad and false way, and defames them. The same goes for all other forms of misuses of this blessing.
The wicked among humans and their evil use of the blessing of expression
The disbelievers and those who associate others with Allah and their grave transgressions
There are so many areas for misusing this blessing, and it is bad people who misuse it more than others. At the fore front in this are those who associate others with Allah and the disbelievers who deviate in this life from the path of Allah and His instructions, deny every blessing Allah (Glory be to Him) bestowed upon them, and at the same time, associate themselves with Shaytan, as he tempts and influences them, pushing them to utilize and employ all their abilities and what Allah has granted them in a way that shows ingratitude for His blessings.
Therefore, on the front of disbelief, among the disbelievers and those who deviate from the true path of Allah, they utilize this blessing, which is a gift from Allah bestowed upon humanity, to insult Allah, the Generous Bestower, the Merciful Lord, the Possessor of immense favour, Almighty Allah, the Sacred, the Transcendent, and Who is glorified by all that is in the heavens and the earth through words and actions.
The Holy Quran also speaks about the insult the disbelievers and the misguided, in their various categories, direct towards Allah (Glory be to Him) in their beliefs and what they use to express these beliefs, such as their statements and words that insult Allah (Glory be to Him), His Majesty, His Perfection, His Greatness, and His Sanctity. The Holy Quran extensively addresses this topic, and there is not enough time to discuss the details of what they have said. Through reciting the Holy Quran, one learns a great deal and reads much of what Allah has mentioned about their offensive statements, the responses to them, their refutation, and clarification of their falsehood and their evil. They have indeed done wrong to Allah, even though He is Sacred: {'Glorified and Highly Exalted is He above what they claim!'}. Therefore, glorifying Allah is considered one of the most important principles and the most important athkar.
In the Holy Quran, we find a detailed discussion on their blasphemy against Allah:
- in their likening of Allah to His creation,
- in their attributing a son to Allah,
- and in their attributing partners to Allah (Glory be to Him) in His divinity and lordship.
There are many more details.
One of the most terrible things they attributed to Allah was that He has a son! This is a blasphemous belief and statement through which they offended Allah. This belief is held by polytheistic idolaters, the Jews, and the Christians. That is why Allah (Glory be to Him) stated in the Holy Quran, as part of the mission of the Prophet and the Holy Quran in warning against it, {'And to warn those who claim, "Allah has taken a son." They have no knowledge of this, nor did their forefathers. What a terrible claim that comes out of their mouths! They say nothing but lies'}. {'What a terrible claim that comes out of their mouths!'}—it is an extremely vile statement, of great magnitude, containing a great fabrication, a tremendous slander, a great offense, and a terrifying falsehood. Thus, they have exceeded the bounds of truth with it and committed a great offense against Allah, the Almighty.
{'They say, "The Most Compassionate has taken a son." You have certainly made an outrageous claim'}—an extremely terrible false claim of great enormity—{'By which the heavens are about to burst, the earth to split apart, and the mountains to crumble to pieces in protest of attributing children to the Compassionate. It does not befit the Compassionate to have children'}.
So many are the numerous statements made by the disbelievers, polytheists, and all the misguided groups through which they offended Allah (Glory be to Him) and His great perfection: They likened Him to His creation and committed a great offense against Him to such an extent that {'By which the heavens are about to burst, the earth to split apart, and the mountains to crumble to pieces.'}
Due to how heinous, offensive, terrible, ugly, and false some words and statements are, though being only words, mountains may crumble to pieces, the earth may split apart, and the heavens may burst! So you can realize how dangerous bad words can be and how dangerous it is for a person to in any way put himself in danger because of what he says without paying due care or attention to it.
Some examples are their statements regarding the resurrection; their statements against Allah's prophets and messengers, as they went so far in insulting them with vile labels, such as sorcerers, madmen, poets, liars, and more false accusations; their statements about the angels; their statements in denying the books of Allah; their statements in hindering others from the path of Allah—their statements are plentiful and mentioned in the Holy Quran.
A significant and extensive portion of their extreme falsehood, their evil, their disbelief, and their misguidance is manifested in what they say, express, and speak. A large part of their misguidance, disbelief, falsehood, and evil deeds does not go beyond words, but such words are often used in a way that insults Allah, His prophets and messengers, His books, His religion, and His believing servants. They strive through such words to hinder others from the path of Allah, the Almighty.
A significant part of their war, their war against the Divine Message, against the prophets of Allah, against the believing servants of Allah, is their words, expressions, writings, and statements through which they fight against the religion of Allah, the Almighty. Allah says about them, {'Before them, the people of Nuh denied , as did enemy forces afterwards. Every community plotted against its prophet to seize him, and argued in falsehood, to discredit the truth with it. So I seized them. And how was My punishment!'}. They denied the messengers, the prophets, the Divine Message, and the divine principles that the messengers and prophets brought, such as the principle of monotheism, the principle of the Hereafter, and other important, great principles.
They used to argue in falsehood, engaging in disputes based on false doubts and baseless arguments that had no real foundation. They sought through these arguments to undermine the truth and invalidate it: {'to discredit the truth with it'}. Generations, nations, and people who indulged in such arguments eventually perished. Allah seized them with His punishment and brought about their destruction: {'So I seized them. And how was My punishment!'}.
The disbelievers from the People of the Book and their misuse of this blessing
One front among the fronts of disbelief, misguidance, and falsehood is the front of the disbelievers from the People of the Book. It is a significant front consisting of disbelievers (the Jews and the Christians), driven by falsehood and engaged in fighting against the truth and in working to mislead the servants of Allah. A large part of their activities and their disbelief, falsehood, misguidance, corruption, and evil deeds, is also carried out through their speech, writings, distortions, and fabrications. They have worked to confuse the truth with falsehood, but how do they operate in this field? They operate through their speech and writing. In their activities, they depend on speech, education, media, propaganda, the use of their tongues and mouths, concealing the truth, spreading misguidance, launching false campaigns, and striving to extinguish the light of Allah. He (the Almighty) describes them by saying, {'They wish to extinguish Allah's light with their mouths'}. They engage in propaganda, fabrications, distorting facts, spreading doubts, and launching various and numerous propaganda campaigns: Allah says, {'They want to extinguish Allah's Light with their mouths'}, and He also says, {'They wish to extinguish Allah's light with their mouths.'}
Similarly, when it comes to insults, the disbelievers among the People of the Book are among the most severe in their insults against Allah. They commit extremely grave insults against Allah, reaching the level of associating partners with Him, disbelief, and horrific insults against Allah.
One of the statements of the Jews is their saying, {'And the Jews said, "Allah is tight-fisted"'}. This is a tremendous insult to Allah, accusing Him of stinginess! The Holy Quran also mentions about them their saying, {'Allah is poor; we are rich'}.
They claim that He has taken a son, and they attribute to Him lies and fabrications and commit what is a great insult. They speak ill of Allah with a lot of offensive speech, as well as their frequent slander against His messengers and prophets. They invent falsehood about Allah and fabricate lies against Him. {'And they attribute lies to Allah knowingly.'}
Regarding the crimes of distortion and fabrication, it is also mentioned about them in relation to the attribution of taking a son, {'They resemble the earlier disbelievers in their saying'}. The Holy Quran also says about them, {'O People of the Book! Why do you mix the truth with falsehood and hide the truth knowingly?'}, and {'Say, "O People of the Book! Why do you turn the believers away from the Way of Allah, seeking to make it crooked"'}.
They have employed their experience and skills to confound truth with falsehood, to distort the realities, and to fight against Islam, against the truth, and against the divine principles. They are of the most active people in this aspect: in propaganda and media activities and distortion through the intellectual and cultural aspects. And they are of the worst people in terms of their great insult to Allah (Glory be to Him) in their sayings, writings, and misleading activities aimed at misleading the servants of Allah.
The munafiqin as the worst of people in their use of this blessing
The munafiqin are of those groups who follow the steps of the disbelievers and the People of the Book in misusing the blessing of speech and expression. They employ this blessing and use it in a bad way to serve falsehood; to stand against the cause of Allah (Glory be to Him); to insult Allah, His Messenger, and His religion; to badly affect the spirit of Muslim society; to create turmoil among Muslims; to serve the enemies of Islam and Muslims, subjugate the Ummah to them, and undermine its unity from within; and to target the believers and righteous people of the sons of society. Among all humans, this group is of the worst groups in terms of badly using this blessing, denying this blessing, and showing ingratitude to this great blessing Allah (Glory be to Him) granted them.
{'The munafiqin, both men and women, are of one another'}: Regardless of their different categories and forms (since they are different groups and have various motives for their nifaq), they cooperate with each other and eventually move in the same direction at the practical level.
{'They command to what is evil'}. They have an extensive activity in the arena with their tongues, sayings, and writings. They try to push people to what is wrong: what is against the instructions of Allah, against His prescribed way , against His commands, and away from His straight path.
{'They… forbid what is right'}—the vast scope of what is right: what is true, what is consistent with Allah's instructions, what Allah has commanded, what He has directed to, and what He has called to. They try to forbid people from it, push them away from it, urge them to stay away from it, and discourage them from it.
About how they stand against the cause of Allah, even with the use of false oaths, Allah says, {'They have made their oaths as a shield, hindering from the way of Allah'}. That means they use even false oaths: {'And they swear to lies knowingly'}. He also says about them, {'They will suffer a painful punishment for their lies'}, because they abundantly invent a lot of lies and fake rumours and seek to push people into falsehood through deceitful methods and numerous lies—they use lying to a very large extent! They also discourage people from spending in the cause of Allah, Jihad in the cause of Allah, taking a position against His enemies, and engaging in acts of goodness that can ensure the betterment of society—such important acts that can establish a righteous society based on the guidance and teachings of Allah.
Indeed, their activity in undermining, exaggerating, discouraging, intimidating, and stirring up turmoil among the members of society is very wide. The Holy Quran has spoken about it a lot in the surahs of At-Tawbah, Al-Baqarah, Al-Munafiqun, and many other surahs. Indeed, this has received a very great deal of attention in the Holy Quran.
There is also the category of those misleading ones who depend on distorting facts, on attributing lies to Allah (Glory be to Him) through attributing to Him what they claim to be part of His religion, and on presenting doubts, with which they affect people who do not have correct knowledge and understanding in order to mislead them. They also fall into these categories:
- Some of them fall into the category of idolaters, disbelievers, and atheists;
- some, the category of the People of the Book;
- and some, the movement of nifaq.
They fall into various categories, as the categories of misguidance are many; however, they can be collectively labeled as the Auliya of Shaytan.
Warning the believers against misusing this blessing
Believers are warned against misusing this blessing so that they do not commit the same mistakes committed by others from other groups, such as munafiqin, disbelievers, the People of the Book, and all those groups that have deviated from Allah's right path. Indeed, believers are warned against misusing this blessing, for the improper use of this blessing reflects many evils and has very serious effects. Such a person combines the sin of violating Allah's instructions and of disobeying Allah's commands and prohibitions, the sin of committing injustice due to misusing this blessing, and the sin of dividing society and stirring division among the Ummah.
The believing people are in need to be a harmonious, cooperative, brotherly, and understanding society because they have collective responsibilities: to strive for the cause of Allah, enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong, and cooperate with one another very widely in righteousness and Taqwa, which is a collective responsibility that necessitates harmony, brotherhood, and pure hearts. When feelings of animosity, hatred, grudges, and wounded hearts arise among them, it will affect the extent of their cooperation negatively. They are the ones whom Allah has commanded to maintain brotherhood and love among themselves, to be humble towards one another, and to be merciful among themselves. The Holy Quran has come with warnings against all of that.
Some examples of the misuse of the blessing of speech
False oaths:
There is a severe warning in the Holy Quran against false oaths—the dipping oath. Why would a person swear a false oath? Why would he swear falsely? That is often because of greed. Indeed, some individuals are driven by greed, desiring to seize what belongs to others, their wealth. Greed leads them to resort to such actions, which are unjust and sinful and encompass multiple crimes. Some individuals may also resort to false oaths in order to achieve wrongful outcomes in certain matters, problems, criminal cases, or other situations.
False oaths and swearing falsely are only used for an evil purpose, for an evil purpose. So it is bad and leads to bad consequences and grave sins. That is why Allah (Glory be to Him) says, {'Indeed, those who exchange the covenant of Allah and their oaths for a small price will have no share in the Hereafter, and Allah will not speak to them or look at them on the Day of Resurrection, nor will He purify them. And they will have a painful punishment'}. This is of the grave sins that make one's good deeds completely futile and lead Allah meet all his deeds with unacceptance. Simultaneously, it has negative, terrible impacts on the person: It corrupts his soul; he gets deprived of success; and he causes himself a bad end—Jahannam.
There is a hadith that says, 'It dips the oath taker into the Fire and leaves homes empty of its people!' This is terrifying!
False testimony:
False testimony is one of the crimes and evil acts that reflect misusing the blessing of speech, expression, and the tongue to a very bad extent. False testimony is also taken for the sake of an evil purpose, supporting falsehood, a bad position, or seizing what belongs to others; and it usually occurs in cases driven by greed—this is true most of the time—or injustice.
It leads to injustice in all cases and results in other evils and crimes. That is why Allah says about His believing servants in their commitment to faith, {' those who do not give false testimony'}. It contradicts faith entirely: A believer cannot give false testimony. Whoever give false testimony, he has stepped out of the realm of faithful commitment and has become a sinful and evil person. {'So avoid the abomination of idols and avoid saying falsehood'}—both false statements and false testimonies are forbidden.
Lying in all its forms:
Another misuse of this blessing is lying. Lying is one of the worst and most condemned traits. A person who habitually and intentionally lies is a person with a lowly soul who does not value himself or care about his dignity.
Lying has various degrees, from fabricating lies about Allah, fabricating lies about His servants, fabricating lies in religious, important, and significant matters, to lying in any case that can lead to injustice, corruption, evil, falsification of facts, usurpation of rights, or harm. Allah (Glory be to Him) says, {'No one fabricates lies except those who disbelieve in Allah's revelations, and it is they who are the liars'}. It is also mentioned in a narration, 'Avoid lying, for lying is incompatible with faith.' A believer seeks truthfulness and does not intentionally lie. He strives to speak the truth.
Slander:
Another evil misuse is slander. When you speak ill of others and attribute things to them that they are innocent of, without any basis or evidence, it is considered slander, falsehood, lying, injustice, and a great sin. Allah (Glory be to Him) says, {'As for those who abuse believing men and women unjustifiably, they will definitely bear the guilt of slander and blatant sin'}. And this is considered a heinous crime with serious consequences for the individual and his deeds.
Another misuse of this blessing is defaming and fault-finding. Allah says in the Holy Quran, {'Woe to every defamer and fault-finder'}. He also says, {'Do not find fault with one another'}. In the context of describing the evil characteristics of His enemies and the wicked and bad ones among them, He (the Almighty) says, {'A defamer, going about with malicious gossip'} —a defamer.
Defaming and fault-finding both are related to diminishing people, speaking ill of them, and talking negatively about them. That is the case when you target a person's dignity and honour and try to diminish him, degrade his dignity, and harm his reputation—you are trying to defame him, violating his honour and dignity. This is a very terrible crime and one of the worst sins that spread among people in a strange way, to the extent that some become defamers and fault-finder. But how? They stick to this as the habitual behaviour that they persist in. They extensively keep attacking people's honour and speaking ill of them, since they have become accustomed to it and continue with it. The wider their scope of activity in this is, the more it involves lies and unjustified insults. A hadith mentions, 'The evillest kind of usury is going to lengths in talking unjustly against a Muslim's honour.' This is considered a great burden and a grave sin that render good deeds worthless, badly affect one's human worth, and cause negative effects in spreading division among society.
In this era, this phenomenon has become widespread to a great extent and prevalent among people. Many have become accustomed to it. In social gatherings for chewing qat, there are those who unleash their tongues against this person or that one or this group or that one, belittling them, defaming them, violating their honour, talking ill of them, and destroying their dignity. As for online platforms, unfortunately, it has become a prominent activity even among those who belong to Islam. Their notable activity is engaging in defaming others and finding fault with them.
It is a great loss for a person to become a defamer and fault-finder. It becomes a defining characteristic of yours that you are a defamer and fault-finder, for you used to frequently violate the honour of others. Your primary concern, your most active pursuit, your writings, your tweets, your words—they are all filled with defaming and fault-finding. You have become a habitual defamer and fault-finder. So woe to you from the punishment of Allah! Woe to you from the fire of Jahannam, from the Crusher! In this world, you sought to crush the spirits of others with your hurtful words and with your unjust and baseless remarks. It has become your profession, a behaviour you continue and find comfort in. Some find solace in it, and some are talented in the sharpness of their tongues, crafting hurtful phrases, carefully selecting them, and perfecting hurtful methods. In doing so, they harm themselves, burdening themselves with a burden and a sin. They will be thrown into the fire of Jahannam, into the Crusher, which will crush them with its flaming fire {'which rages over the hearts'}, just as they sought to crush the feelings of others and were frequently abusive towards them.
This can become a daily habit for some: In their writings, their gatherings for chewing qat, or their movements (in the bus, on the street, in the market, in the store, in the grocery, etc.), they have accustomed themselves to such a truly bad and heinous habit that even leads to the corruption of the soul.
The more corrupt one's words get, the more corrupt his soul becomes! One of the most prominent effects of having a corrupt and filthy tongue is that it leads to the corruption of the soul: The more corrupt your tongue gets, the more corrupt your soul becomes! This has an inner effect on your heart, your feelings, and your soul. Conversely, whenever you cleanse your tongue, it helps purify your soul and reflects your noble character, elevated status, and your keenness to distance yourself from negative things.
When one's tongue becomes a foul, dirty, abusive, and derogatory tongue, this deeply affects his own psychological reality. He diminishes his own dignity. Even though such a person seeks to diminish the dignity of others, the fact is that those foul-mouthed and bad ones who keep defaming and insulting others and disregard people's honour, they themselves undermine their own dignity. They have no worth, no dignity. People will look at them with this perception: that they are bad and despicable people who have no dignity, morals, or value—they have devalued themselves.
When Allah (Glory be to Him) said, {'A defamer, going about with malicious gossip'}, He mentioned it alongside other attributes that are all attributes of disbelief, evil deeds, and vile characteristics of extreme ugliness. He made this attribute a counterpart to those attributes as a series of negative attributes.
When Allah (Glory be to Him) said, {'Do not find fault with one another'}, He clarifies that when you speak ill of your fellow Muslim, a member of your Muslim community, you are harming yourself and demeaning the Ummah that you are part of. This has negative consequences.
Mockery, backbiting, and spreading calumny
One of the misuses is mockery, whether using phrases or gestures. However, using phrases comes top on the list, and then come the other methods that indicate belittling or ridiculing others—specific phrases or insults. Allah has strongly warned against this: {'O you who believe! Let not a group mock at another group, since it possible that the latter are better than the former; nor let (some) women mock at other women, since it possible that the latter are better than the former'}.
Backbiting is also one of the worst and highly dangerous phenomena that indicate a lack of faith, a lack of religious commitment, and a malicious nature when it becomes a habit, practice, and behaviour for some people. Allah says, {'Backbite not one another. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would hate it '}. That is when you speak about others in their absence, belittling them, criticizing them, and trying to diminish their dignity and status in the eyes of others. You belittle and speak ill about what you perceive as their imperfections: If what you attribute to them is true, then it is backbiting, and if it is false, then it is slander. 'Backbiting is the food of the Hellfire's dogs.' Backbiting is a very bad trait: Just consider this comparison, {'Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother?'} Do you like this for yourself? To eat the flesh of whom? The flesh of your brother! The flesh of your brother! You, indeed, go beyond the sanctity of brotherhood. {'His dead brother'}—you eat him when he is dead! How would you appear? It would be horrific and savage (We seek refuge in Allah).
Spreading calumny is also one of the bad behaviours related to the misuse of the tongue. Spreading calumny is very dangerous, and some people develop a habit of it. In fact, it becomes their craft and profession. So when they hear any provocative or offensive words from one person about another, they rush to convey them, igniting discord, division, enmity, hatred, and resentment between them—{'a defamer, going about with calumnies'}. It is also among the qualities of the wickedest ones among Allah's creation, as they try to sow division, discord, and conflict among people.
Some individuals, through their pursuit of spreading calumny, may cause murder crimes, deep division among members of society, or the failure of important endeavours—such individuals might divide those who were about to cooperate on important endeavours because of their calumny.
Instead of seeking to spread calumny, they can talk to that who has caused offence or said a harsh or provoking word. They can say, 'O brother! Fear Allah, for you are not permissible to backbite your Muslim brother or say such things,' instead of resorting to calumny that causes provocation and problems.
There is a hadith that says, 'The spreader of calumny never goes to Jannah': He does not go to Jannah; his destiny is Jahannam. That is because spreading calumny is among the major sins and heinous transgressions that render a person's Salat and other deeds void, leading him to the Fire. Another hadith also states, 'The spreader of malicious gossip never goes to Jannah.' A spreader of malicious gossip is a spreader of calumny.
How terrible it is when that bad behaviour turns into a habit! And some people find pleasure in that; they enjoy and feel comfortable when they pass on a word to this person and another to that one and from those individuals to others, attempting to stir up problems among them.
Calling others by offensive nicknames
Among the misuses is calling others by offensive nicknames. It refers to calling someone by a name or a specific or provocative phrase in order to give him a nickname that is offensive, provocative, degrading, and insulting. This is prohibited: {'Nor call each other by offensive nicknames.'}Allah (Glory be to Him) says to warn us, {'Nor call each other by offensive nicknames. How evil it is to act rebelliously after having faith! And whoever does not repent, it is they who are the wrongdoers.'}
Insulting names, mocking, and fault-finding are all criminal acts of injustice. One should repent to Allah from what is prohibited in the Quranic verse and beware of that; otherwise, a person will be counted among whom? He will be among the wrongdoers. Ask the Quran, 'What is the destiny of the wrongdoers? What is their future in the Hereafter?' It is Jahannam (We seek refuge in Allah). Therefore, this matter is extremely serious.
In social gatherings, people should be keen to make these gatherings clean and free from these evils and sins in order not to become a source of sins or turn into a center where a person enters and leaves burdened with the words that he said or heard. He talks and participates with his tongue, so he becomes the one who slanders, points out other's faults, mocks, backbites, lies, and burdens himself with a lot of sins. So the gathering never ends without such a person bearing various types of sins. In just an hour or several hours, he will burden himself with great and serious sins, all of which are reprehensible and destructive and of the major sins and the evils of transgressions that cause him to enter the fire of Jahannam, make his righteous deeds become void, and negate the reward of your Salat, fasting, and other actions. In addition to being burdened with what he says, a person might bear sin due to what he hears as he becomes a listener to lies: He hears, interacts, and accepts gossip, malicious gossip, slandering, and pointing out others' faults. He burdens himself with sin due to what he says and what he hears, listens to, and interacts with (We seek refuge in Allah).
Allah (Glory be to Him) warns people in their gatherings and in their private conversations, saying, {'When you converse privately, let it not be for sin, aggression, or disobedience to the messenger, but let it be for righteousness and Taqwa. And fear Allah, to Whom you will be gathered'}.
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Social media platforms: their dangers and how to deal with them?
[There are also those other gatherings: social media platforms. Such platforms have become more prevalent than social gatherings to the extent that they attract the attention of many people even during their social gatherings. One must exercise caution.
Social media platforms are breeding grounds for rumours, propaganda, and falsehoods. They are the biggest sources of lies, fabrications, slander, misinformation, and false propaganda. All these sins are more prevalent there than anywhere else. It is a terrible situation, a highly dangerous threat to a person's faith, religious commitment, self-purification, noble character, and humanity.
Therefore, one should be cautious and not immediately interact with propaganda. When someone launches any form of propaganda, there are those who rush to interact with it. This is especially true if the person is talented in presenting that propaganda in a provocative or mocking manner, as many people start liking, reacting, and commenting, thus participating in that sin, burden, fabrication, falsehood, and act of defaming others and pointing out their faults.
Sometimes a person falls into the grave sin of supporting falsehood, which is one of the greatest crimes and gravest sins, regardless of the form this falsehood may take:
- falsehood in presenting something in the name of religion, be it a belief or a concept;
- falsehood related to people's issues, major conflicts, and significant matters;
- or falsehood related to people's disputes, even their personal disputes.
Whoever supports falsehood bears the burden before Allah (Glory be to Him) and shares in the guilt, becoming a partner in others' positions, falsehoods, crimes, and sins. This is a serious matter for a person. Allah says, {'Do not follow what you have no knowledge of. Indeed, all will be called to account for hearing, sight, and intellect'}. You are responsible on the Day of Resurrection for your hearing, sight, and intellect. These are means that Allah has given you to seek and ascertain the truth and reality. So do not be reckless, accepting anything, engaging with anything, or adopting anything. It is a serious matter for a person.
Receiving rumours in this manner and engaging with them without investigation, clarification, assurance, and caution is a bad approach. Allah says, {'when you passed it from one tongue to the other'}—it is a quick reception, from one tongue to another, without clarification, as if it were a lick with the tip of your tongue!
{'When you passed it from one tongue to the other and said with your mouths what you had no knowledge of, taking it lightly'}—this is one of the things that make people dare to engage in this: They consider matters ordinary, speak without restraint, criticize anyone, adopt any propaganda, and engage with anything, especially if it comes from someone talented in mockery or harsh criticism, a sharp-tongued person with sharp phrases. Some people admire this type of individuals.
{'Taking it lightly while it is serious in the sight of Allah'}—it is a tremendous crime and a grave sin. Its consequence is evil upon you: Its consequence is that you lose your righteous deeds and become distained to Jahannam. When you destroy yourself by your own actions, by your tongue, how remorseful will you be on the Day of Resurrection?
In this era, in this time, regarding the media issue and rumours, rumours are everywhere: in markets, on social media platforms, in various media outlets, in gatherings, and even while you are riding in cars, on buses, or in taxis!
Wherever you go, you encounter rumours. So adhere to the principle of clarification, investigation, and verification and then take the correct stance, a stance of justice and truth. Because rumours, sometimes, even if they present a valid issue, are manipulated by individuals to generalize it to an entire group, society, or ideology with the intention of defaming others. Everything is utilized in times of conflicts, and the Ummah is currently engaged in intense conflicts. Everything is employed to generalize things, to generalize things, to generalize things! Therefore, one should be cautious. Allah (Glory be to Him) says, {'O believers, if an evildoer brings you any news, verify so you do not harm people unknowingly, becoming regretful for what you have done'}. Clarification is of utmost importance in this era, as well as verification, confirmation, and focusing on important matters and the correct directions.
Regarding social media platforms and the issue of rumours and the wide media activity in this era, one should ensure that he has the right orientation, correct concerns, proper priorities, and valid cause. He should not be a chaotic individual, drifting and reacting to specific issues as if they were the issue of the century—the kind of person who insults people or passes harsh judgments for the sake of a particular issue, while forgetting about important matters, main issues, and correct orientations—then interacting with another issue there. Every day, such a person moves in a different direction, and every day, he is busy with a new issue.
One should strive to build his life on a solid foundation that pleases Allah (Glory be to Him). If any misconducts, mistakes, or issues arise, he should deal with them in proportion to their magnitude, level, and significance. One should not generalize such issues or develop negative attitudes based on those incidents, prioritizing certain issues at the expense of others. Rather, he should take a stance of justice, the right stance, and the right direction. Some individuals are easily influenced by media perceptions, and as a result, they overreact, exaggerate, and disregard truth and justice in everything. They go to extremes, and this is a very clear matter. Some individuals turn a personal issue (which can be addressed through justice, fairness, and practical means) into a matter that they work on publicly, thinking that this gains them importance in the eyes of others. They also take it as a hobby. Some are mere hobbyists, while others may have psychological issues. When these issues and grudges are combined with talent for sharpness of tongue or skilled writing, they work in a very negative way.
Allah (Glory be to Him) has guided us, directed us, and provided us with great and important teachings in the Holy Quran when He said, {'O believers! Be mindful of Allah, and say what is right'}.
The first aspect is to be mindful of Allah in what you say. Do not exceed the bounds of truth and justice. Do not rush into adopting false propaganda. Even in genuine matters, do not exceed the limits of truth and justice. {'O believers! Be mindful of Allah, and say what is right.'}
The second aspect is to stick to what is right in what you say. Speak in a manner that does not deviate from what is right. Seek the truth and present the subject in the right way, within the scope of your broad concerns, major causes, important issues, and significant positions. Then ensure that what you present is correct, practical, and positive and leads to practical results. Do not seek to sow division, ignite conflicts, or incite people towards chaos and negative attitudes that serve the enemies and contribute to the deterioration of society through hatred, abhorrence, grudges, frustration, and discontentment. This approach is neither practical nor correct, nor does it reflect sincere advice. The practical approach is not like this. The approach of those who seek good, want to do what is good, and establish justice is a positive and beneficial approach, not a negative approach.
Through what is mentioned in the Holy Quran—we spoke only about some examples and aspects, as this subject is extensively discussed in the Holy Quran—it becomes clear to all of us the significance of this blessing, the positive outcomes of its proper utilization, and the evils and negative consequences of misusing it .
That is enough for today.
We ask Allah (Glory be to Him) to accept our fasting, nights of worship, and good deeds.
O Allah, have mercy on our virtuous martyrs, heal the wounded among us, set free our captives, and grant us victory. You are All-Hearing!
Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.