حِفْظُ القَوْلِ فِي الْفَضَاءِ الرَّقْمِيِّ : Preserving speech in digital space

أَعُوذُ بِاللّٰهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

In the name of ALLAH, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

حِفْظُ القَوْلِ فِي الْفَضَاءِ الرَّقْمِيِّ : Preserving speech in digital space.

Praise be to Allah, who created man and taught him articulate speech. I bear witness that there is no deity but Allah alone, having no partner; He commanded upright speech and made the rectitude of one’s words a reflection of the rectitude of one’s faith. I also bear witness that Muhammad, peace be upon him, is His servant and Messenger; he guided us to guard the tongue and preserve the integrity of speech—his words were guidance, and his silence was wisdom. May the blessings of Allah be upon him, and upon his family and companions, who made the spoken word a means for reform and a key to goodness and success. These are the recited verses from Surah Al Ahzab and their translation:

أَمَّا بَعْدُ، فاعوذ باللہ من الشیطان الرجیم- بسم اللہ الرحمن الرحیم

يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ ٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَ وَقُولُواْ قَوۡلاً۬ سَدِيدً۬ا (٧٠) يُصۡلِحۡ لَكُمۡ أَعۡمَـٰلَكُمۡ وَيَغۡفِرۡ لَكُمۡ ذُنُوبَكُمۡۗ وَمَن يُطِعِ ٱللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ ۥ فَقَدۡ فَازَ فَوۡزًا عَظِيمًا

O you who believe! Keep your duty to Allâh and fear Him, and speak (always) the truth. (70) He will direct you to do righteous good deeds and will forgive you your sins. And whosoever obeys Allâh and His Messenger (SAW) he has indeed achieved a great achievement (i.e. he will be saved from the Hell-fire and will be admitted to Paradise). (71)

Surah Al Ahzab – 70-71

O servants of ALLAH: Fear ALLAH and Adopt piety and obey ALLAH, and know that in the age of modern digital communication we are facing the danger of the tongue turning into fingers, writing and publishing in a few seconds words that reach a large audience, which has made the responsibility of the word greater, and its scope more dangerous. For this reason, there is a need to reflect on the matter of the word, which Islam has greatly emphasized, and whose danger the Qur’an has warned against, as the Lord of the Worlds said in His Glorious Book in Surah Qaf:

مَّا يَلۡفِظُ مِن قَوۡلٍ إِلَّا لَدَيۡهِ رَقِيبٌ عَتِيدٌ۬

Not a word does he (or she) utter, but there is a watcher by him ready (to record it).

Surah Qaf – 18

The word does not die or disappear simply by being spoken, but remains a witness and documented in a book which you will find spread out on the Day of Resurrection. ALLAH says in Surah Al Isra

ٱقۡرَأۡ كِتَـٰبَكَ كَفَىٰ بِنَفۡسِكَ ٱلۡيَوۡمَ عَلَيۡكَ حَسِيبً۬ا

(It will be said to him): "Read your book. You yourself are sufficient as a reckoner against you this Day."

Surah Al Isra – 14

Therefore, every believer ought to make the following saying of our Master, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), the guiding principle of their speech and writing: "Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him speak good or remain silent." Let them also realize that a single word may elevate a person to the highest reaches of Paradise or cast them into the depths of the Fire. In the noble Hadith, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "A servant may utter a word that pleases Allah—without attaching any importance to it—yet Allah raises him by degrees because of it; and a servant may utter a word that incurs Allah’s wrath—without attaching any importance to it—yet he plunges into Hell because of it." Thus, one word elevates a person, while another—seemingly similar—brings them low; beware, then, lest your future be ruined by your tongue or your hand without you even realizing it.

O Muslims: The very name "Muslim" embodies peace and peacefulness. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "A Muslim is one from whose tongue and hand other Muslims are safe." Thus, guarding one’s tongue is a hallmark of Islam. A true Muslim is one whose heart is upright—and consequently, whose tongue is upright—having mastered his own self and restrained it from actions that lead to ruin. Among the perils we must guard against in the realm of social media and the digital world is the dissemination of rumors without verification—an act that contravenes the command of Allah (Mighty and Majestic is He). ALLAH says in Surah Al Hujraat

يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓاْ إِن جَآءَكُمۡ فَاسِقُۢ بِنَبَإٍ۬ فَتَبَيَّنُوٓاْ أَن تُصِيبُواْ قَوۡمَۢا بِجَهَـٰلَةٍ۬ فَتُصۡبِحُواْ عَلَىٰ مَا فَعَلۡتُمۡ نَـٰدِمِينَ

O you who believe! If a Fasiq (liar — evil person) comes to you with any news, verify it, lest you should harm people in ignorance, and afterwards you become regretful for what you have done.

Surah Al Hujarat – 02

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) warned us against falling into this pitfall—caused by passing on everything we hear and read—saying: "It is sufficient for a person to be considered a liar if he narrates everything he hears." Therefore, a Muslim must verify information and exercise caution before believing or spreading what he hears, for the one who conveys the information shares the responsibility with the one who originally stated it. Likewise, the believer must guard against backbiting—a practice against which Allah has warned the believers, stating (Glorified be He) in Surah Al Hujraat:

وَلَا يَغۡتَب بَّعۡضُكُم بَعۡضًا‌ۚ أَيُحِبُّ أَحَدُڪُمۡ أَن يَأۡڪُلَ لَحۡمَ أَخِيهِ مَيۡتً۬ا فَكَرِهۡتُمُوهُ‌ۚ

neither backbite one another. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would hate it (so hate backbiting)[] .

Surah Al Hujarat – 12-Part

Among the destructive behaviors rampant in digital spaces is what is termed "bullying"—a practice God has designated as sukhrīyah (mockery) and against which He has warned believing men and women, stating—Glory be to Him, says in Surah Al Hujraat:

يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ لَا يَسۡخَرۡ قَوۡمٌ۬ مِّن قَوۡمٍ عَسَىٰٓ أَن يَكُونُواْ خَيۡرً۬ا مِّنۡہُمۡ

O you who believe! Let not a group scoff at another group, it may be that the latter are better than the former;

Surah Al Hujarat – 11-Part

So fear Allah, O servants of Allah, and beware—be extremely wary—of falling into any of those destructive acts, especially within digital spaces; for their impact is deeper, and their spread is faster and more widespread, potentially continuing to accrue sins even after death—may Allah protect us and you, Aameen

أقولُ مَا تَسْمَعُونَ، وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ العَظِيمَ لِي وَلَكُمْ، فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهُ يَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ، إِنَّهُ هُوَ الغَفُورُالرَّحِيمُ، وَادْعُوهُ يَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ، إِنَّهُ هُوَ البَرُّ الكَرِيمُ

I say what you hear, and I ask forgiveness from ALLAH Almighty for me and for you, so ask forgiveness from Him and He will forgive you, for He is the Forgiving and Merciful, and pray to Him and He will answer you, for He is The noble righteousness

الحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الْعَلِيمِ الرَّقِيبِ، يَعْلَمُ خَائِنَةَ الْأَعْيُنِ وَمَا تُخْفِي الصُّدُورُ، وَأَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ ﷺ، وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ أَجْمَعِينَ، وَالتَّابِعِينَ لَهُمْ بِإِحْسَانٍ إِلَى يَوْمِ الدِّينِ

Praise be to Allah, the All-Knowing, the Ever-Watchful; He knows the stealthy glance of the eyes and what the hearts conceal. I bear witness that there is no deity but Allah alone, having no partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad, peace be upon him, is His servant and His Messenger—may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, his family, all his companions, and those who follow them in righteousness until the Day of Judgment.

To proceed, O frequenters of the digital realm:A kind word transcends horizons and reaches hearts in an instant. Seize this blessing, and transform social media platforms into pulpits for goodness and bridges of affection; for the most enviable among people is the one whose benefit extends, whose legacy endures, and whose reward is magnified. ALLAH says in Surah Ibrahim

أَلَمۡ تَرَ كَيۡفَ ضَرَبَ ٱللَّهُ مَثَلاً۬ كَلِمَةً۬ طَيِّبَةً۬ كَشَجَرَةٍ۬ طَيِّبَةٍ أَصۡلُهَا ثَابِتٌ۬ وَفَرۡعُهَا فِى ٱلسَّمَآءِ (٢٤) تُؤۡتِىٓ أُڪُلَهَا كُلَّ حِينِۭ بِإِذۡنِ رَبِّهَا‌ۗ

See you not how Allâh sets forth a parable? - A goodly word as a goodly tree, whose root is firmly fixed, and its branches (reach) to the sky (i.e. very high). (24) Giving its fruit at all times, by the Leave of its Lord

Surah Ibrahim – 24-25-Part

Whoever invests the time he spends on social media platforms in spreading goodness, inviting people to it, maintaining kinship ties, uniting the hearts of Muslims, and supporting the oppressed, has indeed won and succeeded. Likewise, a Muslim must instill in himself and his conscience the culture of verifying everything he reads and hears before believing it, publishing it, or sharing it with others; for every “share” or “comment” is a testimony for which a person will be questioned on the Day of Resurrection. ALLAH says in Surah Az Zukhruf

سَتُكۡتَبُ شَهَـٰدَتُہُمۡ وَيُسۡـَٔلُونَ

Their testimony will be recorded, and they will be questioned!

Surah Az Zukhruf – 19-Part

It is narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) once said to a man who intended to bear witness: "Do you see the sun?" The man replied, "Yes." The Prophet then said, "Bear witness based on something as clear as that, or else refrain." Therefore, a Muslim must be cautious and guard his hearing, his sight, and his pen against anything that would bring him ruin and loss; for he will undoubtedly be made to stand and be held accountable. ALLAH says in Surah Al Isra

وَلَا تَقۡفُ مَا لَيۡسَ لَكَ بِهِۦ عِلۡمٌ‌ۚ إِنَّ ٱلسَّمۡعَ وَٱلۡبَصَرَ وَٱلۡفُؤَادَ كُلُّ أُوْلَـٰٓٮِٕكَ كَانَ عَنۡهُ مَسۡـُٔولاً۬

And follow not (O man i.e., say not, or do not or witness not) that of which you have no knowledge. Verily! The hearing, and the sight, and the heart, of each of those one will be questioned (by Allâh).

Surah Al Isra – 36

Before making any post, comment, or share, ask yourself a few questions and answer them first: Is this truthful and factual, or is it a rumor from an unreliable source? Does it represent something good that contributes to benefit and reform—serving the public—or is it merely idle talk, argument, and contention? Consider your answer carefully, then decide whether to proceed or refrain.

So fear Allah, O servants of Allah, and remember that the keyboards on your phones and computers are a trust—a second tongue that speaks on your behalf. Let your consciences serve as a watchful guardian, reminding you of Allah with every letter you type, and of the fact that you will see it all tomorrow in your records—in a book that leaves nothing out, small or great, but has enumerated it.

O servants of ALLAH, remember this command of ALLAH from Surah Az Zumr:

قُلۡ يَـٰعِبَادِىَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَسۡرَفُواْ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِهِمۡ لَا تَقۡنَطُواْ مِن رَّحۡمَةِ ٱللَّهِ‌ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَغۡفِرُ ٱلذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا‌ۚ إِنَّهُ ۥ هُوَ ٱلۡغَفُورُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ

کہہ دو اے میرے بندو جنہوں نے اپنی جانوں پر ظلم کیا ہے الله کی رحمت سے مایوس نہ ہو بے شک

الله سب گناہ بخش دے گا بے شک وہ بخشنے والا رحم والا ہے

Say: "O 'Ibâdî (My slaves) who have transgressed against themselves (by committing evil deeds and sins)! Despair not of the Mercy of Allâh, verily Allâh forgives all sins. Truly, He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

Surah Az Zumr – 53