The Shariah Limits of Social Media

Shaykh Wahid Abdus Salam Bali has drawn a few boundaries here. Break even one of them, and the door to the evil eye and hasad opens in the home.

How the Question Comes

Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram — it is hard to find anyone who has no account on any of them. These platforms have made their own place in our lives.

A guest has come to your home, having gone to some trouble to visit. Just as the conversation begins, a message arrives — you leave the guest and dive into your phone, and then into the next message.

Your elderly father is sitting there, and your mother is sitting there. They want their son to talk with them a little. Half an hour passes, then an hour — the son is on the screen, and the father has no one to talk to.

So the question is — what are the Shariah rules for dealing with these platforms?

The Shaykh's Answer

The intention is the first boundary — pick up your phone with the intention of spreading good; both when you listen and when you write.

The Shaykh says — harming someone, distorting someone's picture, spreading lies or rumors — as many people as it reaches, that much sin will be recorded against you. When news comes to your hand, verify it first, then share.

Another boundary — no mocking anyone, no calling anyone by bad names. Allah Himself has warned against this in Surah Al-Hujurat, verse 11.

The Evidence — Whatever Spreads, You Have a Share in It

مَنْ دَعَا إِلَى هُدًى كَانَ لَهُ مِنَ الْأَجْرِ مِثْلُ أُجُورِ مَنْ تَبِعَهُ لَا يَنْقُصُ ذَلِكَ مِنْ أُجُورِهِمْ شَيْئًا

Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward equal to the rewards of those who follow him; this does not reduce their rewards in the least. (Sahih Muslim 2674)Copy

The opposite is also there — the Prophet ﷺ saw in a dream a man who would tell a single lie and it would spread to the horizon. (Sahih Bukhari)

What to Do

1. Set your intention right — to spread good; and do not share any news without verifying it.
2. Do not post pictures of your home, events or family — this is what opens the door to the evil eye and hasad.
3. Put your phone down in front of a guest, your parents or your children — that time is theirs.
4. No pictures of Hajj, Umrah or sadaqah — let the worship stay a secret between you and Allah.

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Source: Based on a talk by Shaykh Wahid Abdus Salam Bali

Translation and compilation: Raqi Faisal Ahmed Sabit — Al Qur'an Ruqyah Healing Center