Fatwa #456728 July 2020Pakistan
Defending Islam through Twitter
Question
Assalamoalaikum wa rehmatullahi wa barakaatuhu, hadhrat,
I am living in india n nowadays there is a lot of hatred n negativity n lies spread on social media against Muslims that is having definate consequences in the society by promoting violence against muslims and showing islam in bad light.
I made a Twitter account , before that i didnt have any social media account becoz it leads to a lot of sins n waste of precious time. I made the account so that if people at times try to distort islamic teachings n make us look as if our religion is backward or superstitious. I wud reply to their tweets by showing the truth about islam, in that i wud make sure that i dont argue n just put my point across. Also i have not put my details in my account so they dont know whether they r talking to a male or female to avoid ay sort of fitna.
My sole intention is that many muslims will read my tweets n will become aware of the beauty of islam, be it regarding circumcision, which they were ridicululing although it protects against penile cancer n also cervical cancer in wife of such a male...or be it triple talaq which they have villianised although its the most pratical thing n in favor of the woman.
But in my heart i have a doubt whether i shud continue, as someone told me that social media never brought any good to anyone.... but same was said about internet initially, and of social media can be used to spread lies why cant we spread truth with it
... i am a bit skeptical on continuing on Twitter, coz i dont want to sin ...
Plz guide me.
Also i want to work for the upliftment of the ummah, what should i do about it? How can i contribute
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
Sister in Islam,
May Allah reward you for your good intention.
Educating people about the reality and beauty of Islam is an act of great virtue.
Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) advised Ali (Radhiyallahu Anhu:
أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال لعلي رضي الله عنه : " فَوَاللَّهِ لَأَنْ يَهْدِيَ اللَّهُ بِكَ رَجُلًا وَاحِدًا، خَيْرٌ لَكَ مِنْ أَنْ يَكُونَ لَكَ حُمْرُ النَّعَمِ
(صحيح البخاري4259)
Translation: Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) said to Ali (Radhiyallahu Anhu), "By Allah, if a single person is guided by Allah through you, it will be better for you than a whole lot of red camels.” (Bukhari: 4259)
Furthermore, it is the responsibility of a Muslim to defend Islam to the best of their ability within the parameters of Shariah when Islam is being attacked and presented in a distorted way. We are living in an era of technology and social media. The good of it is good and the evil of it is evil. If social media platforms can be used in a responsible way to propagate Islam and defend Islam against distorted versions of Islam, then the use of social media will be good and an act of virtue. However, it is important to also guard oneself from the tricks of the nafs and shaytaan. A person may initially enter the social media domain with good intentions, but if he does not put safeguard procedures in place, then he could fall into the trap of the nafs and shaytaan.
Our advice is, if you sincerely wish to propagate Islam and defend Islam through Twitter, you do so under the guard and supervision of your Mahram. You should also consult Ulama and seek guidance from them before posting any tweet. If you are in doubt about any posting, exercise restraint and precaution.
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Mohamed Ebrahim bin Ismail Abdullah
Student - Darul Iftaa
Pietermaritzburg, KZN, South Africa
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.