Dima’s Reviews > Fiqh of Social Media: Timeless Islamic Principles for Navigating the Digital Age > Status Update

“We must always strive to connect the dots of what we know from our faith and apply it to our daily lives. This is what will equip us to lead a change and model a higher standard of behaviour in utilizing and engaging with social media.”

“It is famously said that the only constant is change…No matter how much things change, our religious principles are timeless. The guidance we find in the Quran and in the Sunnah of our beloved Prophet(s) are perfect until the end of time. The challenge, as always, is in the implementation.“

“Your feed should be highly curated to bring benefit to your life and your akhirah. Unfollow relentlessly…Your feed is a place to exercise being selfish. If an account does not positively contribute to your life, then unfollow. This goes for unfollowing discussions in addition to people… Exercise that same level of restraint. If a discussion is not of direct benefit for you, remove yourself from it.”

Period

“We all need protective time during the day. Without intentionally blocking it, our phones will fill it by default. While some people have the ability to stick to a strict schedule of limiting their screen time to a fixed amount, this is not a viable or sustainable solution for most. Find pockets of time to designate is off-limits. Half an hour before bedtime and half an hour after waking up are ideal.”

He [the Prophet PBUH] instructed them, “Give glad tidings, and do not scare people away. Make things easy, do not make things difficult.”

“The lens of the believer necessitates understanding that our faith in Allah means knowing Allah is the source of all that is good, and He will never decree something in which the evil outweighs the good - even if that good is reserved for the akhirah.”

وَلا تَهِنوا وَلا تَحزَنوا وَأَنتُمُ الأَعلَونَ إِن كُنتُم مُؤمِنينَ

Do not lost heart or despair, and you will be superior if you are [true] believers. (3:139)

“After a whole day of reading, liking, and re-sharing these reminders, a person can feel accomplished. It gives off the illusion of having learned a lot due to the frequency of exposure and breadth of topics. It is important to not let these types of reminders inadvertently displace the process of deeper learning.”

“The ultimate question here - as always - boils down to intention. Why do you want to be portrayed a certain way? Who are you hoping to show this version of yourself to? What do you get from doing this?

A good rule of thumb learned from our pious predecessors when it comes to portraying a certain image: work to hide your good deeds even more than you hide your bad ones.”

“We will not change this until we better incentivize and reward the right type of dawah. Stop liking, sharing, and commenting on the things that only impact the short term. Seek out and amplify the dawah and education that is beneficial for the long term.”