4 Moral Violations on Social Media and How Muslims Can Avoid Them
Social media has
become an unavoidable necessity, difficult to escape. Yet it carries serious
harms—most notably that it has turned into a space for social decay rather than
genuine communication.
Since it
has become an inescapable reality—much like sitting in the roads, which the
Prophet (peace
be upon him) warned against when he said: “Avoid sitting in the roads. The people said: Apostle
of Allah! We must have meeting places in which to converse. The apostle of
Allah (peace be upon him) said: If you insist on meeting, give
the road its due. They asked: What is the due of roads, Apostle of Allah? He
replied: Lowering the eyes, removing anything offensive, returning salutation,
commanding what is reputable and forbidding what is disreputable.” (Narrated
by Al-Bukhari and Muslim).
Likewise,
in all matters that may lead to moral deviation unfitting of a Muslim—and are
difficult to avoid—the Muslim must give them their due rights. If engaging with
such platforms is necessary, then we must also give them their due by avoiding
their negatives, many of which fall into the realm of the prohibited. These are
numerous, and many people fall into them—perhaps unintentionally—considering
them trivial, while they are grave in the sight of Allah.
Moral Violations on Social Media
First: Mockery and Ridicule on Social
Media
Mockery
is a disease that afflicts societies,
and Allah Almighty has Forbidden it, Saying: {O
believers! Do not let some ˹men˺ ridicule others, they may be better
than them, nor let ˹some˺ women ridicule other women, they may be
better than them.} [Al-Hujurat 49:11]
Forms of mockery on
social media are many, and the majority of people fall into them without even
realizing it. Some share an image of an unknown person who may be dark-skinned,
overweight, or possessing congenital features, turning them into objects of
ridicule merely to amuse followers—unaware that they have committed a grave
sin. Such behavior is mockery of the creation of Allah and a criticism of His
divine wisdom. Allah Almighty Says, {He is the One
Who shapes you in the wombs of your mothers as He wills. There is no god ˹worthy of worship˺ except Him—the Almighty, All-Wise.} [Ali `Imran 3:6]
Allah has
Made distinction among people based on character, not physical appearance. The
Prophet (peace
be upon him) said: “Verily
Allah does not look to your faces and your wealth but He looks to your heart
and to your deeds.” (Narrated by
Muslim)
Others
mock people for their sins or for trials that have afflicted them. In the
hadith of Mu`adh Ibn Jabal, the Messenger of Allah (peace be
upon him) said: “If
anyone disgraces his brother for a sin, he will not die before committing it
himself.” (Narrated by
At-Tirmidhi)
Today,
mockery is given a new name—bullying.
Al-Hasan Al-Basri said: “They used to say: whoever shames his brother for a sin
he repented from will not die until Allah tests him with it”. 1
It is
sufficient for the Muslim to know that when he mocks with a word, a gesture, or
an expression, he is harming a Muslim whom it is unlawful for him to harm.
Al-Fudayl Ibn `Iyad said: “By Allah, it is not permissible for you to harm a
dog or a pig without right—so how about harming a Muslim?” 2
Second: Violating People’s Honor
Among the
gravest major sins is for a Muslim to unleash his tongue
against the honor of other Muslims, indifferent to committing a serious crime against
them. Sometimes accusations are not made directly; rather, insinuations are
spread—words and hints that imply immorality.
Islam
preemptively established strict limits to protect society from the violation of
honor. Allah Almighty Says, {Those who accuse
chaste women ˹of adultery˺ and fail to produce four witnesses, give them eighty lashes ˹each˺. And do not ever accept any testimony
from them—for they are indeed the rebellious.} [An-Nur 24:4]
Allah
also Warns against those who love the spread of immorality among believers: {Indeed, those who love to see indecency spread among the
believers will suffer a painful punishment in this life and the Hereafter.
Allah knows and you do not know.} [An-Nur 24:19]
Abu
Ad-Darda’ reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever
mentions someone with something that is not true in order to disgrace him,
Allah will confine him in the Fire of Hell until he brings proof of what he
said.” (Narrated by At-Tabarani
in Al-Kabir)
Third: Casual Interaction and Joking
Between Men and Women
It is
common for women to become overly casual in joking among themselves under the
pretext that the conversation is only among women. Yet the matter is not so
simple—even if the discussion appears limited to women—so long as it is public
and men can see it and be
affected by it.
Barriers
have fallen, formality has disappeared, and relationships have extended to
emotional venting about private household matters. As a result, husbands and wives
may become strangers to one another, emotionally replacing each other with a
“virtual friend” sitting behind a screen, abandoning responsibilities just to
listen or be listened to.
Examples
of such posts that may attract men and draw their attention—moving beyond
public benefit into doubtful territory—include: a woman writing emotionally
charged posts that gather weak-hearted commenters; another posting lamentations
about her life, attracting those who see her as easy prey; a third mourning her
deceased husband and complaining of loneliness, thereby soliciting the emotions
of manipulators; and another sharing her photos to collect likes and
admiration.
The
Prophet (peace
be upon him) warned against falling into doubtful
matters: “That which is lawful is clear and that
which is unlawful is clear, and between the two of them are doubtful matters
about which many people do not know. Thus he who avoids doubtful matters clears
himself in regard to his religion and his honor, but he who falls into doubtful
matters [eventually] falls into that which is unlawful, like the shepherd who
pastures around a sanctuary, all but grazing therein. Truly every king has a
sanctuary, and truly Allah’s sanctuary is His prohibitions. Truly in the body
there is a morsel of flesh, which, if it be whole, all the body is whole, and
which, if it is diseased, all of [the body] is diseased. Truly, it is the
heart.” (Narrated by Al-Bukhari
and Muslim)
He (peace be
upon him) also said: “I have not left behind me a trial more injurious to men than women.”
(Narrated by Al-Bukhari)
Fourth: Sharing Private Photos in Public
Spaces
Today,
social media is filled with social problems where women’s and girls’ photos are
exploited by those who do not fear Allah. The question becomes: How much
will you pay for these photos?
Husbands
or guardians then intervene in vain to save their women after scandals spread—
all stemming from sharing a single photo to harvest likes, praise, admiration,
and flirtatious comments.
This
issue does not even require a ruling of prohibition for women to refrain from
sharing their photos publicly. The resulting social harm alone is enough to
deter a Muslim woman from such behavior and to caution her against such
irresponsible actions.
Nevertheless,
there is a clear Islamic prohibition against exposing one’s image, as it is a
gateway to many sins. Muslims are commanded to lower their gaze,
and sharing images obstructs this command. Allah Almighty Says, {˹O Prophet!˺ Tell
the believing men to lower their gaze and guard their chastity. That is purer
for them. Surely Allah is All-Aware of what they do. And tell the believing
women to lower their gaze and guard their chastity, and not to reveal their
adornments except what normally appears.} [An-Nur 24:30–31]
The
Prophet (peace
be upon him) said: “The
fornication of the eyes consists in looking.” (Narrated by
Al-Bukhari and Muslim) Images encourage prolonged gazes, especially in the
absence of oversight and accountability.
You May Also Read:
- Cuckolding: The Shameful Disease of Nations!
- 4 Tips to Guard Your Tongue
- Hookup Culture in the West
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Footnotes:
(1) Fayd Al-Qadir (6/183).
(2) Siyar A`lam
An-Nubala’ (8/427).
