Islamic information in the era of the Internet

Recently it has become a widespread practice to post, share and forward Islamic quotes, hadith and Koranic ayat via different online services. It is the fastest and easiest as well as the cheapest way to share any information anywhere. Just a click and a message can reach millions.

Using contemporary means of communication such as the Internet and mobile phones to spread information and to provide guidance is in fact a pious deed. It is well-known that one who guides others to do good is as the one who does good.

Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Whoever calls others to guidance will have a reward like the rewards of those who follow him, without that detracting from their reward in any way.” (Narrated by Muslim: 2674) However, sadly, some Muslims in the process of spreading Dawah seem to be ignorant of the authenticity of the message of Islam they share. In the blindness of spreading more and more information about Islam, they ignore the responsibility to analyse and verify content. The main focus is to share as much as they can in order to harvest more rewards, that is to say, the more we share, the more additional is the reward. Isn’t that it?

It happens that we may see a piece of advice or a warning beneath a text message, email or an image that reads: “if you forward this, you will receive good news”; “do not forget to share this or you will have sinned”; “when you are going to forward this, Satan will stop you” or “I know you will not have time to share this” and so on.

Furthermore there is sent text with so called miracles and wonders regarding the Koran and Islam that are not revealed in the Koran or in the Sunna of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), such as: “some twisted trees in Turkey that spell Koranic verses”; “a fruit or a fish with the name of “Allah” written on it”; “a tree or a camel bowing toward Mecca in prayer”, “a fruit with “Bismillah” written on it” and many more like that.

Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “At the end of time there will be such deceivers and liars who will narrate to you such hadith that neither you your grandfathers would have heard of. You must avoid them and make them keep away from you so that they are not able to misguide you and put you in fitna.” (Narrated by Muslim).

Perhaps, most people nowadays have found this way of sharing to be a new way of worshipping. They think just sharing and forwarding hadith, Koranic ayat and Islamic quotes are identical to the worshipping of Almighty Allah.

They are so drowned in posting and sharing that sometimes they even abandon their Salah (prayer) and other obligatory forms of worship.

Their favourite pastime is to search for Islamic quotes and videos and then to send them to others.

In doing this, they think they are spreading Islam and doing great deeds. And they think they have thus done their duties as Muslims without needing to actually practice what they share.

Well! The intention to share is not bad but sometimes people depend entirely on the Internet for each and everything that comes their way. This might be misleading and deceiving.

However, the promotion of authentic religious messages containing hadith and Koranic verses is lawful and is preferred. Nevertheless, one must always check whether a message is correct before passing it on to others as one may sin for forwarding lies and untrue information as though endorsed by Islamic teachings.

Clearly we are in an age of rapid communication and almost all of us have access to one or multiple means of such communication. The most common is the mobile phone; they are used by almost everyone and everywhere.

In fact, the Internet contains a treasure of valuable information, but it is often difficult to distinguish the good from the bad. We must keep in mind that even a fifteen year old boy can publish anything on the Web as easily as a well-established publisher.

Since we often receive messages containing falsehoods with either no reference or authentic source or with baseless orientations, sharing these recklessly may yield opposite results and misguide the public at large.

Islam is one of the world’s major religions. Thus it is frightening to see skilled people sharing, forwarding or referring to unverified images and articles about the great religion.

In the age of the Internet where manipulation and distortion have become the easier than ever, we need to keep our eyes open and to wisely analyse content, whether it be for personal purposes or to be forwarded to others.

In the process of the deeds of Dawah and reviving Islam, we must not forget that we cannot associate falsehoods with our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) or with Almighty Allah: if so, the true direction is lost.

If a person intending to share anything is not sure about the authenticity of its content, he or she must avoid doing so, whether it is about Islam or about anything else. In fact spreading anything false or untrue is forbidden in Islam.

The Koran says, “Do not follow blindly any information of which you have no direct knowledge. (Using your faculties of perception and comprehension) you must verify it for yourself. In the court of your Lord, you will be held accountable for your hearing, sight, and the faculty of reasoning.” (Sura Al-Israa, ayat 36).

We should also be aware that there are also certain paid agents: Islam haters who are assigned this duty to distort sacred messages by spreading false and confusing information about our religion.

Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “It is enough for a man to prove himself a liar when he narrates whatever he hears.” (Narrated by Muslim -1547).

Everyone has his or her own personal views about different issues such as politics, sports, and education, but in Islamic matters regarding Islam we must follow what Allah and our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) have said. Those who use such sources to seek Islamic information should be very careful and not believe in just anything they come across. Verify the content before believing, following or

sharing it.

Almighty Allah has warned: “O you who believe! If a wicked person comes to you with news, verify it, lest you should harm people in ignorance and afterwards become regretful for what you have done.” (Sura Al-Hujurat, ayat 6).

It is high time to value the words of wisdom prescribed in the holy Koran about ‘not harming people in ignorance’ and be extraordinarily attentive to the content one shares with others. We hope people do not ignore this and that they will pay heed to the emerging challenges arising out of misinformation.

MARYAM HEDAYAT