Asalaamu aleykum warahmatullahi wabarakatahu,
Am I sinful for having a Facebook account? If I’m using Facebook only as a resource to seek information from people, as a tool for business knowledge, but not gossiping, does that make it permissible? Or am I sinful for associating with images? In that case, would I be sinful for having a snapchat account, but only viewing photos of my family and friends, but not posting actual pictures of myself? And then, would I be sinful for using WhatsApp? I use it as a message board space to share beneficial knowledge with others, and do my best to refrain from circulating images. Is it true that viewing images captured on screen is sinful? Could I open a message and divert my eyes to still hear the video without watching the screen if it has pictures of animate objects? Like listening to YouTube videos, but not actually watching them? I’m very unsettled in my usage of different social media, and continually justifying the means, especially when it’s not been spelled out to me in a language which I understand. I saw a fatwah once in Urdu, but some sister vaguely translated it. Please could you tell me where the lines are in using Social Media and viewing images? I’m trying to stay on the right side of black and white, even in this modern world that says, I need to use it for business success. May Allah help me and grant me the best success in Dunya and Akhirah. Ameen.
Jazzakum Allahu khayrn
الجواب وباللہ التوفیق
- The picture of a human or a living being which contains the face and eyes, whether produced by hand or digitally, the ruling in both cases is the same. Just as its production is not permissible in the same manner, it is not correct to watch it. وہذا کلہ مصرح في مذہب المالکیة وموٴید بقواعد مذہبنا ونصہ عن المالکیة ما ذکرہ العلامة الدردیر في شرحہ علی مختصر الخلیل حیث قال: یحرم تصویر حیوان عاقل أوغیرہ إذا کان کامل الأعضاء إذا کان یدوم، ․․․ ویحرم النظر إلیہ إذ النظر إلی المحرّم حرام․ (از بلوغ القصد والمرام ص۱۹) إھ
- The use of social media in itself is permissible (فی نفسہ مباح), however, crossing the Shar’i limits and using it in impermissible and forbidden manner then obviously it will be declared impermissible and if it is used in permissible ways for good causes, while taking precaution from the impermissible acts and sins, or in permissible acts with good intention then it will be a way of earning rewards. And if it is used for a necessity then it will be allowed whether is WhatsApp or Facebook, or Twitter. As far as watching or listening to news on the screen or using different applications is concerned, this issue has been addressed above. But according to my humble opinion, in the current times, social media is not less than a big tribulation (فتنہ).
Though all these apps are being used in religious matters too, but generally instead of being used for permissible purposes, these are used for impermissible actions, and in such use, the evil factor is dominant. Even the person using it for permissible and necessary matters cannot refrain from the impermissible acts, a few of which are mentioned below:
- Watching pictures
- Watching videos
- Watching impermissible things
- Relationship with namehrams and strangers
- Lying
- Cheating
- Backbiting
- Complaining
- Slander
- Curiosity
- Misrepresentation of Deen
- Spreading and motivating shamelessness, impermissible acts, and sins
- Spreading of unauthenticated news and rumors
- Spreading of suspicious and fabricated narrations
- Talking against the ulamah kiram and ridiculing and demeaning them
- Playing with other’s respect and honor
- Appreciating and increasing viewership of batil sects, sinful acts and impermissible aspects and thus by our usage helping and motivating these sinful and impermissible acts
- Degrading others
- Having wrong opinions and thoughts
- Watching scenes of nudity and vulgarity
- Listening to music
- Dancing etc.
All these acts are impermissible and haram. There is a long list of such vices which a person gets involved in even unwillingly. It’s a rare possibility that with the will of Allah, a person using internet and the social media will get protected from being involved it these vices. In addition, among the impermissible acts:
- Waste of time
- Mental distress
- Laziness and negligence in the acts of worship
- Lacking in fulfilling the rights of other people on us
- And now the condition is this that due to its abundant use, the detriment of impermissibility of clear and open acts of haram and impermissible acts such as watching vulgar pictures and pictures of namehrams, music and singing, lying, backbiting, and slander is leaving the hearts though we know its detriment. May Allah Ta‘ala protect us from it.
(اعاذنا اللہ منہا)In this background, a person who wants to protect his religion and faith and doesn’t want to tarnish himself from sins he does not need to be told of such religious instructions i.e. whether he should use it or not. May Allah Ta‘ala protect us from this tribulation and May He bless us with the ability to understand, how much destruction and deterioration of the Muslim Ummah is taking place through it. It is obvious that through such usage, we are helping the batil spread its venomous beliefs and thus we are being used as the tools for their success in their aims, may Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta‘ala help us understand the gravity of this issue.
It the light of such vices, the ulamah have prohibited us from even the permissible things and there is attestation and support on such forbiddance from several Ahadith of Rasulullah Sallallaho ‘Alyhi Wasallam, and this was the temperament of the Sahabah Kiram Rizwanullah Ta‘ala ‘Alyhim Ajm‘aeen. For example, due to the fear of interest and the grave sins associated with it, they used to leave 9 out of 10 parts of even what was halal. For this reason, in this time and age, the more we stay away from using the social media even for permissible purposes, the better it is for us.
واللہ اعلم بالصواب