FITNAH ON FACEBOOK

This is the word format of the interview recorded at a hotel near Masjid Al Haram, Makkah Al Mukarramah.

The link of the audio file is as follows:http://www.4shared.com/account/audio/3AgVIPUo/FINAL_FITNAH_ON_FACEBOOK.html

CHEF ARIF:

Assalamu Alaikum warehmatullahi wa barakatuhu, I am Arif from Makkah, welcoming Brother Nisaar Nadiadwala, a prominent writer on facebook, a regular speaker at ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION and a speaker on peace TV as well.

We take up this opportunity to share some motivationg tips for the young muslims who are struggling to learn deen and looking for guidance from their seniors.

Brother has over 10 years of experience in field dawah  and public dawah. He has build a carreer in dawah, and has motivated many young muslims to take up dawah as a full time carreer. Alhumdulilaah, he is a well known guide for hundred of dawah centres acrros India and they look up at him for seeking advice to promote Islam.

Our Today’ topic of discussion would be FITNAH ON FACEBOOK.

BROTHER NISAAR

WS  Jazak Allah brother arif, as far as the topic goes fitnah on facebook, let me xplain the word fitnah, so that my answers can be easily understood by the audience. The Arabic word fitnah covers many meanings. In the quranic context it means test to see whether you are choosing good or evil. In other context, it also means a trial to test your sabr and taqwa. In one more meaning it also means a type of tribulation from allah,so that people may correct themselves. Plenty of eg are  found in the quran.

The Quran says innama amvaalakum va avlaadukum fitnah. Here it does not mean that your wealth and children are a punishment for you. But, it means that they are a test for you, to see whether you bow to the pressure or you be firm against their unislamic pressure.

The second Eg. Is also from the Quran where Allah(swt) warns thebelievers that if they disobey and rebell against Allah and His messenger then they may fall into Fitnah. So, if we study the case of Bani Israel from Surah Baqarah, we come to know that they rebel against moses(A.S) and met  punishments of various kinds, for Eg they had to wander in the deserts for 40 years and they were also attacked by their enemieswho entered into their homes and destroyed everything. This was a humialtion from Allah. A type if fitnah. In today’s times we see the muslims falling into both the fitnah and the plight of the ummah is not good. The other type of fitnah is the hardship where the person undergoes a crisis without his own fault. But he maintains firmness i=with sabr. You will find this in the case of uthman bin Affan(R.A) and many other sahabs. So we saw some categories of fitnah

CHEF ARIF

So brother Nisaar, in which category of fitnah  the facebook falls into?

First of all do you agree that facebook is a fitnah, as many scholars have warned.

BROTHER NISAAR

Of course, I agree facebook is a fitnah and it is a different fitnah for different people. Whether you are a teacher teaching deen or a daee promoting islam or a lady searching for religious knowledge or a lady searching for a dream boy by browsing profiles or a perverted maniac who just pretends to be good but decieves innocent girls. There are two types of danger in facebook

1 dangers to modesty

2 danger of getting wrong knowledge from wrong people, jeopardising you r akhiraah.

Both of them are equally dangerous for muslims.

As far as modesty goes, young sisters who normally wear hijab and intermingle with opposite sex in their colleges and their social gatherings yet some of them cross the borderline of modesty by intermingling with the opposite sex on facebook becausefacebook offers a tremendous secrecy. Nobody comes to know with whom you are discussing and what you are discussing. I have come across some cases, where some practising muslim females have fallen into an affair with non-muslims who pretend to be interested in Islam, but gradually allured the poor girl who strive innnocently to make him muslim. The discussion then goes in the wrong direction with personal information being shared. And then it raises the emotional index. Thus, exposing the girl to an emotional disaster, destroying her mental peace and ending up with a broken affair.

In other cases, some young boys, who are hard working with good intention of serving and promoting Islam enter into a discussion with non meharm female. And out of curiousity browses her profile and finds it interesting. From talking about islam the subject changes, towards personal discussion. And the young boy who could have done a lot of dawah on facebook by maintaining hijab, is only occupied in thinking about that girl. And If the relation fails to get into marriage the boy feels low and to compensate the loss, he hunts another girl. And this time as well the way is through Islam.

So, these are very dangerous things or hobbies for girls and boys. And I call it A FITNAH OF FACEBOOK where the taqwah and modesty of many boys and girls fails to stand up the situation. 

CHEF ARIF

You also mentioned that there is a danger to your creed, can you please elaborate?

BROTHER NISAAR

You see those who are enthusiastic about learning Islam, should try to avoid facebook for that purpose because high profile scholars like Dr. bilal philips, Dr.Farhat Hashmi, Dr.Zakir Naik and many more don’t appear on fb. And many ppl with less knowledge or wrong knowledge are teaching deen on facebook. So those who want to learn deen on internet,  they should go directy on websites of Dr Farhat Hashmi, Dr.Bilal Philips or ISLAM QA. These websites offer extensive knowledge on fiqh, personal issues as well as creed. So if these websites are available easiily for all, then why should on e approach unknown ppl, about who’s back ground of Islamic Knowledge is not known to us. There are some people who are promoting the Aqeedah of Khaarji’s. Some create confusion about authentic hadeeth from Bukhari.Some manufacture their own answers  and lot of ppl take deen from these ppl, ending up with doubts and confusion about those issues which had no second opinion amongst the early generation of muslims. And all of the above corruptors of creed, they approach as our well wishers. This is one of the biggest dangers of Face book.

CHE ARIF

Finally brother Nisaar, what are your suggestions to facebook users?

BROTHER NISAAR

Don’t keep detailed personal information on your profile. Don’t respond to personal messages ffrom unknown  ppl as well as non mehram. Keep facebook usage for family members only to share personal things. And don’t accept requests from Non-Mehrams .Ignore comments of appreciation from non-mehram.  And request non-mehram not to tag you. In short use facebook in minimum.

CHEF ARIF

Jazak Allahu Khairan Brotther Nisaar for sharing your time with us. And I pray to Allah Almighty that he accepts our efforts.