When Screens Distract the Heart: How Social Media Pulls Us Away from Dīn, Knowledge, and Family.
We often find that when a brother or sister, a son or daughter, is advised and told: “Why do you not set aside time to read the Qur’an, to seek knowledge, to read something beneficial, or to do activities that benefit you in your religion or your worldly life—even if only one hour a day?” He or she responds: “I don’t have time.”
But the reality of our lives exposes the futility of that claim—because we will happily spend long stretches of our day scrolling [and swiping] on our phones, and busying ourselves with things that do not benefit our religion, our family life, or our community—by wasting our time on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and X.
So, we need to understand this well: the issue is not a shortage of time. Rather, it is a deficiency within ourselves—in our religion, in our minds and in our behaviour! That is where the problem lies. So recognise it and strive to rectify it. Muslims (and many Salafis) are, I believe, clinically addicted to Social Media, and Allah’s aid is sought.
And do not think to yourselves that this matter is insignificant. This life of yours—its breaths, its moments, its passing seconds—is your treasure in this world. And that treasure is limited by Allah, the Mighty and Majestic. He granted it to you as a test, and whatever has passed from it will never return. So you have to take advantage of what remains, and do not waste this treasure on things that bring little or no benefit, let alone that you should waste your time with matters that are harmful to your religion, your family and worldly affairs. Al-Hasan al-Basri (رحمه الله) said:
ابْنَ آدَمَ! إِنَّمَا أَنْتَ أَيَّامٌ وَكُلَّمَا ذَهَبَ يَوْمٌ ذَهَبَ بَعْضُكَ
“O son of Adam, you are nothing but a collection of days. Whenever a day departs, a part of you departs with it.” (Az-Zuhd of Imām Ahmad, no. 1586).
I advise my brothers and sisters to either delete or greatly limit the use of apps on their phones—Social Media apps such as TikTok (this one needs to be deleted altogether), X (Twitter needs to be limited to just 10 minutes a day to find duroos times or links to the latest articles), Facebook (not needed, so better deleted), Instagram (another one not needed, so better deleted).
Whatever small benefit you gain from accessing and watching is far outweighed by the harm they cause. They are predominantly platforms of misguidance made by the enemies of Islam (and Salafiyyah) designed to spread sin, disobedience, doubts, confusion and discord in communities. The makers of these apps “curate” timelines and recommendations that draw you deeper into wasting your valuable time and energy—they are not concerned with your well-being and safety, nor do they care about your family and community. They want only to enslave you and create within you an addiction to their platforms.
They do not distinguish between truth and falsehood, between a person of knowledge and the ignorant; accounts are often created under fake names (maybe even by kuffār and hypocrites) to lead Muslims to sin, pornography, ill-manners, misguidance, music, movies, bid’ah and so on. I have no doubt that the harms of these platforms far outweigh any good they bring.
I wish to now narrow down the advice to those who love Islam and the Sunnah, and want to improve their lives and relationships, into the following points:
One: Be ardent in becoming a student of knowledge, seeking by that the Face of Allāh, His Pleasure and His Paradise.
Two: Be focused, spend more time with your families: parents, spouses and children. Read together, sit together, eat together, and go for walks and picnics (in parks and the countryside) together.
Three: Cling to ahlus-Sunnah in your communities, and they are the Salafis — visit the masjid, mix with ahlus-Sunnah, travel to them. If you live far from them, move closer to their communities.
Four: Do not isolate yourselves from the people of Sunnah — be gentle with them, talk to them and send them gifts.
Five: Read books—actual books, or printed articles—make notes in the margins and build a home library; attend duroos at the marākiz and masājid of Salafiyyah, in person.
Six: If you are single (whether a virgin or previously married), ask Allah constantly for a righteous spouse who will aid you in your journey to Allah: establish the tahajjud prayer, make du’ā to Allah (the Most High) to aid you in your search; and then ask your parents, your siblings, and the righteous in your community to help you. Marriage brings you real responsibilities and keeps you rightfully busy and away from social media, inshā’-Allāh.
Seven: As for seeking knowledge online, stick to the direct websites or broadcast accounts of the scholars, the students of knowledge, and the Salafi marākiz — join their WhatsApp or Telegram broadcast channels, where you will receive links to prayer times at the masjid and duroos times — attend in person (if you can), otherwise listen on their broadcasts such as Mixlr.
Eight: Many mashayikh and students of knowledge also use Telegram to post articles and advice in typed, PDF, or audio format. Telegram is focused, and channels are run by individuals without the distractions or other offerings (and suggestions) that lead to time-wasting and misguidance.
As for myself, yes, I use X, Facebook, etc., to advertise articles from my website, duroos, conferences and charitable causes to my audience. I avoid wasting time scrolling my day away on these platforms, and I rarely click links forwarded to my WhatsApp because I truly do not want to lose hours of my day to social media. The problem is that most people just don’t know when to stop scrolling! In reality, you should never scroll or follow what the media platform suggests; disengage straightaway!
May Allah aid us and you to what is loved by Allah.
Abu Khadeejah ʿAbdul-Wāhid.
