By Zahra Nayyer
Imagine hearing a “ping” on your mobile, it’s a reminder that your favourite event is round the corner. It brings a smile to your face and your heart skips a beat. Now imagine if that same “ping” sound signalled a reminder that the Day of Judgement is near or that you have been slacking off in your prayer. How would you feel? Is that even possible you may ask and my answer is: yes!
Our Facebook profiles are customized to receive different notifications and our newsfeed shows us what we want to see. We may be keen to share our milestones and important events in our lives but not keen on sharing reminders that can benefit us and those around us. We don’t want to cause discomfort by talking about grim things like, life of the hereafter and the grave. But what if your reminders are the very wake-up call someone needs to change their ways and become better Muslims? Would we still shy away from sharing such vital information?
Let’s first get one thing straight, what is our motivation towards sharing reminders about our Deen? Who or what are we calling people towards?
Say (O Muhammad ﷺ): This is my way; I invite unto Allaah (i.e. to the Oneness of Allaah — Islamic Monotheism) with sure knowledge, I and whosoever follows me (also must invite others to Allaah, i.e. to the Oneness of Allaah — Islamic Monotheism with sure knowledge). And Glorified and Exalted be Allaah (above all that they associate as partners with Him). And I am not of the Mushrikoon (polytheists, pagans, idolaters and disbelievers in the Oneness of Allaah; those who worship others along with Allaah or set up rivals or partners to Allaah)” [Yoosuf 12:108]
It’s good to remind ourselves why we need to develop the habit of reminding others about this beautiful religion Allah has blessed us with, which at times can be a daunting task due to which we shy away from reminding, and the verse above does just that in a powerful way.
I have realized that Facebook is indeed a powerful tool. One that can destroy lives with endless hours of scrolling, “liking” posts and commenting on photos. Or it can be used to spread the message of Allah and reviving sunnahs that have long been lost under the cloud of innovations and traditions.
There really is no end to what you can share; quotes from the Quran and sunnah in the form of scenic images and beautiful text, reminders to attend upcoming events in your city and short videos about various topics related to Islam etc. You don’t need to be a scholar to share Islamic information because the Prophet ﷺ told us; “Convey from me even if it is one ayah (verse)” (Bukhari)
Calling towards Islam is really the most noble of actions a person can do, it is reviving the legacy of the Prophets and the great scholars of our time. It is a huge blessing and honour for us that now we can share a wealth of information from the comfort of our homes when in the past this same knowledge used to take days and many months to reach people in different parts of the world!
While sharing information, be sure to keep the etiquette in mind to make this process beneficial for you and those reading your posts:
Cite the Source
Don’t share everything you read and that “sounds nice” rather always aim to share authentic information that is backed up by references from the Quran and sunnah.
Forget the “Likes”
Don’t check for the number of likes on your posts for it could be that pretty soon your intention changes from pleasing Allah to pleasing people and all the reward is then lost.
Keep out of Facebook Battles
People may not always like what you post , in case this happens remind yourself that the Prophets too faced much criticism but they didn’t take it personally and tried to cater to the people’s mindsets in a humble and polite way and we too should aim to do the same and avoid arguments.
Keep Learning and Sharing
As you aim to share more reminders through your Facebook profile and other social networking sites, make sure that you make time to improve on your own knowledge about Islam whether it’s through regular classes or reading books. Whenever you learn something or are yourself reminded of something, share it on your page or profile. It will not only help you retain the knowledge but also be a source of guidance for others and you never know just who might benefit. So keep sharing because the reminder benefits the believer!