by Asma bint Shameem
This is a VERY IMPORTANT message to all those who have WhatsApp or other social media. đș We MUST VERIFY what we say or teach or forward to others Thatâs the DUTY that Allaah Himself has placed on us. đAllaah says: âO you who believe! If a Faasiq (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 doneâ [al-Hujuraat 49:6] Here Allaah is telling us that we should VERIFY any news before accepting it and spreading it. Otherwise weâre GUILTY of promoting LIES and FALSEHOOD. đThe Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam said: âIt is enough LYING for a man to speak of everything that he hears.â (Muslim) đAnd he said: "How BAD it is for a man to keep saying, âThey sayâŠâ. â (al-Silsilah al-Saheehah, 866) đ Al-âAzeemabaadi said: "Saying âthey sayâŠâ is akin to conjecture, i.e., the WORST HABIT of a man is to use the phrase âthey sayâ to serve his purposes. So he tells of something, merely repeating what others have said without verifying it, and thus he transmits lies âŠ". đ Imaam an-Nawawi said: âUsually a person hears truth and lies, so if he speaks of everything that he hears, he is lying by telling of things that did not happen, and lying by speaking of something other than the way it happenedâŠ.â đșTalking about the Deen of Allaah without verification is a very SERIOUS SIN đ Allaah says: "Who is GREATER IN EVIL than he, who, without knowledge, invents a lie about Allaah to mislead people? Allaah does not guide the evildoers." (Surah An'aam: 144) Just look at the words Allaah uses! âWho is greater in evil...!â Yaa Allaah! Do we even understand these words?! đThe Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam said: âVerily, the WORST of LIES are for a man to claim... that he saw a dream he did not see, or to say the Messenger of Allaah said what he did not.â (al-Bukhaari) đ And he Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam said: âWhoever attributes words to me that I did not say, let him take his place in HELL.â (Muslim) đș Such messages are also counted as spreading corruption đ Allaah says about such people: â and (those who) spread corruption in the land, on them is the CURSE of Allaah (i.e. they will be far away from Allah's Mercy); And for them is the unhappy (evil) home (i.e. Hell).â (Surah ar-Raâd :25) The CURSE of Allaah! For forwarding everything I receive on WhatsApp and social media without verifying?! Is that really worth it?! đș SIN upon SIN If people follow whatever false information YOU have spread, then you will get the SIN of EVERY SINGLE PERSON who does that wrong thing, without taking away from the sin thatâs upon you as well. And you will carry this burden on the Day of Judgment! Astaghfirullaah! đ Allaah says: âThey will BEAR their own BURDENS in FULL on the Day of Resurrection, and ALSO of the BURDENS of those whom they misled without knowledge. Evil indeed is that which they shall bear!â (Surah an-Nahl: 25) đ The Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam said: "Whoever starts a bad thing in Islaam, and others do likewise after him, there will be written for him a burden of sin like that of those who followed him, without it detracting in the least from their burden.'" (Muslim) So please VERIFY the news, before forwarding it; whether itâs related to the Deen or dunya; whether its to do with religious knowledge or medical information or to do with public interest or ANY THING ELSE. ASK the people of knowledge if you want to confirm something. And if you are not sure about itâs authenticity, DO NOT forward it. It is an OBLIGATION placed on you as a responsible Muslim. YOU will be asked about it. May Allaah guide us and enable us to say only that which is true and proven Ameen. And Allaah knows best.
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