When we read the stories of personalities like Salahuddin Ayyubi and Khadeejah bint Khuwaylid, we often feel inspired by their achievements and dream of becoming like them one day. But what happens when Shaitan whispers, “Hey, you aren’t good enough”? He tricks us into believing that the world has changed dramatically since the time of the Sahabah. He paints a picture of how we are living in an age of ever-changing trends, crushing societal expectations, and limitless distractions, making it seem too hard to thrive in Islam.
But here’s the good news: No matter what trials come our way, one thing remains firmly in our hands—our choice! If we keep our intentions pure and firm, consistently ask Allah (SWT) for help and guidance, and take the necessary steps to benefit the Ummah, the sky’s the limit, In Sha Allah. The steps we take don’t need to be huge in the beginning. They just need to be consistent. And one of those steps is surely Digital Detox.
Just like the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ used to retreat to the Cave of Hira to declutter his mind and assess what role he could play to bring khair (goodness) to society, we need to take steps to declutter our hearts and minds as well, so we can learn to truly think for ourselves. Because at the end of the day, the society we live in can be so loud that we can’t even hear ourselves think. Ideas are constantly being thrown at us in the form of ads, reels, shorts, movies, vlogs—the list is endless.
Therefore, we must disconnect to truly reconnect. Sometimes, we need to take a step back in order to leap forward. We must look at life from outside this matrix to dive in and operate within it effectively.
Some small steps we can all take are:
Turning off notifications
Every time we try to do something productive—whether reading the Quran or studying for an exam—one vibration from our phones is enough to break our focus. To tackle this, turning off notifications can be a huge game-changer. Removing notifications from the lock screen also helps immensely. When we open our phones just to check the time, we’re less likely to be distracted by countless notifications and can simply put our phones back down.
Setting a timer on social media apps
We often don’t even realise how much time we spend on social media. We keep scrolling and easily lose track of time. Setting timers on these apps helps us assess just how much time we’re spending on our devices and makes it easier to minimise screen time.
Disconnecting before sleeping
Before going to sleep, we have the choice to either end our night well or end our night in evil. We can either scroll through Instagram or YouTube, or we can pick up a book or journal instead. Disconnecting from devices an hour or two before bed allows us to end the day in a calm and mindful way.
Putting devices away with family and friends
There’s a Hadith where the Sahabah (RA) were conversing with the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, and during their conversation, he kept glancing at a ring he was wearing. Realising it was distracting him, he took off the ring to give his companions his full attention [Sunan An-Nasa’i]. This serves as a practical tip for digital detox—when we put our phones away around family and friends, we resist the urge to constantly check our devices and instead revive the Sunnah of giving our loved ones our full attention.
One last thing to keep in mind:
We all have so much to offer the Ummah, Alhamdulillah.
May Allah (SWT) help us all utilise our potential and stay firm on this path, ameen!
