Part One
Praise is due to Allah. We thank Him, seek His help and forgiveness, and to Him we return in
repentance. We seek refuge in Almighty Allahfrom the evils of our souls and from our sinful
deeds. He whom Allah guides is the rightly guided; he whom He leaves astray will find none to
guide him. I bear witness that there is no deity worth worshipping except Almighty Allah with
no associate, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger.
O you who believe! Fear Allâh (by doing all that He has ordered and by
abstaining from all that He has forbidden) as He should be feared. [Obey
Him, be thankful to Him, and remember Him always], and die not except in
a state of Islâm (as Muslims) with complete submission to Allâh..[Āl-cImrān:
102]
O mankind! Be dutiful to your Lord, Who created you froma single person
(Adam), and from him (Adam) He created his wife [Hawwa (Eve)], and
from them both He created many men and women and fear Allâh through
Whom you demand your mutual (rights), and (do not cut the relations of)
the wombs (kinship). Surely, Allâh is Ever an AllWatcher over[Al-Nisā’: 1]
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O you who believe! Keep your duty to Allâh and fear Him, and speak
(always) the truth. He will direct you to do righteous good deeds and will
forgive you your sins. And whosoever obeys Allâh and His Messenger (SAW)
he has indeed achieved a great achievement (i.e. he will be saved from the
Hell-fire and made to enter Paradise)[Al-Aḥzāb: 70-71]
Nowthen, O people!
Man is naturally predisposed to follow up news and to believe rumoursand fish for them before
they actually happen. At the same time, people arenormally too impatient to verify these
rumoursmeticulously, prudently and discerningly. This is the nature of the majority, except those
very few whom Allah has blessed with His Mercy.
Man is created of haste... [Al-Anbiyā’: 37]
And man invokes (Allâh) for evil as he invokes (Allâh) for good and man is
ever hasty [i.e., if he is angry with somebody, he invokes (saying): "O Allâh!
Curse him, etc." and that one should not do, but one should be patient] [Al-
Iṣrā’: 11]
It is stipulated rationally and in accordance with shariathat impending events and public news
relative to the fundamentals of the Ummah must be carefully and prudently scrutinised. One
must not hasten to believe any piece of news until proven true, and until its stipulations met and
impediments dissipated, through a cautious and noble soul that is well-behaved when it comes to
managing crises, clear from any ridicule or contempt with respect to the personal rights,
reputation and honour of others.
Some take haste and impatience to grab and act upon rumours as a screen to conceal their
ignominious failure and narrow-mindedness. This is nothing but an aberration that ties the heart
to suspicion, and induces irrational judgment in times ofcrises. This kind of behaviour will bring
nothing but shame and pain in lieu of safety and security.
Man’s mind and discretionare couched in the prudence and authenticity inspired by his mind and
intellect vis-à-vis the rights, honour, property and religion of others. Suffice it to remember that
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Allah has set remorse and regret as a consequence of succumbing to rumours, but alas! It would
only be too late to roll back those hasty actions! O you who believe! If a rebellious evil
person comes to you with a news, verify it, lest you harm people in
ignorance, and afterwards you become regretful to what you have done.[Al-
Ḥujurāt: 6]
Most rumours and news are motivated by curiosity. People are inquisitive by nature; for no
apparent reason they are eager to know any piece of news and its implications. Some would even
pay money to get that piece of news although they might get it gratis if only they waited for a
few moments. This prudent wait might make a difference that only Allah knows. It is said,
(Here,the Sheikh recites two lines of poetry from Tarafa’s Poem):
The days will reveal to you the things that you knew not
And the news will be brought to you effortlessly
The news will be conveyed to you by someone to whom you sold nothing
And to whom you have never given appointment willingly.
However, not all random rumour reception and haphazard news circulation are motivated by
curiosity. They might be geared up to createunrest and instability in order to realize dubious
religious, economic, social, political, or intellectual purposes. They might seek to destabilize
what is so firmlyestablished and to scatter what is coherent. Such a subversive action may lead to
disunity and lack of trust. People might even interject, “How can this be? It has been said …”
A serious society would not toleratesuchmedia whose curiosity breeds discord rather than
concord; one that is harmful rather than useful and that is a wasteful of energy and efforts that
may otherwise be exploited in construction and development. A society with such features is a
lethargic society spending its leisure infruitless inaction that breeds nothing but further vacuum.
A society that preoccupies itself with gossip is incapable of building knowledge or sailing
through tumultuous misfortunes.
The Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) said, “Allah has disliked three things for you: chatter
and prattle, wasting money and inquisitiveness.” [Narrated by Bukhari]
Behold –May Allah protect you– how the hadithhas aligned gossip, chatter and prattle, with
inquisitiveness and squanderingone’s money. This seems to imply that money squandering leads
to bankruptcy; similarly inquisitiveness may lead to adversity and calamity; gossip leads to
wasting time. This only creates an atmosphere of uneasiness and anxiety. May Allah bless Ibn
Al-Jawzi’s soul who said, “I have seen many people who do not know the meaning of life. Some
kill their time speaking about Sultans and prices going up or down, and the like. I knew then that
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Allah (May He be extolled) has not disclosed the honour of life and the value of vital times except to
those whom He has guided to exploit them.”
But none is granted it (the above quality) except those who are patient,
and none is granted it except the owner of the great portion (of the
happiness in the Hereafter i.e. Paradise and in this world of a high moral
character)[Fuṣṣilat: 35]
Servants of Allah!
Allah (Sublime be He) has taught us prudence and patience and not to take whatever we hear for
granted without verification. If we do, calamitous outcomes may ensue that we might later regret
such as confusion, groundless accusation, reversal of truth, incriminating the innocent,
attributing false statements to people or misinterpreting their statements.
Having heard that the Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) had divorced his wives, Al-Fārūq (Omar
Ibn Al-Khattab, May Allah be pleased with him) went to the mosque and found that people were discussing
the story. He could not wait to ask the Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him)about what happened.
“Did you divorce your wives?” Omar enquired of the Prophet. “No! I did not” the Prophet(May
Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) answered. Omar then stood at the door of the mosque and announced, “The
Messenger of Allah (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him)did not divorce his wives!” The following verse
from of the Qur’ān was revealed on that occasion, When there comes to them some
matter touching (public) safety or fear, they make it known (among the
people), if only they had referred it to the Messenger or to those charged
with authority among them, the proper investigators would have
understood it from them (directly). Had it not been for the Grace and
Mercy of Allâh upon you, you would have followed Shaitân (Satan), save a
few of you.[Al-Nisā’: 83]
Our Lord (Sublime be He) and our Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) have taught us not to funnel what
we hear into our ears without corroborating it first, and not to relay it randomly and freely. The
first thing we need to do when we hear a piece of news is to verify it and to know if it is true or
false.
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We need to look into the meaning of the news so that we do not take it out of context or assign to
it additional value; needless to say that receiving unconfirmed news without proper evidence
stigmatizes one with falsehood which may, in turn, lead to depravation. The Prophet (May Allah’s Salat
and Peace be upon him) said, “Suffice it for a person to report all he hears to be counted as a liar!”
It is all the more crucial and serious when the news concerns matters related to religion such
as reporting what the Chosen One (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) has said or done; an example of this
is sending news about the best deeds through communication sites and groups without
confirming the authenticity of the news. The Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) has
said:"Whoever tells liesabout me intentionally, then (surely) let him take his seat in the Hellfire.”
That is what our religion ‒O servants of Allah‒has taught us in this regard. So do rational
people realize this, especially those who work in the media? This concerns media people in the
first place since the media is a source of news, incidents, and rumours through which rational
men judge the truthfulness and falseness (honesty and dishonesty) of these media sources. Also,
on theindividual level, man will be held accountable for whatever he says or writes; his
straightforward utterances that may not otherwise be interpreted; he should not accuse anybody
until enough evidence is presented. Allah (May He be extolled)said: Not a word does he (or she)
utter, but there is a watcher by him ready (to record it). [Qāf: 18]. He also said:
But verily, over you (are appointed angels in charge of mankind) to watch
you (10)Kirâman(honourable)Kâtibîn writing down (your deeds) (11)They
know all that you do.[Al-Infiṭār: 10-12]
May Allah bless you and me by the Glorious Qur'ān and make its verses and wise sayings
beneficial to you and me! This is what I have said. If it is correct, it is so thanks to Allah, but if it
is wrong, it is my own fault and Satan’s. I ask Allah to forgive my sins, yours, and those of all
Muslims, so ask Him for forgiveness, for He is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful!
Part Two
Praise be to Allah for His blessings, and thanks are due to Him for His guidance and bounty.
Now then,
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Observe taqwa(fear of Allah’s punishment), O servants of Allah, and you should know that
when Allah (May He be extolled)ordered us to verify the authenticity of the news before conveying it or
issuing judgments based on it.This is because otherwise the consequences might be so serious
especially with respect to the well-known necessities that concern people's religion, minds,
honours, properties, and blood. This is not to mention the value and effect of the news on the
legal system, judgment and sentencing, fatwa, and the media. How many times has false news
killed a soul? How many times has false news caused an innocent person to be jailed? How
many times has false news caused a man to divorce his wife and an entire family to be divided?
How many times has false news scared some people and rendered others bankrupt? How many
times has false news caused suspicion, led to disgrace and aggression vis-à-vis people,
possessions, and religion?
In most cases dealing incorrectly with the news is related either to the issue of its authenticity
or the way it is interpreted. This entails that the news receiver must possess two major features:
knowledge and justice. Knowledge is important because judging a thing is an aspect (branch) of
conceiving it.Justice, on the other hand, requires one to deal with the news justly and fairly. He
must not take sides with those whom he likes and accept their news unconditionally, nor reject
unjustly the news of those whom he dislikes.
If people were patient then they would be able to spare themselves and the others much pain
and disaster for much news is false in the first place. Therefore, confirming news truthfulness
enables one to avoid its bad consequences. Indeed, many a silent person has often been reported
to have said something that reached the four directions and travelled far away!
One of the poets put it nicely thus:
They have reported what I have never said;
Indeed, the blight of news lies in the reporters.
There is an incident in the Sunnah of the Chosen One (Prophet Muhammad) (May Allah’s Salat and Peace
be upon him) from which one may draw a lesson, especially in matters related to religion. It is
reported in the Sahih books of Bukhari and Muslim that the Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him)
lead his companions in a four-rakats prayer, but performed two rakats instead of four. Some
people quickly went out and said that the prayer has been shortened. A man called Thu Alyadein
said to the Prophet:"Have you forgotten or has the prayer been shortened?" He (May Allah’s Salat and Peace
be upon him) said:"I have not forgotten, nor has the prayer been shortened". The man said: “surely,
you have forgotten.” So the Prophet performed two rakats and then made Tasleem (i.e. said
AsalamuAlaikum on both sides)…(until the end of the hadith.)
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Notice, O you ‒may Allah protect you‒ the effect of hastiness in conveying the news.It could
have led to a change in the rules of religion. Also, notice the effect of confirming the news; how
it transformed the misunderstanding and suspicion that the prayer was shortened into the fact that
it was forgetfulness and not a new legislation.
O servants of Allah! Observe taqwa and make Salat on whom Allah has called out to you to
ask Him to send His Salat (Graces, Honours and Mercy) and Peace on. Allah, the Almighty,
says: O you who believe! Send your Salât (ask Allâh to bless) on him
(Muhammad peace be upon him), and (you should) greet (salute) him with
the Islâmic way of greeting (salutation i.e. As-Salâmu ‘Alaikum).[Al-Aḫzāb: 56]
O Allah! Send Your Salat(Graces, Honours, Mercy) and Peace on Your Servant and Messenger
Muhammad, on his four Caliphs, Abu Bakr, Omar, Othman and Ali, on all the Companions of
Your Prophet Muhammad (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him), and the tabi’īn and on those who
righteously followed them till the Day of Judgment! O Allah! Be also pleased with us all, along
with them, by Your Pardon and Generosity, O You, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate of all!
O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and Muslims! O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and Muslims! O
Allah! Fail polytheism and polytheists (who associate partners with You)! O Allah! Grant
victory to Your Religion, Your Holy Book, Your Prophet’s Sunnah, and Your true servants!
O Allah! Bring an end to the suffering of Muslims! Rescue those in distress, and help those
indebted pay back their debts! Cure those of us and those of the Muslims who are ill, O You,
Most Merciful, Most Compassionate!
O Allah! Set right the conditions of Muslims everywhere! O Allah! Set right the conditions of
Muslims everywhere! O Allah! Set right the conditions of Muslims everywhere! O Allah! Be
with our oppressed brothers and sisters in their religion everywhere, O You, the Lord of Majesty
and Bounty!
O Allah! Grant us security in our homelands! Set right our leaders and those responsible for
our affairs, and make our leadership from among those who are fearful of You, who observe
taqwā, and seek your satisfaction! O You, Lord of al-'ālamîn (the worlds)!
O Allah! Guide our Imam (leader) to do and say whatever you please and accept. O You the
Ever-Living, the Eternal Guardian! O Allah! Make his retinue righteous, O You, the Lord of
Majesty and Bounty!
O Allah! We seek refuge in You of latent and manifest afflictions, and if You will an
affliction to befall Your servants, O Allah! Take us to Your side (let us die) without being
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negligent or afflicted, O You the Lord of Majesty and Bounty! O Allah! Grant our selves their
taqwa, purify them for You are the best Who purifies them; You are their owner and Lord.
… Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter
that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire![Al-Baqarah: 201]
Glorified be You, our Lord, the Lord of Honour and Power! You are free from what they
attribute unto You! May Allah’s Salat (Graces, Honours, Mercy) and Peace be upon the
Messengers! And the last of our supplications is all praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds!
