By Musab Isah Mafara, PhD
As you regularly use social media, it’s important to understand that many individuals post misguided or controversial opinions, images, and videos with specific intentions. They seek attention and engagement, aiming to drive traffic and, subsequently, revenue to their profiles.
Social media monetisation has become an attainable goal for all. In pursuing fame and financial gain, some users compromise their dignity and reputation–assuming these were valued in the first place–by posting provocative content meant to ignite heated debates.
For example, people might post movie reviews/clip without captions, prompting viewers to ask for the movie’s name, thereby increasing comment counts. Others might upload videos criticizing a religious group, knowing it will provoke members of that group to share the video, thus boosting its reach and view count. The opposition might watch to refute these criticisms, further amplifying the content.
And then you have the annoying ones who share harmful content they claim not to agree with, under the guise of correcting misinformation. You also have celebrities and influencers who post videos of themselves doing or saying things specifically designed to get people talking about them.
Unfortunately, even some ‘Shaikhs’–or their handlers–have been drawn into this trend of attention-seeking posts aimed at drawing crowds and potentially monetising in the long run. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with scholars monetising their social media presence–indeed, it could offer financial independence and protection from undue influence by sects, benefactors, or governments–they must tread carefully.
Managing a page, especially if done personally by an Islamic scholar, poses the risk of succumbing to vanity or showmanship. Although only Allah truly knows one’s intentions, people can sometimes infer motives from the content of posts, which might damage a scholar’s credibility among followers or, worse, lead to ‘Riya‘ (showing off for praise). May Allah guide our intentions to be sincere and protect us from ‘Riya‘.
There is nothing wrong with using social media to gain followers and earn from what you share on your profile, but the content should align with what is permissible (halal). Although halal content might not ‘sell’ well online, as Muslims, we cannot justify the means by the ends and post whatever we like just to make it.
Focus on sharing religious teachings, educational materials, skills, recipes, analysis of issues, and any useful knowledge relevant to people’s daily lives. Share what will benefit people in their everyday interactions or what will bring them closer to Allah. Your actions could lead to one of these outcomes:
1. A reward from Allah alone.
2. Financial rewards from platforms like Facebook, TikTok, or others.
3. Both a reward from Allah and financial compensation.
4. Neither a reward nor financial benefit, if the intention is not right and you couldn’t meet the requirements of the platform, but likely no sin incurred.
However, if you promote impermissible (haram) content, you must understand the consequences. You’ll be accountable for the sin not just for yourself but for everyone who encounters that content through you, directly or indirectly, until the end of time. The Prophet (SAW) said:
ومن سنَّ في الإسلام سنَّة سيئة فعليه وزرها ووزر من عمل بها من بعده من غير أن ينقص من أوزارهم شيء
“And whoever introduces a bad practice in Islam that is followed after him, there is upon him the sin of it and the sin of those who act upon it after him, without that diminishing their sins in any way.”
Don’t be a means to a sinful act.
Furthermore, even if you’re not directly sharing harmful content, you can help reduce its spread by not engaging with it. Unfollow pages that offer nothing but this kind of material. When necessary, address issues on your own wall without linking back to the harmful content or commenting on the page where it was posted. Additionally, hide or unfollow accounts that thrive on harmful materials. Often, it only takes a click of the 3 dots against a post and choosing ‘Not Interested.’
MashaAllah. Jazakallahu khyran for this wake up call. Alot of us are indeed carried away but may Allah guide our hearts