Straying from the Teachings of Islam: A Price for Misusing

Communication Technologies
Abstract
A system of communication is one of the prerequisites of any functional society. Throughout the
history of mankind, the ways through which information can move from one location to another
have been changing to suit the needs of the people in their respective generations. The end of the
20 th century gave birth to both communication and information technologies which have rapidly
progressed in this 21st century. One can hardly imagine living in a world without communication
technologies such as the ones we are currently having. However, like any other innovations, the
developments in these technologies come along with them many ill effects. In this paper we have
explored the negative consequences of information technologies and matched them against the
Islamic teachings as is clearly cited in the Holy Quran and in the traditions of Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him). At the end of this work, we also suggest some measures that
can help in promoting proper use of information technologies by the Muslim masses without
compromising the Islamic principles.
Index terms: Islamic Principle, Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), Prophet,
People, Society.
I. INTRODUCTION
Information and communication technology (ICT) refers to technologies that provide access to
information through telecommunications (communication over a distance by circuits using
cables, fiber optics, radios, satellites, television sets, the internet, wireless networks, cell phones
and other communication mediums).[ 1]
According to the online English Oxford Dictionary, the term misusing (from misuse) refers to
the use of something in a wrong way or for the wrong purpose. It also could mean treating
someone badly or unfairly. In the context of our work, we define misuse of ICTs as using them
in a wrong manner or for a wrong purpose or by a wrong person. The information and
communication technologies make use of devices such as; the radios, satellites, television sets,
computers, wireless networks (access ports), cell phones and other communication devices.
The term straying (from stray) according to the English Oxford Dictionary refers to wandering
from the right place or from the right companions. It also means to deviate morally or mentally.
Islamic teachings refer to how a Muslim is expected to live his life in its complete form. These
teachings are derived from the Glorious Holy Quran, a Holy book which was revealed to Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him) for the rest of mankind. An important aspect here is how

prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) lived his life as is evidenced in his teachings and in his
traditions. The teachings of Islam in question, sweep across all aspects of life ranging from
complex systems such as politics, economy, to minute issues such as toilet behavior.
In this paper, we have identified ways in which the Muslims are paying a heavy price of straying
from the teachings of their religion, Islam, as a result of misusing communication technologies.
The terms principle and teachings have been used interchangeably in this work though they do
not mean the same.
II. Deviations in the Teachings of Islam as a Result of misuse of ICTs
2.1 Misuse of Time and Good Health
Prophet Muhammad is reported to have admonished his followers regarding making good use
time and good health. The Prophet said, "There are two blessings which many people lose: (They
are) Health and free time for doing good. [2] The prophet further said that on the day of
judgment (a pillar of faith in Islam), a human being will remain standing until he is questioned
about certain blessings that his creator bestowed on him and one of them is his age and how
spent it and the other is about his body and how he used it.[3]
It is thus evident that making good use of time and of ones good health is a principle behavior
that Muslims ought to exhibit. Contrary to this teaching, recent studies indicate that on average,
teenagers in United Kingdom spend 31 hours a week online (connected to Internet) and nearly 2
hours a week viewing pornography. The research was carried out by Cyber Sentinel [4], a
company which provides software solutions allowing parents to block access to certain sites.
A more recent (2010) study in the United States of America (USA) that was conducted by the
Kaiser Family Foundation [5] indicates that 8-18 year olds spend an average of 7 hours
38minutes using entertainment media across a typical day.
The fact that these studies are carried out irrespective of the religion and faith of the users of
these ICTs, it is evident any single Muslim user who happens to be falling in these statistics is
clearly compromising an important teaching of Islam, which is to make good use of time and of
good health.
2.2 Erosion of the Natural Fear of Death
Todays entertainment industry is trying by all means to neutralize death in such a way that the
addicted viewers of these films or music videos find death to be entertainment itself. Many
movies have in them scenes in which people are mercilessly killed and even in others someone
awakens the dead. Furthermore, the video games industry has produced several video games
which give an opportunity to the game player to simulate a killing and pardoning ability by
killing and pardoning whoever he likes to. This is a clear campaign against the natural instinct of

fearing death that God has placed in every human being. This kind of entertainment aims at
eroding this natural instinct from the viewers.
Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) is reported to have said Remember frequently the one
who will destroy all your pleasures: death, for there is no-one who remembers death when in
straitened circumstances, but his situation will become easier, and there is no-one who
remembers death during times of ease, but his circumstances will become straitened.[6]
The All-Mighty Allah has clearly assured mankind that everyone of them will have to die
someday and this assurance means that it will do one no good to try and forget something that is
already decided by his creator.
"Every soul shall taste death [Quran 21:36]
It is therefore clear that it is an important characteristic of every Muslim to remember death and
fear for the state in which he will meet his death. Attempting to forget death through
entertainment is against this principle attitude expected of every Muslim.
2.3 Change in Sex Orientation
It is a natural instinct for humans to be sexually attracted to the opposite sex. Unfortunately
nowadays humans have gone back to the norms of the people who lived in the periods of
ignorance and those whose nations were destroyed for the mischief they caused on earth. The
situation has worsened to such an extent that a good number of states have legalized same sex
marriages. Not only that but they have also financed activist groups that advocate for this
irrational and immoral sexual practice amongst the human race. Both homosexuality and
lesbianism go against the wisdom of the creation of Allah and His commandments.
The nation of Prophet Lot (peace be upon him) is the nation which was destroyed by Allah as a
result of homosexuality. Lot called his people to abandon this inhuman action but they were
heedless of his admonition and as a result, the Creator inflicted His punishment on them.
And (remember) Loot (Lot), when he said to his people: You commit Al-Faahishah (sodomy
the worst sin) which none has preceded you in (committing) it in the Aalameen (mankind and
jinn)[Quran 29:28].
After failing to take the advice of their prophet, Allah destroyed them all with heavy rains.
And We rained down on them a rain (of stones). So evil was the rain of those who were
warned [Quran 27:54]
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) strongly cursed the people who practice these evil
actions. He said cursed is the one who has intercourse with an animal, cursed is the one who
does the action of the people of Loot.[Narrated by Ahmad, 1878.]

The promoters of these other forms of sexual orientation make bad use of communication
technologies such as the internet, satellites and cell phones. Statistics indicates that by 2007, US
alone had an estimated 12.1 million gay and lesbian internet users which represents 7.9% of the
total population of adult internet users [7].
This shows the extent to which the internet contributes to the growth of this gay and lesbian
community. Worse enough, some Muslims are either engaged too or they support the actions of
these communities.
2.4 Espionage
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) clearly prohibited his followers from spying on one
another. But with todays advancement in technology, Muslims have also embraced the idea of
spying on one another by making use of the video and audio recording devices. This is a misuse
of ICT which leads to a clear violation of the teachings of the prophet. Some scholars may argue
out that this is allowed in some cases, but they fail to emphasize the fact that it is not allowed if
there is no necessity for it. The prophet, Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: .. Do not
eavesdrop; do not spy on one another; do not envy one another; do not forsake one another; do
not hate one another. Be, O slaves of Allaah, brothers. [8]
In the Holy Quran, God commands mankind not to spy on one another in a very clear verse;
Avoid much suspicion; indeed some suspicions are sins. And spy not [Quran 49:12]
People nowadays take photos of others without their consent; they record conversations, and in
other cases even record them just for the sake of implicating them and causing conflicts within
societies. A story came out on the 20th of July 2011 in the daily star [9], one of Bangladeshis
leading online newspapers in which a university girl hanged herself after her classmate
distributed an obscene video of hers. This is an example of how detrimental spying on another
can be and Muslims could have escaped these situations had they not been straying from this
teaching of Islam.
2.5 Moral Degradation
Todays media in all its kinds lacks censorship and its good usage entirely is upon ones level of
self restraint. The content that is broadcasted on some TV channels and online sites is very
offensive to any mind that hasnt lost its natural instinct of shame. Naturally humans do feel
ashamed of certain things, for instance watching or listening to something indecent or obscene.
Nowadays its no secret that Muslims tune to satellite TV stations that broadcast pornography
and the related forms of media and yet they could have used other satellites TV stations that do
not broadcast such a level of corruption. This has resulted in the loss of shame, humility and
modesty amongst a people (Muslims in particular) whose religion advocates for the elevation of
these qualities.

In 2010 some website statistics indicated that Pakistan (a Muslim majority country) was ranked
the No. 1 (top) country in generating internet traffic requesting to view porn content.[10] This is
very unfortunate and it indicates clearly how morality has been seriously degraded amongst the
Muslims as a result of misusing information technologies.
The prophet (Muhammad, peace be upon him) admonished his followers to elevate their shyness
and modesty as they are part of ones faith. He did say that when ones humility is elevated and
so will be his faith in his creator.
In one report the prophet said: Faith consists of more than seventy branches. And haya
(modesty or shyness) is a part of faith. [Al-Bukhari].
Unfortunately Muslims do as they wish all in the name of freedom and democracy. These
qualities if one has some they are evident on him when he speaks, walks and how he generally
behaves.
2.6 Plagiarism and Theft
Islam advocates for seeking of ones permission before using his or her resource or property.
However some of the ICTs such as the internet were not designed to be secure and as such, users
are tempted to steal others property in the form of documents for their academic or business
purposes. Islam prohibits any kind of stealing or theft. This kind of stealing which involves
illegal use of someone elses intellectual property is referred to as intellectual theft. These thefts
occur mostly over the internet.
In addition to intellectual theft, there is a lot of fraudulent cyber cases. Users are usually corned
to giving in their personal information such as the credit card details. According to the 2010
report released by the Internet Crime Complaint Centre (IC3), a huge sum of 303,809 complaints
of cyber crime was filed via the IC3 website.[11] The victims are from all religions as well as the
perpetrators of the crime itself.
The prophet (Muhammad, peace be upon him) said: No thief is a believer at the time when he is
stealing. [Narrated by al-Bukhaari (5578) and Muslim (57)].
Unfortunately some Muslims are also involved in various kinds of online theft forgetting the
teachings of their religion, Islam.
2.7 Promotion of the Culture of Telling Lies
The platforms through which humans communicate to each other in this age of information and
communication technologies are such that if the user has no strong self moral authority, he will
find it easy to tell a lie or forge a scenario than it is with natural (face to face) communications.
Platforms such as the social networking sites (face book and others), internet chat rooms (such as
yahoo and others), cell phones can all be misused and are actually are. To a Muslim victim, this

should be unfortunate as it against the principles of Islam for one to tell lies. It is very easy for
someone to lie about his present location even though he knows that it is forbidden to tell lies.
The prophet (Muhammad, peace be upon him) is reported by Abd-Allaah ibn Masood (may
Allaah be pleased with him) to have said: I urge you to be truthful, for truthfulness leads to
righteousness, and righteousness leads to Paradise.[Bukhari and Muslim]. It is thus clear that
in all circumstances, a Muslim is never allowed to intentionally tell a lie.
This bad habit is further carried out by companies advertising their products in a way of lying to
their clients about the true quality of their products and goods.
2.8 Incitement of Violence and Conflicts amongst People
Islam teaches its followers that they should always try to find a solution to a conflict and not to
escalate it instead. Unfortunately the whole world is a victim of the level of the so called freedom
of the media houses. These media houses only consider making more sales and little attention do
they pay to the consequences of what they publish on the societies they live in. For people of
other faith, they could behave their own rules regarding this, but as for Muslims it is a principle
of a Muslim to always reconcile a people having a dispute. Social networking sites have been
praised much for having caused successful revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia but Muslims pay
little heed to the agreed way of conflict resolution.
The prophet (Muhammad, peace be upon Him) said: Shall I not tell you of something that is
better than fasting, prayer and charity? They said: Yes. He said: Reconciling between two
people, for discord between people is the shaver. [Narrated by al-Tirmidhi].
Allah the All mighty teaches the prophet on how to handle a couple (husband and wife) which is
in a dispute in such a beautiful and simple manner that shows the level of tolerance and forgiving
that Islam encourages.
If you fear a breach between the two, appoint (two) arbitrators, one from his family and one
from her family) [Quran 4:35]
This is the way Muslims ought to behave towards one another and not to misuse technology in
escalating violence causing conflicts within societies.
Research conducted by the Tech Journal indicated that facebook (a social networking website) is
the new causer of divorce. [12]
2.9 Promotion of Interest and Usury
Interest is clearly prohibited under the Islamic law in all its forms. However in this age where
nearly all commercial banks are based on interest, it becomes almost impossible to avoid any
transactions that will involve some usury. This fact challenges the idea of the use of the good
technology of credit cards and other forms of electronic transactions. Muslims take little effort to

seek the opinion of the Muslim scholars regarding what to do with the interest that accumulate in
their money.
Almighty Allah communicates to Muslims (mankind) a command which He has made in relation
to commerce.
Allaah has permitted trading and forbidden Ribaa (usury/interest) [Quran 2:275]
It is also reported that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) cursed ten people: the one who
consumes ribaa (usury), the one who pays ribaa, the one who writes it down, the two who
witness it, the one who makes it lawful, the one for whom it is made lawful, the one who
withholds sadaqah (charity), the one who does tattoos and the one for whom tattooing is done.
[Narrated by Muslim, 50; al-Tirmidhi, 1038, and others].
It is thus evident that Muslims not only have to make use of these technologies but also to
identify the teachings of Islam that would be violated in the course of using them.
2.10 Promotion of Promiscuity
It is a principle of Islam that whenever someone attains both physical and mental maturity he
should marry. This is a principle which if adhered to would lead to a continuation of normal life
amongst human beings. However in todays world, there are several organizations which
advocate for other forms and avenues of having sexual affairs other than through the way that
was advocated by Prophet Muhammad. Prostitution has boomed, child sex trade is also on the
increase beyond human sanity. Unfortunately some Muslims have also fallen prey of these
practices and some even have the strength of convincing themselves that such alternatives are
cheaper to maintain than formal marriages.
The prophet (Muhammad, peace be upon him) said:
"O young people! Whoever among you can marry, should marry, because it helps him lower his
gaze and guard his modesty (i.e. his private parts from committing illegal sexual intercourse
etc.), and whoever is not able to marry, should fast, as fasting diminishes his sexual power."
[Sahih Bukhari, Volume 7, Book 62, Number 4, Narrated 'Abdullah].
Muslims have got to understand the motive behind these TV programs and beware of the
consequences of violating the teachings of Islam. One such an organization that advocates for
having just affairs and not marriages in the Ashley Madison Agency [13] which openly claims
that life is too short and therefore people should just have affairs.

III. Measures that can Help in Promoting Good Use of ICTs amongst the Muslims
3.1 Educating Muslims about Their Religion
The very first measure to this problem is by letting the Muslims learn more about how their
religion expects them to live. Since most of the ICTs misuse results in straying from the
teachings of Islam, users can only realize that they are straying only if the right way is known to
them. We thus urge the Muslim preachers to expand the knowledge and application of Islamic
teachings in all aspects of life just as it was done during the times of the prophet (Muhammad,
peace be upon him).
3.2 Educating Muslims in the Fields of These Technologies
You find that educated (skilled) people working in these sectors of technology are mostly people
who do not embrace the ethics and moral values of Islam as a religion and thus are more likely to
compromise some issues which in the end affect a large population of users. It is easy to set rules
and policies but very hard it is to implement them and this should mean that the people at the
operational level should also be people with sound mind and with the interest of protecting the
core values and principles of Islam. Whereas there are hundreds of Muslim students studying in
US and in Europe, there are equally hundreds of Americans and Europeans with no Islamic
morals working in technology firms within the Muslim dominated countries. This is as a result of
lack of enough skilled manpower in the Muslim states.
3.3 Muslims Should also Go Online
By going online, we mean that Muslim users who frequent the internet should also have enough
options that are in line with the teachings of Islam. These options could include online shopping
centers, entertainment products and other areas that operate in ways which are in conformity
with the teachings of Islam. For a Muslim wishing to buy a product online and the only available
online shops all deal with usury and interest leaves him with almost no option but to proceed and
do so.
3.4 The Masses Should be Sensitized about the Enemies Motives
To any religious group, someone who intends to deviate one from his faith directly or indirectly
but intentionally is regarded as their religious enemy. The Muslim masses need to understand
that the motives behind the establishment of these entertainment centers which are full of nudity
and all sorts of immoral activities are all aimed at straying them from their religious principles. It
should be understood that the satellite channels that broadcast pornography for free are not doing
so because people have no money to buy CDs but in order for those living in Muslim states to
also access them given that in most Muslim countries pornography is illegal business.

IV. CONCLUSION
We conclude by noting that other than the many consequences that may arise as a result of
misusing communication technologies, to the Muslims it can cause their disobedience and
compromise of their religious teachings. Muslims who use the various technologies should be
very vigilant and look out for the possible principles of Islam that are at risk if these technologies
are misused. It is also worthy to note that these technologies of communication and information
sharing have made life much easier and thus Muslims should not miss out this blessing of our
time but rather should let Islam help them use these technologies in a more peaceful and less
harmful manner.

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