Social media platforms are full of information, news, comments and opinions about all sorts of topics and current affairs. They are no longer limited for the use of authorities only or to a certain group of people but rather, these platforms have become accessible and available to all. Everyone has a medium through which they can share what they hear or read, or to present their personal points of views. Despite the positive aspects of using social media platforms, the overflow of information and mixed messages may stifle the ability of people to reach accurate facts and truthful perspectives. Seeking the truth requires an immense amount of effort and investigation, so most would rather accept all they read and see regardless of whether it is true or not. Considering the wide popularity of social media, it is crucial that this issue is addressed.
Here are some tips and methods which can be used to help differentiate truth from falsehood on social media, and prevent the forging and distortion of the truth:
Investigate something before you believe it
Islam has emphasised this greatly through its teachings since it called for the human being to take their time and not hasten to accept everything they read or hear. This is what Allah (swt) warned against when He said in description of the human being:
خُلِقَ الْإِنسَانُ مِنْ عَجَلٍ ۚ سَأُرِيكُمْ آيَاتِي فَلَا تَسْتَعْجِلُونِ
Humankind was created of haste. I will soon show you My signs, so do not ask Me to hasten them.
-Qur’an 21:37
So, the human being has an innate tendency to be haste and for this reason, Allah (swt) wants to show us the approach we can use to avoid falling into the habit of thoughtlessly rushing into believing something which may turn out to be a rumour or false information. In this regard it has been narrated in hadith:
إنما أهلك الناس العجلة، ولو أن الناس تثبتوا لم يهلك أحد
Hastiness has destroyed people, and if people were to be stable [and search for proofs] no one would be destroyed
And:
مع التثبت تكون السلامة، ومع العجلة تكون الندامة
With stability comes peace, and with haste comes regret
As well as:
الأناة من الله، والعجلة من الشيطان
Patience is from Allah (swt), and haste comes from Shaytan
Allah (swt) asks for you to be careful and patient, whereas Shaytan wants you to rush into accepting things without analysing and thinking about things first.
Furthermore, the Holy Qur’an has pointed to the importance of being patient and not rushing as an approach adopted by the Prophets. Prophet Sulaymān expressed this when the hudhud or hoopoe (a type of colourful bird) who works for him came to inform the Prophet of a tribe who worship the sun in place of Allah (swt) in Sheba, with the intention of justifying his extensive absence from his duties. Here, Allah (swt) points to what Prophet Sulaymān said – he did not rush into falsifying the hudhud nor into believing him:
قَالَ سَنَنظُرُ أَصَدَقْتَ أَمْ كُنتَ مِنَ الْكَاذِبِينَ
He (Sulaimān) said, “We shall see whether you have told the truth or you are (one) of the liars.”
-Qur’an 27:27
Accordingly, we must not hasten into affairs; we have to give ourselves time to investigate and study them first.
Examine the source of the information
Secondly, Islam highlights the need to investigate the personality of the one who says the information as well as his background and the context that govern what he does. This applies whether it is an individual, a certain group or a media organisation; we must study their past and their history, their potential biases and personal interests, as well as their objectives behind sharing the information. Additionally, the level of awareness, accuracy and truthfulness that goes into the information and facts they spread must be assessed, so that we do not take from those whom we don’t trust or those who do not scrutinise what they share before sharing it.
Allah (swt) says:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِن جَاءَكُمْ فَاسِقٌ بِنَبَإٍ فَتَبَيَّنُوا أَن تُصِيبُوا قَوْمًا بِجَهَالَةٍ فَتُصْبِحُوا عَلَىٰ مَا فَعَلْتُمْ نَادِمِينَ
O you who have believed, if there comes to you an immoral person [fāsiq] with information, investigate, lest you harm a people out of ignorance and become, over what you have done, regretful.
-Qur’an 49:6
The fāsiq is the one who does not fear Allah (swt) with the matters that impact himself or other people, and he does not fear Allah (swt) with the words that he writes or shares. Also, he is not honest or trustworthy when he transmits news. So, we must comprehensively examine the personality of those who transmit news and information so that we only accept information from reliable and God-fearing sources.
Thoroughly analyse the news/information
The third piece of advice is to thoroughly study and analyse the information you read against logic, reason, knowledge and reality. And, we mustn’t believe that we are sufficient in doing this alone, as we may not have these skills or means. If someone does not have the means for researching and analysing he must – as Allah (swt) has directed – refer to those who have knowledge and experience:
فَاسْأَلُوا أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ إِن كُنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ
So ask the people of the knowledge, in case you do not know.
-Qur’an 16:43
Allah (swt) has condemned those who quickly accept what they hear without studying it first, and then share this unconfirmed information to others. He (swt) called people to return to the Prophet Muhammad when he was present, or in his absence to refer to those who have knowledge and will accurately analyse the information against reality – those who have the ability to distinguish between truth and falsehood.
وَإِذَا جَاءَهُمْ أَمْرٌ مِّنَ الْأَمْنِ أَوِ الْخَوْفِ أَذَاعُوا بِهِ ۖ وَلَوْ رَدُّوهُ إِلَى الرَّسُولِ وَإِلَىٰ أُولِي الْأَمْرِ مِنْهُمْ لَعَلِمَهُ الَّذِينَ يَسْتَنبِطُونَهُ مِنْهُمْ ۗ وَلَوْلَا فَضْلُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَتُهُ لَاتَّبَعْتُمُ الشَّيْطَانَ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا
When there comes to them some matter touching (public) safety or fear, they make it known (among the people), if only they had referred it to the Messenger or to those charged with authority among them, the proper investigators would have understood it from them (directly). Had it not been for the Grace and Mercy of Allah upon you, you would have followed Shaitan (Satan), save a few of you.
-Qur’an 4:83
Apart from these points of guidance, there are also a number of warnings that ayahs of the Qur’an present to us:
Do not choose to accept only the information that serves your interest
One must not submit certain pieces of information or news to their own prejudice, as in they take what serves their interest (which can be affinity for an individual, a group, family, a maḏhab or political group), and disregard what does not suit their interests. This kind of person accepts that which correlates with what he likes, and denies all news that is associated with those what he dislikes even if it is true.
فَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا الْهَوَىٰ
So do not ever follow prejudice
-Qur’an 4:135
Do not succumb to those who have mastered the art of speech
The second warning is to avoid submitting to those who have perfected the art of speech and who have the ability to persuade through certain techniques they may have, or personal abilities (such as being good public speakers). This has become a science where people may study how to influence and manipulate people, how to attract people and how to appeal to the hearts and minds of others. We must be aware that just like there is marketing for products, there is marketing for ideas, opinions and information.
وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَن يُعْجِبُكَ قَوْلُهُ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَيُشْهِدُ اللَّهَ عَلَىٰ مَا فِي قَلْبِهِ وَهُوَ أَلَدُّ الْخِصَامِ
وَإِذَا تَوَلَّىٰ سَعَىٰ فِي الْأَرْضِ لِيُفْسِدَ فِيهَا وَيُهْلِكَ الْحَرْثَ وَالنَّسْلَ ۗ وَاللَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ الْفَسَادَ
Among men there is one whose speech, in this life, attracts you; he even makes Allah his witness on what is in his heart, yet he is the most contentious of enemies. When he turns his back, his aim everywhere is to spread mischief through the earth and destroy crops and cattle. But Allah does not like mischief.
-Qur’an 2:204-205
As such, we must be aware and not submit to those who have mastered the art of speaking as they may not be saying the truth. Furthermore, they have media platforms which they can creatively use – through music, images, the way they present information – to manipulate the minds, hearts and awareness of people.
Do not accept any news just because others do
Thirdly, we mustn’t accept what we read or hear just because of the pressure that many others accept it. We must only accept things based on thinking and reflection. This is what Allah (swt) ensured He made clear to His Messenger when he used to face an atmosphere of people calling him majnūn (the insane one) despite him having the peak of intelligence and social awareness. Allah (swt) instructed the Prophet to tell people: do no be influenced by your environment and repeat what is said to you, think first.
قُلْ إِنَّمَا أَعِظُكُم بِوَاحِدَةٍ ۖ أَن تَقُومُوا لِلَّهِ مَثْنَىٰ وَفُرَادَىٰ ثُمَّ تَتَفَكَّرُوا ۚ مَا بِصَاحِبِكُم مِّن جِنَّةٍ ۚ إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا نَذِيرٌ لَّكُم بَيْنَ يَدَيْ عَذَابٍ شَدِيدٍ
Say, “I only advise you of one [thing] – that you stand for Allah, [seeking truth] in pairs and individually, and then give reflect.” There is not in your companion any insanity. He is only a warner to you before a severe punishment.
-Qur’an 34:46
There are many examples where people are influenced by the majority as is the case with trends, protests etc. – if you ask them “why are you doing this?” or “why have you accepted this information?”, they will say “because that is what everyone else is doing”, regardless if it is right or not. For this reason, the Prophet Muhammad used to forbid people from blindly following what others do.
قال رسول الله: يا أيها الناس إنهما النجدان، نجد الخير، ونجد الشر، فلا يكون نجد الشر أحب إليكم من نجد الخير
It is narrated that the Messenger of Allah (swt) said: Oh people, there are two paths: the path of good and the path of evil. So do not let the path of evil be more beloved to you than the path of good.
These are essential guidelines and principles that we must follow so that we are able to prevent those who play with words and master the art of persuasion to spread deviation in society, or those who want – through their words – to tarnish the reputation of people who play an important role in the progression and protection of society so that it can flourish.
Dear loved ones, today we are facing a war where military weapons do not play the dominant role – the most active weapon is the manipulation and control of people’s minds, and the triggering of conflicts. It is our responsibility to utilise all mediums to spark social awareness, knowledge and good in society. And, we must beware of those who distort the truth and appear polished behind screens; those who give the impression that they care for the benefit of people whereas in reality, they conceal their evil intentions behind decorated words and catchy slogans.
When we live in the age of distortion of truth and spreading of false information, we need believers – but not any believers. We need the truthful, aware believer who has not only two eyes in his head, but two eyes in his heart and in his mind as well. We need strong believers who are able to think quietly, distant from the noise around them. At the forefront of our minds should be the inevitable scenario on the Day of Judgement where we will stand in front of Allah (swt):
إِنَّ السَّمْعَ وَالْبَصَرَ وَالْفُؤَادَ كُلُّ أُولَٰئِكَ كَانَ عَنْهُ مَسْئُولًا
Indeed, the hearing, the sight and the heart – about all those [one] will be questioned.
-Qur’an 17:36
The above is translated from an Arabic lecture by Sayyed Ali Fadlallah.
For original lecture click here.
