The Knowledge of Islam

We fret about how we look in pictures and how our comments sound. We worry that other people are having more fun and doing more things. We wish our last picture got more likes.

But we continue to consume it all day, every day, because in the end, we assume that the dangers are overblown. We assume that social media is mostly harmless.

Meet Madison Holleran

A freshman at the University of Pennsylvania and a star athlete, she was intelligent and talented and successful. Everyone she knew said she was happy.

But in her very first semester away from home she started to feel anxious and depressed. With her best friend she would scroll through Instagram and think, “This is what college is supposed to be like; this is what we want our life to be like,” ESPN reported.

In January of 2014 Madison killed herself. Since then ESPN has investigated the role social media played in her death and in aggravating her anxiety and depression.

That’s Just One Story

Of course, there are millions of other college students just like Madison. Anxiety is now the number one mental health problem on campuses across the country, and therapists are becoming increasingly concerned about social media making things worse.

Cyberbullying and harassment, comparing their lives to classmates, fearing they’re missing out – social media contributes to anxiety and depression in all sorts of different ways. And the more we consume, the more problems it can cause.

It’s Not Just College Students That Need to Worry

Yet the dangers go far beyond college classrooms. These days everyone is consuming social media, from 13 to 93-year-olds. No one is immune. Here are some of the biggest concerns researchers have found so far:

1. Time spent on social media is correlated with depression

Researchers have found that the longer you spend on social media, the more likely you are to be depressed. Other surveys have found that using Facebook and Twitter less helps students to be more focused and less stressed. We can debate the reasons why there is a correlation, it could be that people who are already depressed are likely to spend more time on social media. But the correlation is still troubling, especially when you read a story like Madison’s.

2. Social media is incredibly addictive

Once you get on Facebook, it’s hard to stop. Most Americans check it once a day, if not multiple times. Likes and comments can serve as positive reinforcement, making it even more difficult to stop. Some researchers have even created a scale called The Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale to measure this behaviour.

3. It can make you unhappy, unsatisfied, and restless

A study out of the University of Michigan has found that people who use Facebook more, are more likely to be unhappy than people who use it less. Similarly, those avid users also said they were less satisfied with their lives overall.

This could be because people often compare their real lives to idealized versions of their friends’ lives online. People post a lot of smiling pictures and not so many sad ones.

A different study out of the UK found that two-thirds of people now have trouble relaxing when they can’t access their social media accounts. This is especially troubling because it means that Facebook and Twitter are affecting people even when they’re offline.

In the end, there’s no doubt that there are a lot of benefits to social media. You get to share happy memories and photos and stories. You have access to all kinds of information and recipes. It really is amazing.

Just don’t forget that there are also very real dangers to social media. Ones that we are all too willing to ignore at times.

Sources:

http://www.businessinsider.com/social-media-use-can-contribute-to-anxiety-and-depression-2015-6

http://blog.degreed.com/10-ways-social-media-affects-our-mental-health/

Image Source:

https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/555cfb276bb3f78063798015-1200-800/15812177332_7d21ec8cd7_k.jpg

Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Stabbed in the head with an iron needle

It was narrated that Ma’qil ibn Yassaar said: the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:

“For one of you to be stabbed in the head with an iron needle is better for him than that he should touch a woman who is not permissible for him.”

Narrated by al-Tabaraani in al-Kabeer, 486. Shaykh al-Albaani said in Saheeh al-Jaami’, 5045, that this hadeeth is saheeh.

Wednesday, November 15, 2017

Expiation for Breaking the Oaths

Allah said,

﴿وَلَـكِن يُؤَاخِذُكُم بِمَا عَقَّدتُّمُ الاٌّيْمَـنَ﴾

(but He will punish you for your deliberate oaths.) in reference to the oaths that you intend in your hearts,

﴿فَكَفَّارَتُهُ إِطْعَامُ عَشَرَةِ مَسَـكِينَ﴾

(for its expiation (a deliberate oath) feed ten poor,), who are needy, not able to find necessities of the life. Allah's statement,

﴿مِنْ أَوْسَطِ مَا تُطْعِمُونَ أَهْلِيكُمْ﴾

(on a scale of the Awsat of that with which you feed your own families;) means, "On the average scale of what you feed your families,'' according to Ibn `Abbas, Sa`id bin Jubayr and `Ikrimah. `Ata' Al-Khurasani commented on the Ayah, "From the best of what you feed your families''. Allah's statement,

﴿أَوْ كِسْوَتُهُمْ﴾

(or clothe them,) refers to clothing each of the ten persons with what is suitable to pray in, whether the poor person was male or female. Allah knows best. Al-`Awfi said that Ibn `Abbas said that the Ayah means a robe or garment for each poor person (of the ten). Mujahid also said that the least of clothing, referred to in the Ayah, is a garment, and the most is whatever you wish. Al-Hasan, Abu Ja`far Al-Baqir, `Ata', Tawus, Ibrahim An-Nakha`i, Hammad bin Abi Sulayman and Abu Malik said that it means (giving each of the ten poor persons) a garment each. Allah's statement,

﴿أَوْ تَحْرِيرُ رَقَبَةٍ﴾

(or free a slave) refers to freeing a believing slave. In the Muwatta' of Malik, the Musnad of Ash-Shafi`i and the Sahih of Muslim, a lengthy Hadith was recorded that `Umar bin Al-Hakam As-Sulami said that he once had to free a slave (as atonement) and he brought a black slave girl before the Messenger of Allah , who asked her;

«أَيْنَ اللهُ؟»

(Where is Allah) She said, "Above the heavens.'' He said,

«مَنْ أَنَا؟»

(Who am I) She said, "The Messenger of Allah.'' He said,

«أَعْتِقْهَا فَإِنَّهَا مُؤْمِنَة»

(Free her, for she is a believer.) There are three types of expiation for breaking deliberate oaths, and whichever one chooses, it will suffice, according to the consensus (of the scholars). Allah mentioned the easiest, then the more difficult options, since feeding is easier than giving away clothes, and giving away clothes is easier than freeing a slave. If one is unable to fulfill any of these options, then he fasts for three days for expiation, just as Allah said,

﴿فَمَن لَّمْ يَجِدْ فَصِيَامُ ثَلَـثَةِ أَيَّامٍ﴾

(But whosoever cannot afford (that), then he should fast for three days.) Ubayy bin Ka`b and Ibn Mas`ud and his students read this Ayah as follows, "Then he should fast three consecutive days.'' Even if this statement was not narrated to us as a part of the Qur'an through Mutawatir narration, it would still be an explanation of the Qur'an by the Companions that has the ruling of being related from the Prophet . Allah's statement,

﴿ذلِكَ كَفَّارَةُ أَيْمَـنِكُمْ إِذَا حَلَفْتُمْ﴾

(That is the expiation for the oaths when you have sworn.)﴿5:89﴾ means, this is the legal way to atone for deliberate oaths,

﴿وَاحْفَظُواْ أَيْمَـنَكُمْ﴾

(And protect your oaths.) Do not leave your broken oaths without paying the expiation for them, according to the meaning given by Ibn Jarir.

﴿كَذَلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ آيَـتِهِ﴾

(Thus Allah makes clear to you His Ayat) and explains them to you,

﴿لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ﴾

(that you may be grateful.)

http://www.qtafsir.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=744&Itemid=60

Tuesday, November 14, 2017

Four Things You Are Unsafe From

Four Things You Are Unsafe From Group of Scholars

Reference: Seer A’alaam an Nubalaa” Vol.8 P.406

Category: Sayings of the Salaf

Imaam Ath Thahabi Rahimahullah mentions in his monumental book “Seer A’alaam an Nubalaa” Vol.8 P.406 on the authority of Abdullah Ibn Al Mubaarak Rahimahullah (181H.):

“The people of knowledge and insight do not consider themselves safe from four things:

1) A past sin he committed which he does not know what Allaah will do with it (either forgive and pardon him for it or punish him with it);

2) What is left of his life, whether there is something therein waiting to destroy him;

3) A favor that Allaah bestowed upon him, perhaps it is a plot which will lead him step by step to his eventual destruction and ruin;

4) Deviance which is beautified for him so that he sees it to be guidance and in a split second, his heart can deviate and he will be stripped of his deen and he doesn’t even realize it.”

Translator: Shadeed Muhammad, Abu Az-Zubayr

Date Published: Saturday, 13 January 2007

Then look at yourself a second time

Oh Allah save us…this verse is extremely dangerous and the scale is in His saying, ‘but Allah was averse to their being sent forth’ meaning in battle.

{…and it was said (to them), "Sit you among those who sit (at home)}

So beware and examine yourself, and if you see yourself being lazy upon doing good deeds then be afraid that Allah is averse to you putting forth good deeds.

Then look at yourself a second time, and make yourself patient and compel yourself upon obedience. So today you do acts of obedience and you are averse to it but tomorrow you do it willingly and effortlessly.

The important point is that this is a severe warning for the one who finds himself hindered from doing good deeds, so perhaps Allah the Exalted is averse to this man being from His obedient slaves therefore He hindered him from obedience.

We ask Allah to assist us upon His remembrance and upon thanking Him, and upon good worship.

Take to Fasting, there is nothing like it

One of the wisdom of fasting is that the heart becomes empty of heedlessness, and becomes occupied with contemplation and remembrance because eating, drinking and following desire distracts a person and weakens the ties with Allah and renders the heart harsh and blinds from truth.

One of the Salaf said that when the self becomes hungry, the heart comes clear, when filled, the heart becomes blind.
Therefore, through this (fasting) he leaves off what he loves and gives precedence to what is loved by Allah for the benefit of the Akhira [Hereafter].