Admonition for Journalists and Writers

Shaykh Saalih Bin Humaid

Rabee‘ul-aakhir 1425 ( 21 May, 2004 )

Brethren in faith! Allaah created the heavens and the earth in truth. He sent His Messengers and revealed to them the Book and the balance that men may stand with justice. Mankind’s affairs cannot be upright except by the truth; and men’s confusion

and their misery are caused by their negligence of the truth, their toying with justice, their indifference to falsehood and the spread of lies in all their affairs.

Mankind’s salvation and success lie in maintaining the truth in all their undertakings. If their share of truthfulness and justice is great they will certainly achieve a great development, but if not they will fall into the abyss of confusion. The righteous society is the one where suspicions and rumours are fought relentlessly; where only realities are allowed to thrive.

Dear brethren! We are saying this because Allaah has facilitated for the people of this age different means of communication; both audio and visual. They are means of good for the good people. For they save their time and pass their messages across within short period. Among their benefits is that they are used to seek for religious counselling from qualified scholars as they are used for other kinds of commendable deeds like listening to and reading the sermons, giving admonitions and carrying out duties among others. Therefore, those who make a good use of them cannot refute the benefits of these new technologies. All praise is due to Allaah for this and other blessings.

However, some people do misuse these technologies and they therefore, become the source of evil for them. For their misuse has brought about on them misery, hatred and rancour and have become for them a means to spread falsehood and fitnahs among different categories of people be they rulers, the common people, scholars men or women.

Some of these means of communication has produced sites and channels for people where they discuss and share views on different issues. A keen observer of the contents of these communication means will however notice a great defect in them in the sense that a lot of these amount to waste of time and idle talk. Allaah says,

“There is no good in most of their secret talks save (in) him who orders Sadaqah (charity in Allaah’s Cause), or Ma'rûf (Islaamic Monotheism and all the good and righteous deeds which Allaah has ordained), or conciliation between mankind; and he who does this, seeking the good Pleasure of Allaah, We shall give him a great reward.”

(An-Nisaa 4:114)

Many are the dissentions and rumours in these web pages and TV channels that have had woeful consequences. Where there is some truth, the undesirable people add lies and falsehood to it in a way that renders the truth useless. A lot of these discussions and talks are characterized with looking for other people’s faults, exaggerating other’s mistakes and misjudgement. The matters have reached an extent where some people do invent allegations against others, misinterpret sayings and events and are never ashamed of spreading false rumours.

It is therefore required of the righteous among the owners of websites and their visitors; the owners of satellite channels and their viewers; and the journalists and the analysts to remember the saying of the Messenger of Allaah in an authentic hadeeth that goes thus, “Two men came to me last night and told me: ‘As to the one you saw who was tearing his jawbone, he used to fabricate a lie that was then transmitted from him until it carried across the horizons. That is how he will be treated on the Day of Resurrection.’”

The journalist who spread false news among millions of people, a politician who gives people fake pictures about issues involving the ummah, and the thinker who masters the art of propagating false allegations directly and indirectly; let each of these know that the wider the false is spread the greater and more severe its evil and danger on the ummah. The Prophet said, “There will appear among my ummah at the end of the Hour some devilish liars who will tell you what neither you nor your ancestors have ever heard of. So keep away from them that they may not mislead you and tempt you.”

Fellow Muslims! These means of communication reflect the picture of the user; they show his good manners or lack of that, the soundness or darkness of his heart and the weakness or strength of his eemaan.

Brethren in Islaam! It must be clearly stated here that the common men must not be given more than their rights. It is not for the common people – in disregard to the scholars – to decide what is the truth or virtuous. The realities and facts should rather be taken from their original sources and regardless of the wishes of the opponents of the truth and the ignorant even if they are counted in millions. The leaders are also urged to base their behaviours and stands on truth, justice and eemaan. They should not be disturbed by criticism or worried by a lot of attackers and detractors. They should not be too sensitive to what people say by being deceived by their praising and discouraged by their criticism. The wise man does not care about comments of a people whose habit is passing their time in discussing other people’s affairs. Who is he that can prevent people from speaking or writing falsehood? The great among men is one who has both praisers and critics; the one who is happy whenever his faults are shown to him. The wise is the one who weighs whatever is said about him, takes that which the truth and beneficial and verifies that which is not clear to him.

Brethren in faith! We must make a distinction between a constructive criticism and destructive one. Constructive criticism is a sincere advice that enjoins good, forbids evil and helps in self-examination. A constructive criticism rectifies mistakes, corrects the fault and aims at reforms so that the truth may be actualised and falsehood eradicated. It guides to the right path and is far from injury, looking for gaffes and exaggeration of mistakes.

Destructive criticism, on the other hand, aims at demeaning people through falsehood and misinterpretation of people’s intentions with no valid reason and tarnishing men’s reputation. This kind of criticism therefore destroys good deeds, wastes the energy and distracts the society from pursuing its beneficial goals.

Dear brethren! The best thing that one can do in this tumultuous situation is to be altruist, persevering, seeking the truth, abiding by the correct path and keeping away from frivolities. A Muslim must also not fall into acts for which he criticizes others and should endeavour to be sincere and eliminate elements of jealousy, whims and suspicion from his heart. The Messenger of Allaah said, “Do not envy one another, do not hate one another and do not plot against one another and remain as servants of Allaah in brotherhood. A Muslim is the brother of his fellow Muslim. He should not wrong him nor disgrace him or treat him with contempt. It is forbidden for any Muslim to violate the blood, property and dignity of his fellow Muslim.” This is the admonition of your Prophet and Messenger Muhammad –peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him.

People however vary as far as proper behaviour is concerned. The fortunate is therefore the one who when shown guidance, he follow it and when reminded of Allaah he remembers Him. Do not therefore be ill mannered, insensitive or hard natured.

Brethren in Islaam! Everybody talks about reform. But reform is not something that is achieved through rumours or statements that are posted on the web pages or newspaper pages or issues that are ignorantly discussed on TV channels. Allaah says,

“Do they not then consider the Qur'ân carefully? Had it been from other than Allaah, they would surely have found therein many a contradiction. 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 Allaah upon you, you would have followed (Satan), save a few of you.”

(An-Nisaa 4:82-83)

He also says,

“And indeed We have created man, and We know what his own self whispers to him. And We are nearer to him than his jugular vein (by Our Knowledge). (Remember!) that the two receivers (recording angels) receive (each human being), one sitting on the right and one on the left (to note his or her actions). Not a word does he (or she) utter, but there is a watcher by him ready (to record it).”

(Qaaf 50:16-18)

Dear journalists and writers! Of the things that the Ummah needs in order to attain prosperity, felicity and unity is to be truthful in sayings. Any society attains prosperity and orderliness if it adheres to truthfulness in sayings, deeds and interactions. The liar may have a selfish friend, but he will definitely not find a friend among the virtuous men. Words must be adequately weighed and verified before releasing them and truth must always be adhered to. For falsehood and lies harm people and break their ties as truthfulness in words leads to truthfulness in deeds and subsequently to all that is good. The Messenger of Allaah said, “Be truthful, for truthfulness leads to righteousness and righteousness leads to Paradise ; and if a man tells the truth and nothing but the truth, he will continue doing that until he is written with Allaah as a truthful one. Beware of lie, for lie leads to sinfulness and sinfulness leads to Hell; and if a man tells lies and nothing but lies, he will continue to do so until he is written with Allaah as a liar.”

Do not be of those who when they hear a news they hasten to spread it without verification. For the one who does this is never deterred by piety or manliness. The wise man does not talk before he verifies and with greater reason a believer who fears his Lord. The Prophet said, “It is enough a sin for man to narrate all that he hears.” A wise man said, “He who has power over his tongue puts it under control, and it is only he who is despicable that hasten to talk without verification. Whoever preoccupies himself with what he knows not, he will be treated with suspicion in what he knows.” Allaah says,

“O you who believe! Keep your duty to Allaah 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 Allaah and His Messenger (peace be upon him), he has indeed achieved a great achievement (i.e. he will be saved from the Hell-fire and will be admitted to Paradise ).”

(Al-Ahzaab 33:70-71)

Dear brethren! Whenever we are writing, criticising, analysing or talking about reform and development in Muslim societies, we should not sideline others even if we do no agree with their views as long as we are all Muslims since there is no compromise on the Muslim identity. The identity of the Muslim is Islaam, Islaam is the reform and the reform is Islaam. The Muslim’s honour is only through Islaam, his nation is Islaamic, his society Muslim, his Ummah is Muslim and the slogan of every Muslim is the following verse,

Say (O Muhammad (peace be upon him)) "Verily, my Salât (prayer), my sacrifice, my living, and my dying are for Allâh, the Lord of the 'Alamîn (mankind, jinn and all that exists). He has no partner. And of this I have been commanded, and I am the first of the Muslims."

(Al-An‘aam 6:162-163)

Proper reform rejects any foreign connection that negates Islaam. Islaamic reform repudiates all alien slogans. Reform is a lively and continuous activity unlimited by a time.

All societies have defects. But fairness demands that achievement should also be considered when we are talking about a particular society. The need for reform should not make us forget the innumerable blessings in which we are living, the greatest of these blessings is that of eemaan. Allaah says,

“They regard as favor to you (O Muhammad (peace be upon him)) that they have embraced Islaam. Say: "Count not your Islaam as a favor upon me. Nay, but Allaah has conferred a favor upon you that He has guided you to the Faith if you indeed are true.”

(Al-Hujuraat 49:17)

Fellow Muslims! Fear Allaah and adhere to the truth. Act upon it and follow the path of moderation and justness. Allaah says,

“And do not do mischief on the earth, after it has been set in order, and invoke Him with fear and hope. Surely, Allaah’s Mercy is (ever) near unto the good-doers.”