Necessity or Affliction? – The Correct Use of Social Media
Podcast
Transcript:
And one very important topic is social media and our youngsters. No one can deny that social media is a necessity today. We cannot live without it. It plays a very important role in our lives. But a young person who spends his entire time, morning and evening, on social media – how can he make it beneficial? What are its responsibilities? And what benefits can be derived from it?
Let me explain it with an example.
If I were to recite a Noha or a Majlis with my voice right now, without a microphone, how many people would be able to hear me? Only those who are present here. And even fewer.
If I bring a microphone, how many more people will hear me? The number increases. It increases slightly.
But in today’s world, social media is a microphone whose voice never stops reaching. It never ends.
That means whatever I say now is saved. It could be seen by someone in 10 years, or even in 20 years. And it could be seen in any country, in any part of the world. We don’t know which corner of the world our message will reach. Social media has provided a platform that has never existed before in human history.
But the most important thing is to know it. To understand what it is.
As you can see, Ameerul Momineen (a.s) says in Nahjul Balagha, “Wa aata qatil ila Yaumil Qiyamah Qaabil” – everyone criticised him. Qaabil killed his brother. A brother is not meant to be killed; a brother is meant to be loved. But Qaabil killed. And Ameerul Momineen (a.s) explained it strangely.
He praised him in a sense. He said, from now until the Day of Judgment, every murder that happens, a portion of its sin will go to Qaabil, because he laid the foundation for it. He started it.
This is exactly what social media is.
Today I post a Majlis recording on social media. I uploaded it. Then, suppose I pass away. After 10 years, someone hears about Majlis and benefits from it. I will still receive the reward. My book of deeds remains open.
It should not be that we only post our own gatherings. That has become a trend — people only post their own stuff and not anyone else’s. Any good thing that is on social media, one should share it so that people can benefit from it. Not with the intention of increasing likes, but with the intention that people should benefit.
But it also has its downsides. For example, some people have a habit of adding music to their reels. So the sin of everyone who listens to it will also fall upon the one who posted it.
Both of his accounts remain open.
Now, if he posts something negative that misleads people and preoccupies them with sin and self-destruction, he may have been dead for 20 or 30 years. His body is dead, but his book of deeds is still open. After death, he will wonder, ” Where is this punishment coming from?
It is coming from that reel he posted. The angels will tell him, “People are listening to your songs. They are listening, then sharing them, and they are commenting.” When you comment and share, you create a chain.
You have a platform that can be used for good or for bad.
What a great opportunity it is that my good deeds can remain public until the Day of Judgment. I have access to such a platform that was not available at any time before in human history.
