Nowadays, messages are exchanged so quickly on mobile phones and with various other devices that one may not even realize that some of our messages and pictures may be contrary to our Islamic and moral values. Referencing this in a message to Lajna Ima’illah, Huzoor Anwar(aba) said:
“Many evils are originating from social media. Young boys and girls chat silently in presence of their parents, exchanging messages and pictures, creating accounts on various sites, wasting time all day long on phones, iPads and computers, etc. This leads to deterioration of morals, irritable moods and in no time, kids become out of control. There is a need to monitor and limit such activities. You have to come up with alternative activities for them. Involve them in household chores. Engage them in services for the Jama‘at and create activities which may be positive and beneficial for them and the society. This is a very important responsibility which has to be fulfilled by Ahmadi women.” (Message at the National Ijtima‘ Lajna Ima’illah Germany, 10 July 2016)
Huzoor Anwar(aba) has prohibited Ahmadis from posting pictures on social media and to openly post their comments and remarks on it. Therefore, he said:
“Nowadays a new system of being introduced to each other has emerged which is known as Facebook. It is a relatively new trend developed in the last few years. I have previously once asked [Ahmadis] not to use it. I spoke in my sermon too that it insinuates towards indecencies. It shreds the veil of modesty between people, exposes their secrets and invites toward indecencies. Its developer himself commented that its purpose is to expose everyone inside out to the world. To him, exposing means even to upload nude pictures, and if someone invites others to comment on these, it is justified. Similarly, anyone may write anything about anyone. Is this not the limit of moral downfall and degradation? In this state of moral decline and degradation, it is an Ahmadi who has to tell the world about higher standards of morals and virtues.” (Concluding Address, Jalsa Salana Germany, June 26, 2011, Al-Fazl International, July 3, 2015)
In a Question & Answer session, a girl asked Huzoor Anwar(aba) about his saying that Facebook is not good and his having prohibited its use. On this Huzoor Anwar(aba) replied:
“I did not say that if you do not leave it, you will be the sinner. Instead, I said that the harms of Facebook are greater and the benefit is little. The boys and girls who have Facebook accounts may come to a point where the vices tend to propagate. The boys make contacts and sometime girls get trapped and upload their immodest pictures on Facebook. You may have sent a casual picture to your friend and she may upload that on Facebook and from there it may reach Hamburg and then New York and Australia and so on. And then contacts develop from those countries. Then groups of men and women are formed who distort the pictures inappropriately and blackmail further and vice propagates on. Therefore, it is better not to indulge in such vices.” (Waqfaat-e-Nau Class, October 8, 2011, Germany, Al-Fazl International, January 6, 2012)
Similarly, on one occasion Huzoor Anwar(aba) warned girls and boys of the adverse consequences of unrestrained contacts and unlimited freedom on social media. He said: “Allah the Almighty says not even to go near such obscenities, meaning that restrain yourself from everything which tends to lead to obscenity. In the current era, there are a variety of ways that lead to it. There is the Internet with absurd films on TV and websites. There are absurd and useless magazines. Now, the voice is being raised even here against these absurd magazines known as pornography and that these should be taken off the shelves of stalls and shops as they are impacting the morals of young children negatively. They are realizing it now, but the Holy Quran instructed 1400 years ago that these are all indecencies, do not even go near them. They will make you shameless, will take you away from God, away from faith and may even make you an offender.
Islam prohibits the manifest as well as hidden evils. Purda is for the same reason. Purda and modest dress act as a barrier to stop open and free relationships between a girl and a boy. Like the Bible, Islam does not say not to glance at a woman with an evil eye. Instead it says that if you look at women, it will give rise to a desire for intimacy which will lead to immodesty. You will not be able to differentiate between good and evil, and then, with unrestrained relations between boys and girls, between men and women, the third presence among those two, according to the injunction of Allah the Almighty and His Messengersa, will be Satan. (Sunan Tirmidhi, Kitabar Raza baab ma ja’a fi karaheyatad dakhool ala-lmaghibaat, Hadith #117)
The example of the Internet which I have given also includes chatting on Facebook and Skype, etc. I have seen many families falling apart from it. I feel sorry to say that such incidents happen even in our Ahmadi families. Thus, we must always keep the commandment of Allah the Almighty before us which states not to go even close to indecencies, otherwise Satan will over power you.
Thus, it is the beauty of the commandments of the Holy Quran that it does not state not to look up or not to have eye contact. Instead, it commands to always lower your gaze, and this instruction of keeping your gaze lowered is for both men and women. Lowered gazes will automatically hinder unrestricted get togethers. The command ‘not to look at indecencies’ also includes not watching obscene and useless (Laghuv) films. Those who do will also be stopped.
It is also required that one should not sit with those who in the name of freedom will take interest in indecent conversation. They share their own stories and invite others to do the same. Men and women should not talk to each other through Skype or Facebook, etc., look at each other’s face, nor make these things a means of developing relationships with each other. This is because Allah the Almighty says that all manifest and hidden indecencies will lead you to be overwhelmed by irrepressible desires and temptations, thus diminishing your ability to reason and contemplate, and ultimately you will breach the injunction of Allah the Almighty and become the recipient of His displeasure.” (Friday Sermon, delivered August 2, 2013 at Baitul Futuh, London, Al-Fazl International, August 23, 2013)
Huzoor Anwar(aba) has in many of his sermons declared the mounting obscenity in society as extremely dangerous for human morality and thus advised to adopt the Islamic injunction of Ghadd-e-Basar or “lowering one’s gaze”. In one of his addresses, he remarked:
“As I have mentioned earlier, dress is becoming increasingly immodest. Furthermore, such advertisements are given on large billboards, TV, Internet and even in newspapers that compel decent people to lower their eyes when they see them. This all happens in the name of modernity. In any case, as I have said, Zeenat (beauty and elegance) now has taken the form of obscenity. In other words, this is nothing but proliferation of obscenity and shamelessness in the name of [celebrating] beauty and elegance.” (Address to Ladies, Jalsa Salana Germany, June 29, 2013, at Calsurvoy, Al-Fazl International, October 18, 2013)
In a meeting with National Majlis ‘Amila Lajna Ima’illah, Ireland, Huzoor Anwar(aba) answered a question regarding responsibilities of parents in training of children and said:
“There is no harm in receiving education at co-education institutions provided boys do not build friendships with girls and that they only communicate with each other when required. They should refrain from chatting, Facebook, SMS or phone calls. Advise parents to keep an eye on their children. It is not appropriate to keep mobile phones and computers constantly in use. Those mothers who are not familiar with computers ought to learn it in order to keep an eye on their children.” (Meeting National Majlis ‘Amila Lajna Ima’illah Ireland, September 18, 2010, Al-Fazl International, October 22, 2010)
While addressing ladies, regarding the high standard of moral training of their children and protecting them from the indecencies of social media, Huzoor Anwar(aba) advised Ahmadi mothers and Ahmadi girls and said:
“Then, there are useless pursuits. I particularly wish to tell children that useless pursuits are not limited only to older women. They certainly engage in them and it needs to be stopped. However, these days, TV and the Internet have also become a useless pursuit for girls from 10-12 years to adolescents. If you are watching a program all day which has no moral aspect, then it is a useless pursuit.
On the Internet, sometimes girls go to sites from where there is no turning back and then obscenity propagates. Sometimes such matters are encountered where boys in wrong kinds of groups entrap girls in such a manner that eventually they flee from their homes and thus bring defamation to their family and the Jama‘at.
Therefore, one must be extremely cautious while using the Internet and the like. Besides this, there are many programs on the Internet that are poisonous for the mind. On television there are many obscene programs. Parents should block such channels which can impact their children’s minds negatively. These should be permanently locked. Children may watch pure and clean dramas or cartoons on TV for 1-2 hours or any other duration.
If the wrong kinds of programs are being watched, then it is the responsibility of parents and of girls, 10-12 years old, who by this age are well aware and should restrain themselves. You are Ahmadis and the character of an Ahmadi should be so unique and exceptional that it speaks itself for an Ahmadi girl.” (Address at Annual Ijtima‘ Lajna Ima’illah Germany, September 17, 2011, Al-Fazl International, November 16, 2012)
The guidance that Huzoor Anwar(aba) provided to Lajna members regarding Tabligh also included instructions to maintain the spirit of Purda. Thus, at one occasion, Huzoor Anwar(aba) said:
“The Lajna Tabligh department should form teams of such ladies and girls and ought to utilize them for Tabligh purposes. But it must be clearly remembered that girls must make Tabligh contacts with only girls or with ladies.
Some people develop Tabligh contacts on the Internet. Even on the Internet, girls should connect with girls or women. The areas where men are expected to do Tabligh must be left to them, otherwise at times, some problems occur. Apparently, they claim that Tabligh is being done, however, it has generally been observed and experienced that some serious consequences of the Internet appear which in no way are worthy of an Ahmadi girl or woman.
Those girls who are studying in colleges and universities should converse with their fellow students about themselves and about Islam without any hesitation, shame or inferiority complex. They can tell them about who they are and introduce Islam in this way.” (Address to Ladies, Jalsa Salana Australia, April 15, 2006, Al-Fazl International, June 12, 2015)
Ahmadi parents and children, instead of giving in to the negative influences of the media, should take advantage of its positive and devotional influences in order to gain nearness to Allah the Almighty. Advising in this regard, Huzoor Anwar(aba) said:
“Therefore, in the current era the whole world has been brought closer to one another by media. But unfortunately, instead of being closer to each other in piety, this has brought us closer in following the footsteps of Satan. In such circumstances an Ahmadi must be watchful of his condition more than ever before. Allah the Almighty has blessed us with MTA (Muslim Television Ahmadiyya) and with spiritual and knowledgeable programs on our website. If we pay attention to these programs, we will stay focused, gain nearness of Allah Almighty and safeguard ourselves from Satan.” (Friday Sermon, delivered May 20, 2016 at Nasir Mosque, Gutenberg, Sweden, Al-Fazl International, June 10, 2016)
Similarly, at the concluding address of Majlis-e-Shura Jama‘at UK, Huzoor Anwar(aba) advised Shura members to utilize MTA ever more for their benefit, saying:
“Another point towards which I wish to draw the attention of office bearers and representatives of Majlis-e-Shura is that they and their families should take advantage of MTA as much as possible. In fact, advise other people as well to derive benefit from MTA. At the beginning you can allocate some time for watching programs of your interest on MTA. For example, for viewers who prefer listening to English programs, they should watch some of the excellent English language programs that are broadcast on MTA on a regular basis. Most importantly, you should listen to the Friday Sermon broadcast every Friday. Also, watch programs in which I participate, i.e. addresses to non-Muslims, my speeches at Jalsas and other events and so on. InshaAllah, watching such programs will be beneficial for you, and surely you should watch these programs with such an objective.” (Concluding Address, Majlis-e-Shura, London, UK, 2013, Al-Fazl International, October 25, 2013)