It is a reality that needs no introduction: social media is not just a technical invention, but it has entered human life with a complete temperament, a specific way of feeling, and a particular psychological and intellectual environment. The issue is not just how we are using it, but the real question is what kind of human being it is making us. In an Islamic context, when we discuss the disadvantages of social media, we should not limit it to mere moral slips or a few outward evils; rather, we must look at its intellectual, rational, spiritual, and temperamental effects as a whole.
The first and most obvious disadvantage is the waste of time, but this waste is not of an ordinary nature. It is a waste that does not even let a person realize that time is being lost. Social media divides moments into such small, scattered, and disconnected pieces that a person considers the destruction of hours as just a few minutes of engagement. In Islamic civilization, time is considered capital, a trust, and the foundation of the Hereafter, whereas social media turns time into a mere consumable item that can be drained away in aimless scrolling.
Along with this, the negative effect on intellect and memory is a very serious issue. Constantly watching short, fast, and superficial content causes the mind to lose the ability for deep reflection, continuous study, and understanding complex intellectual structures. Memory weakens, focus gets scattered, and a person begins to feel unable to read or listen beyond a few lines. Knowledge, which requires patience, discipline, repetition, and contemplation, cannot flourish in this temperament.
The result of this mental scattering appears in the form of haste in nature. Quick reactions, instant opinions, immediate labeling, and rushing to judgments—these are all signs of the temperament created by social media. In the Islamic tradition, forbearance, dignity, pausing, and expressing oneself only after fully hearing and understanding are held in high regard. Social media has turned this Islamic virtue into a weakness, and many people are now naming this haste as "skills."
On a spiritual level, its impact is even deeper. The spiritual state created by worship, remembrance (dhikr), prayer, or a religious gathering, which previously lasted for hours or even days, now vanishes in moments. Immediately after an online lecture, an inspiring speech, or a tearful prayer, some light, humorous, or vulgar content appears, and that state of the heart dissolves. This vanishing of the state is not a mere coincidence but a result of the structure and nature of this platform, which does not allow seriousness to be maintained.
Alongside all these effects, another fundamental issue is the promotion of celebrity culture, which is contrary to the religious temperament. Instead of knowledge, piety, and silent service, followers, views, and likes have now been made the standard of acceptance. Whoever is seen more, sells more, or goes more viral is considered more authentic. This standard is not only in conflict with religious tradition but also creates superficiality within knowledge. Complex issues are turned into simple slogans, disagreement is made into a spectacle, and intellectual dignity is gradually destroyed.
All these disadvantages are not limited to one class, but when these effects penetrate our young religious class—especially those studying religious knowledge—the matter becomes even more alarming. The reason is that here, the loss is not just for an individual, but for the entire religious environment, intellectual tradition, and moral direction.
Regarding social media, an intellectual slip found among us is that it has been practically considered as having a "neutral value." That is, the concept has become common that social media itself is neither good nor bad, but it depends on the user whether they use it for the service of religion or for vulgarity and misconduct. On the surface, this seems balanced, but in reality, it is a very superficial and dangerous assumption. No platform is just an empty vessel; it brings with it a specific temperament, values, priorities, and purpose. The true spirit of social media is built on entertainment, pleasure-seeking, instant gratification, the trade of attention, and emotional hype, where seriousness, dignity, and intellectual focus have no place.
If we understand this reality through a simple analogy, the matter becomes clearer. Social media is just like festivals, entertainment spots, and crowded tourist places. The primary purpose of these places is wandering, fun, temporary happiness, and pleasure. If at some point it is decided that since there is a crowd here, the work of invitation and preaching (Da’wah) should also be done, it neither changes the temperament of the festival nor its purpose. This act of preaching is temporary and secondary, while the actual atmosphere of noise, disorder, and entertainment remains in its place.
The problem becomes even more serious when these entertainment spots are under Western influence, where vulgarity, misconduct, abuse, foul language, and superficial behaviors are common, and financial benefits are also gained from all these things. Social media is exactly at this level, or even more dangerous, because not only do all these evils exist here, but they are promoted through algorithms. The more provocation, the more indecency, the more sensation—the more the reach, fame, and earnings. In such an environment, to say that we are using this platform "neutrally" for our purpose is nothing but self-deception. Along with using it for dawah purposes, full awareness of its negative nature is essential. (Some social media is more dangerous than others, such as TikTok, Instagram, and X, etc., are more dangerous than YouTube).
A very important juristic (Fiqhi) question arises here: what ruling would jurists determine for such entertainment venues and environments? In Islamic jurisprudence, not only the act itself is looked at, but the environment, effects, the dominance of harms, and general results are also considered. If a place or medium, in its original structure, promotes idle play, vulgarity, indecency, and moral corruption, and the use of virtue in it is merely exceptional and limited, then serious questions arise regarding its permissibility in the eyes of jurisprudence. Especially when the person entering this environment gradually becomes a part of the same temperament, no matter how good their intention might be. (Muftis can state a detailed ruling after considering all aspects of social media).
This background is a cause for intense concern regarding our youth, and especially the graduates of Madrasas. A strange hype and lack of direction are seen in this class regarding social media; that serious distinction is missing which can decide what is fundamentally forbidden here, what is dangerous, and where it is necessary to stop. The result is that private gatherings, sittings of elders, intellectual and training sessions, and even personal moments are being molded into the entertainment format of social media and presented as if these are all just common meetings and casual gatherings.
This behavior is not just a flaw in taste, but a blow to the roots of religious civilization. In Islamic tradition, the sanctity of certain things is maintained not by words, but by dignity, silence, and veiling. When everything becomes a habit of being shown, recorded, and made public, sanctity gradually disappears, and religion also ends up becoming "content," whose value is decided not by its benefit but by its viral potential.
That is why today, talking about these behaviors is not just an intellectual hobby, but an urgent religious necessity. Conditions are truly getting out of control, and if clear principles, intellectual awareness, and moral boundaries are not determined—especially in our religious youth class—there is a fear that we will enter a stage where the language of religion remains, but its temperament, its soul, and its seriousness will have gradually dissolved.
