Wednesday, April 13, 2011

The Permissibility of Using Facebook for Dawah..




Question;
There is a website called Facebook which has become well known and is widely used all over the world. On this website every person has their own page where they can write in and post up their pictures. Through the use of this website men and women are able to look at one anotherýs pictures and they often meet up through this website. Furthermore, it has also been mentioned on some of the newspapers and news reports that cases of kidnap, as well as adultery and fornication have increased directly because of this website. Now some of Ahl us-sunnah have started to use this website in the name of Daýwah. So is it permissible for us to utilize this website whilst knowing all of what has been mentioned?

Answer
Shaykh al-'Allaamah Rabee' Ibn Haadee al-Madkhalee hafidahullah
ýThe salafee does not visit this type of website. There are enough salafee websites that they can visit.ý


Shaykh Abu Umar Usaamah Utaybee of Madinah hafidhullah
ýThe website facebook is from the immoral and corrupt websites. And it is said that the Jews are behind it, and Allah knows best the truth of this statement. In any case, this does not concern us. That which concerns us is, whether the practices that occur on this website are permissible in the shareeýah. As for the use of this website for men to meet women, and the socialisation between sexes as well as the use of this site for other corrupt activities, then this is clearly impermissible.

And women are weak and naive, so Messenger (ie. msn) and Chat and other similar websites and programmers harm the society, if they are used between men and women. This is completely and absolutely impermissible, due to women being weak and vulnerable. And how many cases of fornication and divorce and sin have come about due to the use of these sites. And this is something clearly recognized.

Facebook came to gather between the evil of all of the previous messaging programmers. So all of these programmes were surpassed by Facebook and it increased upon them (i.e. their evil). Therefore it is an immoral and corrupt website. And if you were to use it to set up a page for Daýwah, then women would enter upon your page. And this would necessitate socializing with women and speaking to them, and perhaps she may even send you her picture and this is something unavoidable in Facebook. For that reason, the use of this website is impermissible, and I advise the youth that they stay away from it completely, and that they warn against it. And the fact that the sinful people and disbelievers use this website is not a reason for us to also use it, especially when the harm it causes is greater (than the benefit). So I advise you not enter into it.ý

Shaykh Abu ýAmr Al Hajooree hafidhullah of Yemen
Our Lord The Most High says in His Noble Book
وَٱلَّذِينَ لَا يَشۡهَدُونَ ٱلزُّورَ وَإِذَا مَرُّواْ بِٱللَّغۡوِ مَرُّواْ ڪِرَامً۬
ýAnd those who do not witness falsehood, and if they pass by some evil play or evil talk, they pass by it with dignityý. And from the meanings of يشهدون to witness is يحضرون to take part in or to be present for. Allah the most high says
فَمَن شَهِدَ مِنكُمُ الشَّهْرَ فَلْيَصُمْه
ýSo whoever of you sights (the crescent on the first night of) the month (of Ramadan i.e. is present at his home), he must observe Saum (fasts) that month.ý Meaning is whoever is present for and takes part in (that month).

So it is not permissible for any Muslim who fears Allah to use this website and take part in it. Especially due to what has been mentioned from the corruption and widespread evil which is present within it from pictures and the meeting of women as well as that which takes place because of this website from illegal sexual intercourse and kidnappings and other than that from the crimes which occur. So it is not permissible to use this kind of website. And by the grace and bounty of Allah anyone can create his own forum in this time which we live in. So Ahl us-Sunnah should create their own websites and forums where there is no aiding one another upon sin and transgression but rather where the people aid each other upon righteousness and piety and where the people can call to Allah to their utmost. As for taking part in these kinds of websites, even if it is thought that there is some good in it, then the evil within it is a lot worse and taking part in this website constitutes agreeing with this evil so it is not permissible to take part in it.