Unlearning the World

I have been spending more (too much) time on social media lately. I know, it's not the best thing. And it might seem quite hypocritical that I'm here writing this big critical analysis of social media, while being an avid user myself. But here's the thing, there happens to be so many options of escapism on this little device that follows me around wherever I go. But, this isn't an article about me and my coping skills. This is about what I have observed.

See, I am in my early 20s, and I've lived through the glorious instagram's firsts, when it was still a little vintage logo and you could only post square pictures and that was pretty much it. I saw the rise of youtubers and viners, as well as their downfall. I went through being thoroughly addicted to my phone as a teenager, and scrolling for hours on end on the gram. As I grow older, as I meet new people, as I live different experiences, I also grow more conscious of the extent to which all of this has an impact on us. The amount of times I have found myself in a conversation with someone, and I hear words coming out of my mouth that aren’t mine. Ideas that have been shoved into my brain from constantly seeing them on social media. And then hearing everyone around me suddenly have the same debates, about the same things that just so happen to be trendy at the time.

The past few weeks, as I have (unfortunately) indulged in more social media usage than I'd hoped for, I decided to make a social observation out of it. And oh my! The way I was baffled! I am not saying I am this perfect being, maturer than thou, above all the trivialities of the world. I am as vulnerable as anyone else out there. But some things have been weighing on my heart, and I decided to take it upon myself to share them.

As a young muslim woman in the 21st century, it is so very hard to not be influenced (negatively) by social media. But, as a young Muslim woman in the 21st century, it is my duty to know what to learn and what to unlearn from the world. And before you say, "what about the men?", well I am a woman, and I can only speak for my experience as a woman. If you want a man's perspective, there are plenty out there who share their opinions too. Anyway, back to this article.

Unlearning the world.

Why? Why do we need to unlearn the world? Well, I don’t think it is something that we have to implement just because of the modern times we live in. I think it was always a matter of unlearning the world, for muslims in general. The idea, the comparison, of deen and dunya has always been a central aspect of Islam. The end goal is the Hereafter, the obedience of God's commands, therefore the deen, which would outweigh the temporary trivialities of the dunya. So although I believe that there were challenges and temptations from the dunya years and years ago, it is true that said temptations and challenges are harder to resist and overcome nowadays because of how accessible they've become.

How many times do you take out your phone in a day? It's a small rectangular, unlimited access to literally anything. From cute cat videos, to all sorts of obscenities. That's social media for you. And as muslims, it is our duty to know where to draw the line. What ideas are you letting into your mind? Even more importantly, what ideas are you letting into your heart?

Feminism versus anti-men

You're a feminist? Great. You want equal rights? Fantastic. You want to empower women? Go for it. In fact, the big #girlpower movement started out with good intentions. Equal pay for equal jobs, empowering women to be educated and successful. That is great. But is feminism what is used to be?

Nope. Not at all. Feminism has rapidly grown into the anti-men regime. You're a feminist? Okay, so that means you hate men. Men ain't nothing. They only want women's downfall. They deserve all the hate. We hate men. Hate. Men. Woman empowerment now means walking all over men and having an evil laugh (yes, like in the cartoons) at their failures. I am a woman myself, who has seen how society privileges men in some ways, who has been hurt by men, who has seen men acting wrong. But this world was never created to be perfect. How have we come to a time where an extreme ideology such as hating a whole portion of the population has become so normal, and not only that, but also celebrated and empowered?

The list of wrong ideas promoted on social media is long, we know that. My concern is my muslim sisters. Please, do not fall into this trap. Allah created women and men. Both. I'll take this opportunity to cite one of my favourite verses in the Qur'an:

"For Muslim men and women,- for believing men and women, for devout men and women, for true men and women, for men and women who are patient and constant, for men and women who humble themselves, for men and women who give in Charity, for men and women who fast (and deny themselves), for men and women who guard their chastity, and for men and women who engage much in Allah's praise,- for them has Allah prepared forgiveness and great reward." (33:35)*

What more equality could you ask for?

ٱلْمُسْلِمِينَ وَٱلْمُسْلِمَـٰتِ

Believing men, and believing women.

Both.

Allah, in this verse alone, has dissipated all arguments of equality. You want to be equal? Equal rights? There you go. You've got it. All you have to do is be obedient to Him. A righteous man's reward for righteousness is equal to a righteous women's reward for righteousness. This is as equal as it gets. Men and women were created with some innate differences, physically, intellectually, emotionally. That's a given. But what's the purpose of going out of your way to look for equality every which way, when Allah has provided us with such a powerful verse?

As a muslim woman, I believe it is wrong for us to hate men. Wasn't our Prophet ﷺ a man? The best of mankind. Yes, I'm sure you're thinking that men nowadays are nothing compared to the man Muhammad ﷺ was, in terms of character, beauty, mannerisms, kindness, and everythting else. The thing is, no one is perfect. Neither are you. He ﷺ was a walking example of perfection. And it is a duty upon all of us, men and women to strive to come closer and closer to his ﷺ level of perfection. Weren't all the prophets (peace be upon them all) before Muhammad ﷺ men?

Every time I see a post trying to reconcile modern feminism with islam, which by the way is portrayed as oppressive to women (#france), it's always about the status of women in islam. And don’t get me wrong, that is great. I love knowing that as a woman, I am valued by my religion and my Lord. That I am regarded as a treasure, to be safekept and guarded, to be protected, a precious gift. That's wonderful. My concern is that we have been focusing so much on highlighting the status of women in islam, that we have come to think that it's okay to trash men. The argument that modern men are nothing compared to the prophets does not stand, because guess what? Women aren't like Khadija, Hajra, Maryam, Fatima (رضي الله عنهن) anymore. And for the few that try their best to be like the most wonderful and blessed women there were, they, too, get criticised.

"Why do you dress this way? Why are you always covered up? Don’t you want to show off your beauty?"

"Why are you such a prude? What? You need to ask permission to your husband/father to go out? What is this? It's 2023!"

Well…it is 2023. Where does Allah tell me that it is okay to disregard His rulings as from 2023? Because if that was the case, I didn’t know.

Okay, I'm sorry for the sarcasm, I couldn’t help it. But I hope the core of this message is clear. Don't let ideologies spread by the media make you forget about your Lord, His words, His ultimate justice, His all-hearing and seeing attributes.

"Excellent is that which Allah instructs you. Indeed, Allah is ever Hearing and Seeing.” [Quran, 4:58]

Sisters, let's be self-aware enough to know which of the many social media propagandas we let into our system. We have been given new technologies, let us use them for our own good. Let us be diligent about the people we follow, the ideas we let into our heads, the content we consume on a daily basis.

"O you who have believed, be persistently standing firm for Allah, witnesses in justice, and do not let the hatred of a people prevent you from being just. Be just; that is nearer to righteousness. And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is Acquainted with what you do." (5:8)

Be just. Do not just passively accept what the media commands you to. Hating men just because they are men is not aligned with justice. This world was never created to be perfect. Our goal is the hereafter. Our work here is for the end results in the hereafter.

Do not fall into the trap of just passively consuming whatever the media throws at you. What you consume, as well as what you share on social media, will have an impact on you, on the status of your heart, on your imaan. Be mindful of the information you take in, and always weigh it in the balance of Islam's teachings. What does the Qur'an say? What would the Prophet ﷺ do in this situation?

Unlearn the world, so you may feel a bit of peace before the eternal one.

___

*I'd strongly advise listening to a recitation of this verse, just for how poetic and powerful it sounds. Click here for a nice one.

ﷺ: Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him

Dunya: worldy life

Deen: religion