Question
Majority of the forwards circulating on WhatsApp are of animate & illicit nature, Videos containing non mahram, videos with background music (including some bayans), videos of prominent scholars giving bayans and these videos watched by muslim women, clips of news broadcasts by women, etc.
By forward the above mentioned content to family and friends and sharing the content on our facebook wall, is it not considered Haraam/Sinful in doing so ?
Sometimes a person might have female staff at their workplace. In addition to sending them work related messages, a person might end up sending them and receiving from the staff unnecessary messages and forwards. Isn’t this also Haram, considering that a person can also send work related messages by ordinary SMS ?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
The permissibility of digital photography and videos is a highly contested issue amongst contemporary ‘Ulama. Irrespective of the academic debate on photography, ‘Ulama are unanimous on the fact that one may not look at pictures of the opposite gender, whether it be in the form of religious lectures, bayaans or educational lessons. Shari’ah has closed every avenue that may lead to evil and immorality. The ease of access to social media and justification of its use for beneficial purposes has desensitized the Ummah from basic and fundamental guidelines of Deen.
The ruling of social media will depend on the nature and contents of the medium. If one uses it for good or acceptable reasons and he is sure he will not become involved in anything impermissible by using it, it will be permissible for him to do so.
On the other hand, if in one’s general usage of social media, he engages in some haram activity such as the sharing of pictures and videos of the opposite gender, music related content or freely and unnecessarily engaging in conversation with an unrelated member of the opposite gender, or there is a genuine fear of doing so, it will not be permissible for such a person to use social media in that context.
If such content is shared on a public forum or group, it is the collective responsibility of the group members to put a stop to such posts. Failure to do so will lead one to sin. Both sharing media with Haraam content as well as looking/hearing at it impermissible.
However, stopping individuals from such practices should be done in a wise manner. A general, yet stern reminder should be posted on the group each time such posts are made. Together with that, senior members of the group or the group admins should privately speak to the individual. If the same members repeatedly default, they should be removed from public forums and groups.
If this action is not taken or such practices continue despite action being taken, then it is your responsibility to voice your displeasure at such practices and leave the group.
If one fears that he may not be able to protect himself from the temptation of such content and is also not taking any action against putting a stop to it, then he should exit all such forums and groups. His failure to do so will result in him engaging in Haraam.
Interaction with the opposite gender without dire need is the axis of many evils. Generally, a male is attracted to the feminine qualities of a female. Likewise, a female is attracted to the masculine qualities of a male. The natural inclination towards the opposite gender is the test of Imaan. We are advised to avoid any unnecessary contact with the opposite gender to safeguard us from being trapped in pursuing our carnal desires. The various social media platforms are the tools of Shaytaan to net men and women into immorality. Therefore, one should confine sending work related messages to a bare minimum and avoid sending unnecessary messages.
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Checked and Approved by
Mufti Nabeel Valli.
Darul Iftaa Mahmudiyyah
Lusaka, Zambia