Social Networking
Date:
Channel: Mufti Menk
File Size: 134.86MB
Episode Notes
The Islamic Perspective – Venue UIA Mosque, 22nd March 2013, KL Malaysia
AI Generated Summary ©
The speakers emphasize the importance of technology in social networking to make life easier for Muslims, and emphasize the need for people to be aware of their behavior and not say no. They stress the importance of learning from the experience of others and avoiding harm. The speakers stress the importance of self-reflection, using negative language in media, setting specific goals, sharing information, and deleting people from social media.AI Generated Transcript ©
In Section 14 in Petaling Jaya and in ampang Park shopping mall Alhamdulillah It has also established in Nigeria, in the Philippines in Singapore and in Australia. The other organization is the is an Italian, a Foundation Center of Islamic studies that provides classroom learning with authentic references from the Quran and according to the understanding of the Sahaba and the scholars of the Salah he is on a mission is to be a center of Islamic learning that can generate as many members of the community who understand and practice Islam in accordance with the will of Allah subhana wa tada through the use of relevant infrastructure and technology. The classes include xfc,
hagie, Arabic, Sierra aqidah, etc. Classes are conducted in Bahasa and a few classes are conducted in English classes are open to all and whoever is interested is welcome. And there will be no fees charged free of charge.
About mosquitoes my man our guests and our speaker for tonight is may 9 was born in in Harare, Zimbabwe. He was tutored by his father who was a well known scholar and died. He completed his freshman re citation courses at an early age and learn the Arabic and Urdu languages while he was studying shediac under his father. At the same time, he attended an academic College in Canada, where he completed his secondary secular education. He then obtained a degree in shehryar from the University of Medina and later specialized in that I've got allume contohnya in Gujarat. He has been invited on lecture tours to many countries around the world. And he contributes towards the Islamic
content of various media networks and is an experienced social worker and counselor.
Without further ado, I would like to invite Murphy's married man to give his lecture for tonight. The title of tonight's lecture is
social networking the Islamic perspective does not allow failure.
Salam aleikum wa rahmatullah wa barakato
rahmanir rahim al hamdu Lillahi Rabbil alameen wa sallahu wa salam
ala nabina Muhammad, wa ala alihi wa sahbihi wa
ala de Nueva
we praise Allah subhanho wa Taala blessings and salutations upon Allah, Allah, Allah,
his entire household, all his companions, we ask Allah to bless them all. And we ask Allah subhanho wa Taala to bless all those who have struggled and strove through the years to bring this goodness to us. And Allah bless every one of us and use us to learn, put into practice and convey the message not only to those around us, but to our offspring as well, so that it can continue through the generations. I mean, beloved brothers and sisters, a beautiful evening with quite a bit of warmth, heat and humidity here in this beautiful city of Kuala Lumpur.
And as I said this afternoon in Juma it is a city of food, where every other person is talking of makan makan.
And I realized that in the Arabic language, the instruction to eat is cool. Cool means each I'm instructing you to eat.
And the abbreviation for Kuala Lumpur is exactly the same, a ul. So we ask Allah subhanho wa Taala to benefit us all and to make us from those who can not only eat the food that we are all used to eating, but to have something spiritual also to nourish our souls, and our spirituality. We all know that the world has been overtaken by social networking.
Most of us here would be having Twitter accounts, Facebook accounts, Google Plus, Google minus and so on.
And we all would know the importance of it such that if you don't see someone online on WhatsApp, you would think they're dead.
Same applies to your BlackBerry messages.
And all the other platforms some of them perhaps I may not even know
how are we supposed to be using this? The question is are we supposed to be using this
These are tools that we have, that can be used just like a knife for that which is beneficial or that which is detrimental. It depends on you and what you use it for.
And not only should we be speaking about the networking itself, but we should be speaking about technology at large. Without that technology, the scope of social networking would be far smaller than it actually is because of the same technology. So, as muslimeen, let's not think that Islam has not taught us regarding the use of these aspects, or this new technology of the New Age. Islam has come about
with rules and regulations that are very broad, and at the same time, far reaching. So we will have for example, a verse of the Quran where Allah says, What
is me What?
assist one another, when it comes to goodness and righteousness and do not help one another, when it comes to that which is immoral or evil or full of enmity and so on, and be conscious of your maker. That is a broad verse that will also govern the way we use technology and the way we network in terms of the social networking.
If you look at the first point, and that is Tukwila, that is what I would need and you would need. If you have Taqwa or the consciousness of the Almighty, no matter what you do, you will be able to use it in the right direction. And you will be able to steer it in sha Allah in a way that will be of benefit to yourself and to others as well.
Social Networking has made entry into paradise much more accessible than before, arguably so but with a thoughts.
Why do we say that?
If the Hadith of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam wherein he spoke to Allah
and he told him what la isla de la vaca La Jolla noir didn't come in from Marina wala, he is allowed to use you to guide one person, it is better for you than the most expensive of material items that this world holds. If that is the benefit of being used to guide one person, through technology, you can guide 1000 people by the word of Allah subhanho wa Taala. So hasn't it become a little bit more easier, you know, people who did not know through the same technology, you have learnt that which you did not know, through the same technology. We have crises and we have solutions to those crises. It depends where you want to fit in.
And it makes life very interesting because sometimes, whilst on the negative side, social networking occupies people who have lost track of time, because you see them online. The reason I'm laughing is people might say we see you online as well.
But you see them online at midnight, at the hedges at fudger. At
before So,
after that at sunset late at night. When did you sleep? My brother? Did you read your Salah my sister, we are ready to say no, don't worry, there's still five minutes left. So I can still send the message. It is such that if you were to think in that way, you will miss your Salah. You will become a person who's oblivious of Allah, you will be oblivious of those who live next to you. How many members of families have already confessed that the best way to talk to my husband is to send him a message on Blackberry. And he's sitting right next to me.
He's busy, what's happening all night when I want to say it's about time you sleep and I'm right next to him. I need to send him a message because I've tried to tap him and he thinks it's a mosquito Allah.
If that is what we have dropped ourselves to we have not made use of it. We have not understood what is the Islamic perspective. And what we as Muslims should be doing. Nobody is saying you should not have a light moment. No.
Even the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam smile, and he made his family members smile and laugh as well. And he created moments where they blushed as well. So Panama.
It was not just dry. No, it was full of life. But at the same time, he never forgot his responsibility to Allah. the consciousness of Allah was upon the highest level with Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam
The higher we become by the will of Allah, we will be able to be champions of the cause, we will be able to smile and make others smile. And whilst they are smiling, they will learn the lesson.
Allah has given us some Hana hautala, every one of us, people who we know, in reality physically who either live around us, or we have schooled with, or we work with, or we meet on a regular basis, or we are related to, or we are somehow connected to, in reality, and physically, those people should have a law, they have many rights over us, because we know them, we can reach out to them in a physical way, if they need, for example, assistance to cross the rock, we will be there to help them cross it by the will of Allah.
Those are people
who are not virtual people, they are real people, they have the first rights. So remember, whenever you are on a social networking application, or whenever you happen to be on your phone for that matter, which on its own, is already a social networking apparatus. Remember, those who are to be given preference as a Muslim, are those who are physically in front of you. Don't lose track of that. So many people would be talking to you. And before you know it, they're looking down in a world of their own. What happened, my brother was a big insult. If the Hadith of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam says that when two people are chatting or talking to one another,
it would be incorrect for a third one to back in.
And it would be incorrect for a third one not to be asked him permission before he enters the discussion of these two, then what do you think of a person who is entering the discussion by remote control without even being there? He only dial the phone, or he only sent a message, or they were on what is called WeChat? You know, what is WeChat? When you have more or less, I was told it's like a walkie talkie. You know, you record your voice and it registers the other side. you record your voice and it comes out the other side. I see people are nodding. Don't worry, I have not yet used it. But I tried. I actually tried yesterday, one of the brothers told me you know what is WeChat I
said I've got it on my phone. I think someone introduced me to it, but I have not activated it.
And at the end of the day, I said well, tomorrow we will be speaking about rejection. So if you allow someone to steal from the discussion that you are having with a physical person in front of you, you have lost the proper Islamic etiquette of that physical discussion. Remember this, if your phone rings, or you would like to answer a message, you need to at least be courteous. And tell the person you're speaking to look my brother, can I quickly take this call. And the word quickly means very quickly, inshallah don't say can I quickly take the call, and for 15 minutes you are busy speaking such that the person has come out later. And you just nod your head and you carry on
speaking. And it's like the discussion came to an end. This is happening. It's a reality in society. And nobody has come about to train us or to teach us, my brother, discipline yourself, my sister, you need to know what it is all about. discipline yourself. Without discipline, this tool can destroy you completely.
As much as it can benefit you and take you as I said to paradise, it can drive you in the other direction. So be very careful. You ask for permission. Can I please answer this call very quickly? Or can I quickly send this message? I'm very sorry. And you send it all you answer and say I will call you back and please let that statement be an honest statement. Because there are some they tell you I'll call you back that means I do not want to speak to you. Do you hear loud and clear? I'll call you back.
We are Muslims. Let's be honest. This is a social apparatus. It has become something that is now considered a necessity by the majority on the globe. Do you know that people used to say is it permissible or not that discussion is over. Now there is a new discussion teach us how to use it.
Because it has become a necessity. Children as early as the age of five and 10 already are flashing the latest of mobile phones. When I came to Malaysia last time. I mentioned the Expo. Today I will mention the s5. Do you know why? When I mentioned the expo It was not yet out now that I've come out if I speak of the s5 by the time I come back again, perhaps it will be out.
My phone was freezing earlier today. And I said Are you jealous that the Expo is out?
Now open outdoors my brothers and sisters we need to learn lessons.
Technology is out there to overtake us if we are not
Way to keeping pace with that particular technology.
Technology is moving faster than myself and yourself. Before you know it, you will see that which is amazing and amusing. If you have read what the sport can do, it can read your eyes. As you look down the page, it scrolls for you, I don't know if you've read that already. Everybody's nodding their head Mashallah almost everybody. That means we are keeping up to face that same technology, those aisles, as a phone can register where we are looking there in mind, it is registered where we are looking worse, we are not looking at that particular phone. When the law of the Sherry says lower your gaze, make sure you do so there is a recognition of your iris and your pupil. And Allah knows
where you are looking. When you look down, your spirituality scrolls up.
Nice Maisie.
But today, we have a very great issue that needs to be tackled. And that is the issue of pornography that is available in these social networking, applications and fights and apparatus.
And the storage for the minister is such that it has gone to those as young as six and seven years of age, who have come up later on and confessed. as to when they have started.
Aston Villa, what they might, lowering their gaze, when it was actually not lowering it. They will tell you I was looking down at my phone. If you what you were looking at was nude, and unacceptable. Voila, he my brothers and sisters, it has an impact. And it leaves a mark in your brain, your heart, your spirituality is damaged. It's like a Ferrari going into a wall. And believe me, even if it is repaired by a penalty thing, people would know you would know this car is damaged. It's no longer as it was, keep yourself away from it.
It cannot bring about any goodness. Pornography will only damage you. It will only make you do the absurd. It will make you
a person who has who has no morals and who thinks everyone else has no morals as well.
It will make you fed up of your status that Allah has given you as a male or a female, to the degree that you might turn to be adventurous in terms of developing a link with the same sex would actually be a contamination of your mind by the devil. Something that is absolutely prohibited by Allah subhanho wa Taala There comes a time when muslimeen people who are supposedly uttering the Shahada, La ilaha illAllah, Muhammad Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, there comes a time when people who have occurred that Shahada, when they get hooked onto such deaths, on their phones, or on their laptops, and tablets, and so on, they begin to think of changing the agenda. And some of them have
gone ahead and tried it. And some of those have come back to regret when it is too late. This is why it's an open matter. If you watch the Western world, they get fed up. They get fed up of their lives, what is termed freedom, they are tired of exposing their bodies, they are tired of people praising them, now they get a kick out of the same sex praising them. Then they get tired of that. And they don't know what to do. So they begin to tattoo their bodies. All this has become so pressurizing through these social networks because people are talking about it. People are encouraging it. yet nobody is going to those who have regretted and perhaps created a club of those
who have done regretful items in their lives, perhaps create a forum of those who have regretted the tattoos that they have placed on their bodies. Some of them are irreversible.
So they start off thereafter, by tattooing their bodies. This also is prohibited in the Sharia. The body that you have my brothers and sisters, is an Amana from Allah subhanho wa Taala. You're not supposed to be using it and doing what you want with it according to your whims and fancies. But it is according to the will of Allah, whatever Allah has permitted, is permissible. Whatever he has prohibited is definitely something you should be staying away from. So, after a tattoo, they get fed up of that because now they realize sometimes their whole bodies are full of tattoos. And I'm sure you may have heard of this, or you may have come across adverts in the papers. Or you may have seen
sometimes little clips of people
Who have settled from the top to the bottom? and thereafter they regret, regret too late. So now what do they do? They say I'm a male, I'd like to be a female.
How did this happen? Because people are fed up of their lives, they don't know why they are living. Whereas Allah says,
I have not created mankind or humankind, except that they worship me which means except that they do that which I have ordained that which is not prohibited that which is in order to please me that which has within it, the consciousness of myself, Allah says,
So what is your aim in life? Brothers and sisters, my aim is to prepare for the day I meet with Allah, that's my aim, everything I do in my life, I need to ask myself, will this help me, the day I meet with Allah, if it is not going to help you ask Allah forgiveness, Allah, forgive me, I have done so many bad things, the world loves me. But if you don't, I have lost.
And if the world hates me, but you will love me, I have gained. And they will not be an instance where Allah loves you. And nobody else loves you. Because Allah will send the love for you, upon those who are pure and clean
on the earth as well.
So these are some of the gifts of Allah upon us, where he has reminded us constantly who you are as a man, where you are heading?
And what should be your aim? My brothers and sisters, I have no guarantee that I will leave this message. No, do you? And we need to constantly remind ourselves of this. So if I were to go here now, how did my WhatsApp helped me? How did my facebook account helped me? How did my Twitter account helped me or Google Plus, or LinkedIn or anything else? For that matter? How did it help me? If I am a person who does not know how to use it, don't use it. It may be to your detriment. This is why we say
it is very important for us to lay rules and regulations. How many people have I sent a good message to today from amongst my friends, it doesn't have to be a very long message like an encyclopedia that people become bored to read? No, it can be a short, sharp message.
And sometimes we need to know that is not a forum for issuing decrees of religion. Each person has a Facebook account
for different reasons.
Some have an account to help one another. Some have an account because they run a school, some have an account because of their family members. Some have little groups on the DM on WhatsApp or for example, on Twitter. And they have little groups of people close groups of relatives or friends or like minded people and so on. So each one knows why he or she is using whatever platform he or she is using.
If you were to ask me, I will tell you, I try my best to use it to give a good message which has in it a reality that is occurring on the ground. And at the same time, it might result in a debate or discussion. Sometimes I choose not to get involved in it. Listen to what people have to say, when you hear them, you might be able to understand how to tackle in the future.
Goodness.
If you don't listen to the new generation, and their ideas and their thoughts, how will you be able to streamline those thoughts and those ideas, if you were a person who said your view has no value,
we want to hear what you have to say so that we know either we need to be guided or you might need to be streamlined. The only way that can happen or one of the ways let's say that that can happen is by guidance, the literal tapping if you have a bucket that is leaking a one droplet of water on a rock that is underneath it at a distance of about two meters for example, there will come a time when five or 10 buckets of droplets have finished that there will be a hole straight through the rock. Do you know that?
Why? Because it was a short, simple, small, little droplet that fell on the same spot for one year. What did he do? He created the hole.
Allah speaks of how even the stones in the rocks they sometimes
have water or rivers that gush out of them by the word of Allah subhanho wa Taala. But the hearts of men, sometimes harder than that. Now Allah use us to soften the hearts. But before that, may he soften our own hearts.
So my brothers and sisters, as we see technology, and as we see the youth, and as we see the young, all on their phones, it is important we make this the discussion of the age, because we would be wrong if we didn't.
Mobile phones have become, as I said, in most communities and societies, and
it's only the age that changes or differs from community to community. So if you do not guide your child, and speak to your child or
discipline yourself,
that can result in your destruction.
We have seen many people go astray, you know why? Because they don't have the guidance, how to choose which groups to join, and which not to join. And sometimes they ask scholars whom they trust, can we join this group? Or that group? Sometimes the scholars don't know, research would be needed? Before you would be told Yes or no? Did you know that there are countless groups and websites that pretend to be Muslim, yet they are run by the enemies of Islam and the non Muslims? Did you know that I have come across several sites, and I have been told of many more. And how many of us, sometimes, we just subscribe to things because we think it's cool. And we think wow, everybody else
has, without knowing. In reality, this might not be beneficial for me.
When the Quran says help one another, regarding righteousness and goodness, we need to do this.
So I asked you, what have you done today? How many people have you touched with a short message from amongst your family members? From your circle? As the Quran says, You start off with the inner circle, and then you progress. And you proceed? We all know, yeah.
Are you who believe, save yourselves and your family members from the fire, that fire
very dangerous the fuel shall be stones and men. That is what Allah says, save yourself and your family member. So what did you do today, in terms of a positive message to your family members, to save them from that fire my brothers and sisters, we have a crisis. And that crisis is deepening. And that is what I would like to term social unrest within the house. social unrest within your home with your spouse, your children, your parents, your brothers and sisters. That is the first circle you are supposed to be concentrating on yet what has happened, it has become the last. And it has become By the way, because I have friends who are more important than my mother. And I have
acquaintances online, as far as Papa New Guinea, if I pronounced that correctly.
Oh, Hawaiian, Honolulu, my favorite with notice I didn't say places because I haven't been there yet to confirm.
I have friends who are across the continents, and I give them preference over my children. My child is crying for me. But my attention is with someone whom I don't even know who could be with a false identity, making my time completely wasted.
So the circle that you should be beginning with is your own. Remember the real life, even if it means sending a message to your family, create a link with them a good message.
And when you preach, I know that's a strong word. But when you preach goodness,
remember
to understand the level of the person you are calling towards goodness. Moments ago I was speaking with some brothers. And we were saying it is very important to speak to people on their level had
the microphone
speak to people according to the level of their understanding, speak to people with what they understand, they can relate to and this is why when you want to call someone towards goodness, if they are, say for example, goodness was equivalent to a hijab. For example,
If goodness was equivalent to a high jump, and everybody is jumping
40 centimeters, and your bar was set at one meter 40 centimeters, they would look at it and say, I'm never going to be able to get there. And that would be, and they would probably lose hope. And they would be satisfied with their 40 meters, they might even give up jumping high.
But if their bar is set at 40 meters, and you are encouraging them to get to 45, when they are at 45, they get to 50. Then they get to 60. What are you doing, you are relating to them, and you know, the pressure of society and community. And you understand globally what is going on. Because, believe me, we have a beautiful environment this evening in the masjid, spirituality is of the highest in the house of Allah subhanho wa Taala. But my brothers and sisters, the moment you walk out, that spirituality will no longer be on that particular level,
it will drop. So if you have not done something to change your life, or to make a difference, based on what you've heard today, within 24 hours, or within 48 hours, the chances of you turning have become far more slim.
So what we should realize and understand my brothers and sisters.
Sorry, there was a little bit of a distraction. I don't know what happened. Actually, I just saw a shadow on my left. And it distracted me slightly. Let's try and go back to social networking, which is a bigger distraction than this my brothers and sisters.
Social networking, really it's a distraction that we need to yes, no, I remember what I was saying.
We were saying that if you don't understand the level of the people around you may, and I've seen this happening, this setting the bar so high, that the bulk of the messages may not be able to look at the bar with an intention of getting to it, but they might look at it with the feeling that that is too high for me, I'm not going to get there. This is why we say let there be from amongst us, those who might be strict and let there be from amongst us, those who might be slightly lenient, at the end of the day, all of us are trying to get to the same level my brothers and sisters, I want to get to paradise, don't you? I want to get to paradise, don't you nella cabarrus in Paradise, I need
to be as bothered about your paradise as I am about mine. But I know on mine, I can work on yours I can only encourage and I can perhaps look towards you to encourage me also
to earn that paradise of mine.
So as I said if it was a high jumper, we would have to set it at 45 and then 50 by the time we get to one meter 20 people will be jumping. What did you do? You took them Mashallah beautifully. Now I know some might be sitting, I have a son, who's quite a good high jumper and vanilla. And he will be impressed with this example. But what happens some people shoot up overnight before you know he's gone over the new Subhana Allah so he skips over the 1.4 Mashallah, and he tells you that you're only calling towards 1.4. Guess what I mean? 1.5.
If that happens, we say Alhamdulillah. Allah No, which means goodness upon goodness, light upon light, something that you wanted, and something that has been achieved, which is above what you actually intended. So this is why we say be careful how you use technology, it will make you or break you reality.
Now comes the question mark, all these little apps, little websites, even your mobile phones, just the ordinary phone, SMS, or calls. Those who have come up with these ideas, have had something in mind. Something very beautiful in mind. One of the things they created a little button, which if you were to press that button, you would be able to block those whom you do not want to associate. Do you know that? If you have any mobile phones similar to mine, or any other phones, you have a block, you can block people from messaging you can block people from phoning you, you can block people from sending you a message on WhatsApp or on your BlackBerry or on Twitter or Facebook. You can block
people from messaging you. Yes, you can.
Why do they do it? Because they don't want harassment, my brothers and sisters spiritually if something is wrong, detrimental to your link with your maker, detrimental to the preparation that you are trying to make
For the day that you are going to meet Allah subhanho wa Taala, then blocking, the blocking of it will help you meet Allah in a condition of peace.
Sometimes we develop links with the opposite sex, that are unnecessary May Allah strengthen us.
It is governed by what you say who you link with, how you say it and why you are thinking.
Now Allah subhanho wa Taala strengthen the youth, and the adults because this is a crisis that overtakes all ages.
The older people used to say, I'm too old for technology, a lot of them are not swallowed it in the sense that they have started using it, at least the mobile phone Mashallah at least the SMS. That's where it starts from. They used to say SMS stands for short messaging system, some of the youth have come up with something else, I leave it to your imagination, that Allah subhanho wa Taala benefit us, we don't want the SMS to be used for anything besides that, which is beneficial. So my brothers and sisters,
here you have a lot that the Sharia has spoken about, perhaps not directly, but definitely indirectly. And if you want to look at it, even directly, all those verses, and all those are happy that a lot of us would know of by heart, governing the way we should be talking to people in governing our lives and what is beneficial that should be done and what is detrimental, that should be abstained from we will realize that those laws extend even to the way we use our social networks.
If I were to ask you today, how many of you do not have an account on Facebook?
Can I see by a show of hands? For my sake? How many do not have an account?
Mashallah, my brothers and sisters, they are a few hands here, very few, I would like to put it at about 1%.
Congratulations to you, you don't need it, perhaps you don't need it. Because the real life is more important than the virtual life. But the point being proven is 99% of us. We have that account. So what are you doing? That I don't need the answer of it's between you and Allah subhanho wa Taala. What I can do, and what you can do for me, is make sure you are conscious of Allah when you are pressing those buttons. Think of Allah and tell yourself, Allah knows what I'm doing. He knows I'm about to click sin. And this image is not supposed to go to this person. So don't
just like sometimes your phone does you a favor by freezing. When you are about to say something bad, you need to understand, let that spirituality of yours have the same effect, it must make you feel a thimble within the consciousness of Allah subhanho wa Taala to say this is not going to help me the day I die. Why I say this, every action has a reaction. The beauty is when we act in a way that displeases Allah, there is a reaction, but that reaction sometimes is delayed for Allah to give us a chance to detect. So we can actually change the reaction
of an action based on another action, which is known as repentance.
If I have done something bad, I will see the result of that bad either in my life, in my health, in my wealth in my children, in my family, in my business, in my death in my life after death. Because if you do something, it is a law that we all know a physics, there is an equal counter reaction. And in the case, even of your sin, Allah says we won't multiply the sin, but we give you back whatever you deserve. But Allah says the door of repentance is open.
What a beautiful door. We are human beings. We get carried away with adverts. Social media has only advertisements, what type of adverts they advertise clothing, they advertise hairstyles. They advertise the trends. They advertise words that are dangerous swear words that are very bad, good people utter the F word as though it is a greeting. It's a fact. You might wonder why I'm saying it here. I'm saying it because we all know what I'm talking about. That's the reason good people or bad words, thinking that it is acceptable. This is only a friend of mine. Allies watching Don't you know, so be careful of these adverts. Be careful of the pressure of those whom you associate with.
If you have a Twitter account and you are following 1000s of people
whose models are very low.
It's only a matter of time before your models drop, even by 1%. That is a loss. Imagine if I were to tell you, your business is going to suffer a loss by 1%. If your business is a multi million dollar business 1% is a few million SubhanAllah. I see people are looking at me to say, hey,
you're talking big money. The example I'm giving you is far higher, it is far greater. It is that of your heart, your spirituality, your link with your maker, how can I allow them to be compromised solely by reading so many messages? This is why Allah subhanho wa Taala speaks about something similar inshallah Allah says
in alladhina
Tashi
Marina
llamada.
One of the meanings of that verse is those who love to spread tales of immorality amongst the believers, for them will be a painful punishment in this world and the next Allah knows, and you do not know, you know what is being termed wrong and haram here to spread chains of immorality, whether it is a dirty joke, or a dirty reality. If you are spreading that type of a tail, on your social networks, or relating them even verbally, to believers, or to others, you are engaged in the sin because when 1000 people read that, they might feel well, this is the norm of what's going on. So for me to be immoral, will be quite normal. And then they start considering immorality, and no, and
they look down upon those who have high morals and values, because they start thinking system, how can you discover it from top to bottom? When we are in the 21st century system? You don't know. We are living in the 21st century, all of us are naked, why are you covered? So the system will say no, I'm a Muslim, and this and that, and Mashallah, if she's strong, and she has a strong base of like minded friends, she will remain that way and perhaps Excel and become better. But if she doesn't, and she keeps on being bombarded by those who speaks or whose messages she has chosen to read, there will come a time when off goes the scar.
There will come a time when the skirts like I say, is no longer a mini skirt, but the knee from it has also disappeared. And it's become a meme skirt.
Follow what I said. I said it two weeks ago at home, and they found it quite amusing.
Because it's a reality. The skirts are becoming shorter, until they will be no sketch until they will come a time on the globe. Not my words. When the gnome Aston Villa might be people moving around in the nude. Allah protect us from that age.
How will you save yourself by associating with those who have higher values than you read the messages, see them. Even if you are not on that level, it will keep you going.
Or if you are a person who keeps on reading messages, have no morals you have dirty jokes. As soon as you see if you laugh so much. And you've already told your religious friends what will happen, there will come a time when those religious men, if they do not stop you from it, they will begin to forward you similar messages, see how the world will drop Allahu Akbar,
the mortality dropped by 1%. Thereafter to instead of going up, and instead of us becoming closer to Allah, as we go in age, we become people who cannot wait to commit a sin. Because we realize you know, it's so easy to commit a sin. Some of the youth that I've spoken to they say to commit adultery is as good as seeing or is as easy as saying hello to people. And I say, I don't think so they say you don't know. I don't want to know
Allah not make that true. If that is the case, our children are facing pressures, whether it be and remember, we are talking to an international audience, whether it be in the schools of the Western countries, or the companies that people keep in terms of friends, or even in countries of this nature. If we have friends online who have no morals and values, perhaps they may make you have an urge to commit adultery when you were not such a person before. Why? Because of your social network.
So you start the
Whoa, what's going on here? It's so simple, it's so easy, it's so accessible. In the same way that goodness is accessible through the same social networking, sin has also become very easily accessible. click of a button. And you will be able to know 500 people within one kilometer of you who are sharing the ones to commit the same sin that you would like to commit, because of something called meet me, or Foursquare and so on. Sometimes it is used incorrectly, and it is used in that direction as well.
If you're looking at me confused, thank Allah,
thank Allah. Because if you are confused as to the abuse of this type of technology, then remember, there is still some purity in you. And if you know how it works, it does not make you impure. But the winner is me. Who knows how it works, and knows how to abstain from it, and knows the danger of it. The reason why we have this talk here at this university this evening, although we are addressing an international audience is because it is about time, we started addressing the real issues of social networking.
You might enjoy using it. But for once
it starts off with goodness, Mashallah, no, I'd like to follow the shift. Or I'd like to listen to this person. And I'd like to get some spiritual message. And then after you have friends, that you're friends with your friends, because a tweet can be like a spear that has been released from an arrow, sorry, from a bow. Let me reword that. A tweet can be like an arrow that has been released from a bow that will teach you perhaps straight in the heart. And its effects can be so deep in you know that it can result in your spiritual destruction completely, yet, it was just one treat. So be careful who you follow what you read, what you allow yourself to go through. And also, the image you
carry and you portray of yourself is extremely important.
Choose your profiles carefully, make sure you are giving the proper picture of who you are.
Because when people see different profiles, and everyone is behind the Justin Bieber, for example, and everyone is behind Paris Hilton, for example, I don't think many are behind her the moment. But everyone behind this one in that one, and they see Wow, this is a good Muslim and look at it. Wow, this is a brilliant Muslim, look at that. Do you know you are responsible because you have made it fair seeming to those who are unsuspecting from amongst your brothers and sisters who look up to you to follow people who are not worth following solely because you and the 1000 others are following them. So it becomes a trend. And it becomes something that people want to look at solely because the
others are doing the same.
So if I delete those type of people, and if my likes are connected to Allah, and goodness, and educational matters of benefit, and that which will help me in this world and the next one, as popular as you may be amongst your circle of friends, or I may be, I will be sending the correct message to 1000s of girls who look up to me to say if you really would like to follow, then you need to follow someone who's going to give you a good message. I hope we understand this. Why I say this? People say no, it's harmless. It might be harmless for you, who has the power to distinguish, but not for those who might look up to you and start following in a way that those people become the
misguidance of the ones who are guided, but they click like on a misguided vision because you acted like from the same person. You might think I'm being a bit hard here. This is food for thought.
Why is it food for thought? Because the greatest Food for Thought
is the fact that you should be preparing for the day you meet Allah. If you say yeah, Allah, I might have been a weak Muslim, but I did not impose on others weakness. I did not give others direction.
In the wrong path upon the wrong path. Why I say this the best I read before you about helping each other in the path of goodness, it includes this. If I have shown them a bad example, my brothers and sisters because of me, and because of how popular I am. They wanted to imitate me. They wanted to follow because so many of us have been following those who are bad when they begin to follow. Do you know what would happen?
You get to the Day of Judgment.
And then you see a pile of deeds and you say but these are not my deeds. These are evil deeds that I did not commit. How would you like it if you were told? Well, these are the people who did these evil
deeds because of the click of a button that you had pressed, although you did not do the evil deed yourself, and this is why, Manson
fella who is this had it, I've repeated it. So many times in this particular country, whoever sets a bad example, shall receive the sin of having done that or and of those who follow the bad example. So, if you cannot guide someone, the minimum do not miss guide them.
If you cannot be of use to guide someone, whether it is through social networking or through other means, do not be a source of their misguidance. Because what will happen as a result, you may be piling up misdeeds on your shoulders, and some people think how can I carry the burden of others, you will never carry the burden of another unless you are connected to it in terms of encouragement or instruction.
So my brothers and sisters, enjoy your telephones. Enjoy your tablets. I'm not talking of the tablets of those who are in depression, Allah Glanton. Shiva
don't know why they call it a tablet, I actually sat in thought, there is a capsule, there is a tablet, both of them connected to technology. And both of them happen to be a remedy of a sickness. Have you thought of it? The tablets is only prescribed to those who are ill and sick. I use a tablet Mashallah. But at the same time, it's only used when necessary. You have a mobile device, the world is at your fingertips, the world is at your fingertips. Enjoy the use of that. Asking yourself with every move you make, will this be pleasing to my makeup? Have I improved on that? Has my morality and level of it gone up? Or has it come down? And voila, he will be able to enjoy, you will really
be able to look at it and say Mashallah, I become such a better person. Take a look at YouTube, for example.
I'm sure the fathers of YouTube did not imagine for a moment that it would be a tool that would turn people towards the deen of Allah subhanho wa Taala as well. Amazing. I know of literally hundreds of people, I'm sure there are 1000s, if not millions, but I know of hundreds of people who have confirmed to say, this little apparatus or app of social networking,
which is of a totally different nature, it works slightly differently. The apparatus known as YouTube, whether it is from a computer or a tablet, or an iPad, or a little Android device, or what have you. They say it has definitely resulted in me getting closer to my maker or understanding my link with a law. Well, good news to the hundreds.
Good news to you. You've used it in the right direction. But bad news to a lot of people who have used it in the wrong direction a lot. Some people every small thing, they send a message, they tweet it to the world. And what do they do? They video themselves doing the weirdest of things in order to just create a hype on the globe. If that has happened, perhaps you are sucked in by the trends of those who use it for the wrong reasons. So use it wisely. avoiding it very likely to be honest with you very likely
by saying use it wisely. You have a brain You are a Muslim, you are not an ordinary human being. You are an extraordinary human being because above being a human, you know your Creator, you worship Him alone, you put your head on the ground five times a day, how then can you utilize this type of technology
to destroy that link between you and your maker.
So as we say, tend to allow I should make use of it. Do something and when people see you doing something, believe me it will make a difference and show from amongst us there are many people who are very important. In fact, every one of us is very important. We are very very important to different circles of people.
Each one of us is a VIP, in his or her own way to different circles of people. Remember they look up to you.
They look up to you, whatever you do, they want to do even if it means just your children or even if it means others who are your schoolmates or in college with you.
So if you set a tender goodness, believe me it will keep multiplying up to the end. And Allah subhanho wa Taala may grant you paradise. This is the goodness, if you will Josie La La he was once
Sitting with his class of students and he said, if you don't see me in paradise, make mention of me and say that there was a man who used to encourage us to do good we don't see him here weighs me so Panama.
So if you make it to paradise, you can mention the man who used to instruct you to do good May Allah subhanho wa Taala.
Through our through His mercy, our deeds mean, sometimes absolutely no, because although we tie the sincerity level, sometimes our failing, technology distracts us very big distraction.
Sometimes we start Salah, and next thing you hear the ring tones and the beeps of the WhatsApp messages and the weird beeps. And that brings me to a point that I need to mention here and now. My brothers and sisters, what type of reminder do you have on your phone? Answer the question to yourself, what type of ringtone do you have? Remember you are in the house of Allah asked yourself. I am supposed to be preparing for the day I meet the maker,
the one who made me. I want to meet him when I meet him. How will this tone of reminder have helped me?
Do I have a dirty tone that many things in the house of Allah. I'm cursed by those who have come to worship Allah, people. Not everyone you have will pray for you.
Not everyone you will, you will have some when they hear this ringtone of the deadliest songs with the dirtiest lyrics of the dirtiest people whose lives are totally upside down in the purest of places in the most sacred of the days of the week, during the most sacred time of the day. Once the Imam is speaking, the Salah is on. What do you think they will do?
when they hear that, they just have to say
I don't even want to say because
I don't it's not befitting but imagine they just had to go one way.
Or they just have to give you a dirty look with your eyes. Who knows that might be a moment of answering of prayer. your ringtone could have been better my brothers and sisters. And this is why I say and I challenge you to change the ringtone on your phone if it is a ringtone that might result in distress to your spirituality and that of others changing. Be a person who is upright. This is social networking. Don't use it in a way that people will test you as a result. And like I said the house of Allah has any pious people who have come to worship Allah to listen to a message of goodness and your irritating bone has run three times in the past Macao Salah
I'm still waiting for a day when someone picks up his phone Hey and in Salah.
I've seen it happening around the Kaaba.
Not seen it in Salah, Salah, I've already had a man wave with me once because I saw a man looking around in salah and I was walking and I will tell him and he went back.
And I said look at the concentration, you are supposed to be plugged in with your maker. So imagine the point I'm making is if you and I have to have a phone that distracts people from their link with
your link is not there, but don't force other people to break the link. That's the point. It's a powerful point.
Your link might be weak, but you are harming someone whose link is so powerful. They might be people whose concentration in Salah has been immaculate for years on end. And here you come one day on a Friday, dressed well and you are smart and you have Mashallah. And you have come into the masjid and the brothers are greeting you and you stand next to a man who is concentrating the Salah. And next thing, the biggest song of Bollywood is now playing and that the man is saying
Yala. We don't want to be led astray, not the path of those who who have done your anger, know the path of those who are astray. And the man next to you says
because to him You are one who is a string.
How would you like that?
How would you like that? Imagine the mom is saying we don't want to follow the path of those who are astray. And you are busy with bollywood songs in the masjid Hollywood songs Hollywood, NOLLYWOOD, HOLLYWOOD not so much.
You might want to know where I got this Hollywood from, you know where I come from.
Goddess, my brothers, my sisters changed that tone such that if by mistake, it does ring, it's not such a big embarrassment. You know, it's ringtone that reminds you,
I had a brother who told me just telling us this because I used to get up at the sound of someone I won't say just now someone who's adventurous and wants to try. He says, I thought it was such a soothing sound that I would get up with it. And I used to, he says, but now I realize I'm using a woman who is naked, who is dead he was life is a total mess, who is on antidepressants, you know, not a galaxy cabinet. But other tablets. And at the same time, she has so much going on in her life that she's suicidal. And just because her voice was good. And the lyrics were very dirty. I used to use that as a tone the brother says, For solitude. And I realized very quickly, only when I was
reminded by you, that you can do better. And I thought of it before that I hadn't even thought of it.
And this brings me to a point technology sometimes makes you do bad things without even knowing that they're bad, because you've never given it a thought. You haven't thought about it, but it's wrong. And you say but everyone's doing it. While everyone's doing it. If the whole world does that, which is wrong, it does not make it right.
And if the whole world does that, which is right, it will never be wrong. Allah subhanho wa Taala bless us, and may use us to be disciplined. Remember, today's talk is more about self discipline, how to use what you have in your pocket, make sure that you have done something which is termed in a Dada, an act of worship every single day. Say a message of goodness, when you greet someone.
When you respond, respond to that you say some form of goodness uttered a good word, abstained from bad words, when someone says something evil. Two ways of responding.
If you have a link with them,
you can tell them, you can tell them in different ways, my brother or my sister, the way you worded it. Or you can actually say you can wear what you sent to me better stop. So even if they have sent you a bad word, and you were too shy, to say, hey, you are wrong, because today people are people feel very offended. You know what happens? When I tell you sister, you are wrong. She says I no longer listening anymore. And I don't want to hear anything. And I don't want to know, blocked and deleted
just because I told you what you're doing is wrong. So now we've got into from the side, you know, can you ever seen a cat walking, walks?
walks forward, but he pretends like talking to the site? You see? You have a lesson to learn from it. Nowadays. We have to speak People to People sometimes and remind them in that way. How
are you around, she might delete you forever. And she might think that this man is very bad news like this and like that, oh, the sister whatever. Rather than that, you send them a polite message, sister, you know what,
what you worded or what you sent to me
can be worded better. It will sound much better. They might not understand initially. But if you send that message a few times, they will get the message.
And sometimes, if you have a habit of responding to a good message, and not responding to a bad message, you know what will happen?
People will get the message.
Every time someone sends you a good message to say, Hello, I appreciate that message. When they send you a bad message. don't reply at all. Even if you don't reply at all, they will get the message this person does not appreciate that. And believe me if that happens, if 20 of your friends give you that treatment, you will stop sending that messages. I want to tell you what happened to me last night, someone sent me a little image on WhatsApp, which was a joke.
And I forwarded that message to a friend of mine. And a friend of mine immediately sent me a message to say, I know it's a joke.
But I wouldn't have expected it to come from you.
It was nothing bad as such. But when I thought about it, I said yes. It could be something that doesn't sound good coming from a person who is looked up to by others for direction.
It was something like it was actually just a joke. Very, very light minor something small an image which had in it a joke I'm sure all of you are curious. What is it? Don't worry, you won't know.
And only when I thought about it and talking about myself. When I thought about it, I said well I this is correct. I appreciate immediately I sent a message to say it won't happen again.
My own example, why I say this, we are talking of a real life topic today, which affects me and you. And social networking is not a shallow term. It has almost all aspects of my life and yours today, whatever you want, I want to buy my air tickets, I can do it through the phone, I want to check what the price of eggs is in China. I'm sure there is an app.
It's reality. I'm sure there is an application to do anything.
So what have you done with your phone? What have you done with technology? What have you done in order to enhance your Lincoln Allah?
Like I say, think about it before you click Send. Think about it. Allah subhanho wa Taala make us not from amongst those. Some things come to my mind from amongst those who are auto corrected by our friends and those who will explain
why I say this a few days ago, I tweeted something.
And autocorrect happened to correct instead of Yo, y o u r, it happened to put an apostrophe r E. So it means you are
and that was mean, I hope my English is not that bad. But it went out. I had an option of deleting it. But I saw Whoa, this thing's been retweeted by 5060. People already no point in deleting admits you're just a human being.
So what happened, I said, wow.
It was speaking about
something to do with Russia, I think something to do with rushing to conclusions or something of that nature. And I said I shouldn't rush to press to press the send button. I should read before I actually sent the message. And I tried to hack the back of autocorrect by saying, yes, you know, blaming autocorrect The reality is, we have auto corrected by our friends, you know what that means? You say the right thing, you do the right thing. When you mix with the wrong people online, automatically, you are auto corrected in a wrong way. So what was right initially in your mind and your heart and your level becomes totally wrong. Because of those you mix it. So remember, choose
your friends online wisely.
And I want to end by making mention of the most powerful points
when in fact there are two points. The first is
set yourself a time My dear brothers and sisters time is a creature of Allah subhanho wa Taala it is of essence, it clicks and fix whether you like it or not. Time ticks no matter what. And it clicks. So set yourself a time and district if you have a minute this way or that way to me Wait. Don't ever say to yourself, now read my Salah just now. Because the first way she gets to you is to distract you by saying I will do it Josh. Now, that's if you're a good person.
If you're a good person, and shaitan wants you to miss your prayer shaitaan wants you to go astray. He says okay, you will do just now, you know there's still a bit of time. So when you tell yourself, there is still five minutes before Salah, that statement itself is already in the direction that is wrong. Tell yourself Stop it. Let me go ahead. No matter how valuable the person is, unless it's a matter of life and death, you stop it and you read your Salah, you fulfill your link with Allah. So set yourself a time. If you do not set yourself a time, the first people to suffer yourself.
You live with
your health, your immune system,
because your sleep is affected, then you start coughing, then you are sick, then your belly doesn't digest. You need sleep. You need specific hours of sleep, you need the sleep of the night and you need to understand sleep, get up early. We are taught that from his nap, as well as even the non Muslims who tell you to sleep early and to get up early.
Thereafter your family suffers your spouse. If your marriage is not almost broken, then you are living on a miracle.
What this means is if you are a person who has no track of time, when it comes to use of your social networking, and you are on it all day and all night, and your marriage is still working. You are a miracle child, believe me.
You are one in a million.
You want your marriage to work. Sometimes all that is needed is just to govern the amount of time you spend on your phone. That's it. You will find
your marriage working like a house on fire. To this day. I don't know why they say house on fire I think because of the Inferno. Couldn't they have chosen something better? You know, a house on fire depicts destruction.
But it's true that if you are given the time,
your children will be happier people, my brothers and sisters, your spouses will be happier, your parents, those around you will be happier. So that is the time. And by the will of Allah subhanho wa Taala. We will now use these social networks to develop ourselves and we will set aside a time, people must know if I'm not online or not. And if I am I am. And remember, there is an irritation that occurs in the eyes of some people and their hearts. When they message you, they expect an instant reply. And they tell you, this is instant messaging. So I want an instant reply.
Brothers and sisters,
do not be tempted to respond to every message you get.
Don't be tempted to reply, everyone who wants to reply,
you need to be in control of yourself and your life. You will respond when you want to reply. When it is beneficial. People can suck you into immorality and evil or anything else that is negative. We asked a lot open our doors do not reply. Everyone who wants a reply from you know,
even if they think that of you. So what's your discipline.
And that brings us to the last point, certain people need to be deleted from your phone book, from your social networking links from your WhatsApp from your BBM. From your Facebook, from your Twitter, whatever else it is, certain people need to be blocked, they need to be deleted, take them out and block them. You know why they need to be blocked? You know,
if they are coming in between yourself and Allah blocking, if they are between you and your contentment block them. If they are trying to achieve something wrong from you, blocking, it will result in great happiness. Once you have blocked people, you sometimes do not need such people in your life. May Allah subhanho wa Taala bless us all, and he opened our doors I've spoken for longer than I expected to speak. But then again, social networking is a topic no matter what you say about it, it will never be enough. Do you know why? As we are breathing, technology is progressing. So the more we talk, the more it will progress. In fact, even when we stop breathing, technology will keep
progressing. Now Allah subhanho wa Taala make it easy for our children. Today we are discussing these issues when one is what will what will be discussed five years down the line. Now long easy for us and for them until we meet again sometime. I hope and I pray what I've said will be of benefit to myself and yourselves and I hope we've got a little bit of direction and dimension and at the same time we say was Allah Allahu wa salam ala nabina Muhammad Subhana Allah Subhana Allah, Masha Allah Allah Allah
wa salam aleikum wa rahmatullah
wa barakato.
For thought we asked the last panel without it to make us from those that listen to the speech and follow the best of it.