Faithful Engagement- Making Social Media & Influence For Allah

Faithful Engagement: Making Social Media & Influence For Allah

Opening Supplications

الصلاة والسلام على رسول الله وعلى آله وصحبه أجمعين، سلم تسليماً كثيراً

"O you who have believed, fear Allah as He should be feared and do not die except as Muslims."

"O mankind, fear your Lord, who created you from one soul and created from it its mate and dispersed from both of them many men and women. And fear Allah, through whom you ask one another, and the wombs. Indeed Allah is ever, over you, an Observer."

"O you who have believed, fear Allah and speak words of appropriate justice. He will correct for you your deeds and forgive you your sins. And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger has certainly attained a great attainment."

أَمَّا بَعْدُ، فَإِنَّ أَصْدَقَ الْحَدِيثِ كِتَابُ اللَّهِ، وَخَيْرَ الْهَدْيِ هَدْيُ مُحَمَّدٍ صلى الله عليه وسلم ، وَشَرَّ الْأُمُورِ مُحْدَثَاتُهَا ، وَكُلَّ مُحْدَثَةٍ بِدْعَةٌ، وَكُلَّ بِدْعَةٍ ضَلَالَةٌ، وَكُلَّ ضَلَالَةٍ فِي النَّارِ

We praise Allah, a blessed praise, we send peace and blessings upon our beloved messenger Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم upon his family, al-Itriya, his companions, and those who follow them until the end of time.

The Illusion of Freedom in Modern Life

One of the important components of faith that tends to get lost in the contemporary age, an age of a lot of curation. You know I was reading a book recently about casinos in Las Vegas. You know casinos have no right angles in the carpet. So as you're walking through the casino, I'm sure none of us have ever been to one. As you're imagining, or maybe you're using VR, that you're at a casino, they don't want you to make any choices. They want what's called the psychology of the flow, where you just flow. And this also transferred over into technology, the infinite scroll. It's designed by the same people who wanted you to fall into the infinite flow.

And the funny thing is, Muslims tend to ask me always about escaping God. You know like, if God knows, then why should I even try? With the assumption that somehow they're free in dunya. But subhanAllah, if we just take a few moments to understand how corporate power has invested millions of dollars to get you and I to fall into the flow, then we would appreciate the honor and dignity of being the servant of Allah, and emancipated from dunya.

The Deception of Modern Life

I mean the face app, really? I mean we spend so much money on serum to not look old. They even have a facial cream made from snails. I got six questions yesterday on Instagram. Can I put snails on my face? The scary thing was, I saw this wrinkle under my eye, I was like, shoot, I might need to check out that snail cream. And why it's humorous, and someone may ask, astaghfirullah, you laughed in the khutbah, why don't you get upset when people cry in the khutbah? They have the same hukum, the same ruling. Allah says:

Let people be happy with God. As also He says:

Let them fear God.

But subhanAllah, the mere delusion that we think that somehow escaping God would lead to freedom is really, really a great mirage of shaitan.

The Psychology of Corporate Control

People in casinos who are narcoleptic will not fall asleep in front of slot machines. Because they put more than 400 sounds in slot machines to make you feel comfortable. They use ergonomics in the chairs so that your blood flow moves freely, you feel relaxed. Because they realized, one of the greatest challenges they had with keeping people gambling, subhanAllah, was fatigue, man. And the scariest thing that I heard from a professor here at NYU is that people actually will wear diapers to casinos. Because they get in the flow, and they literally start to flow. And she said, I talked to employees who would go behind the casino, and their job was to rinse the machines because of the urine that was on the machines.

So for us to somehow believe that there's freedom in escaping submission to Allah, just in one area, and we shouldn't be under any delusion. The same optics that have been put, the algorithms, into making sure that those of you who are musicians can appreciate this, the slot machine is constantly ringing out a middle C. Because it's harmonious. Whether you win, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding. Whether you lose, ding, ding, ding. So you're constantly getting into the flow.

Speaking of the flow, you can scoot a little bit forward. But those same people invested in Instagram, are invested in Facebook. And of course, I use Instagram, I use Facebook. But I think we should talk about how can we religiously orient ourselves to using technology? Something that we don't talk about. We find ourselves between two extremes. One is to completely reject technology, which is highly irresponsible. And then the third is to jump into the deep end without floaties. And that's also highly irresponsible.

First Point: Faith as a Process, Not an Event

And that's why I said the first point I made is that we need to appreciate that faith is a process. It's not an event. People tend to look for that event moment, like, yo, I'm going to go to hajj, I'm going to improve my marriage. No, you're not. Or I'm going to go to hajj and come back and kill this thesis I've been working on. It's not why you go to hajj. Hajj may contribute to part of that process. Just like salah may contribute to part of that process. Instead of looking for macro successes, let me look for micro victories that will lead to success.

That's why the Quran says about the sahaba that they're a process:

"Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah; and those with him are forceful against the disbelievers, merciful among themselves. You see them bowing and prostrating [in prayer], seeking bounty from Allah and [His] pleasure. Their mark is on their faces from the trace of prostration. That is their description in the Torah. And their description in the Gospel is as a plant which produces its offshoots and strengthens them so they grow firm and stand upon their stalks, delighting the sowers - so that Allah may enrage by them the disbelievers. Allah has promised those who believe and do righteous deeds among them forgiveness and a great reward."

You know, they're like a seed that grew slowly, and became slowly strong, and eventually it stood on itself. It didn't just happen. It wasn't just overnight. It was a process.

Avoiding the Trap of Spiritual Narcissism

And oftentimes we fail to appreciate the fact that religion is baked, it's not microwaved. And some of our teachers, they would warn us, especially scholars of tasawwuf, that rushing religiosity could really be masking a subtle form of narcissism. Because it's not for God anymore, it's about my high. That's why I used to say:

إِيَّاكَ أَنْ تَعْبُدَ اللَّهَ لِلْحَالِ فَإِنَّهُ رَبُّ الْأَحْوَالِ

Like, don't worship Allah for the feeling. You know, sometimes people come, they're like, man, I prayed Fajr, I didn't feel anything, I'm not praying Fajr anymore. It's like a Netflix series. I watched the first three episodes, didn't feel anything, canceled it. But that's not what it means to be the servant of Allah. That's why Allah says:

"Say, “Indeed, my prayer, my sacrifice, my life, and my death are for Allah, Lord of the worlds."

Embracing Our Human Nature

So, let's just talk briefly about why it's important to see religion as a process. Number one, that allows me to have ups and downs. Because if I look at religion as an event, as equally powerful as my successes are, my fails will be also. And we're gonna fail. You gotta make mistakes, I gotta make mistakes. The Prophet said:

(Sunan Ibn Majah 4251)

Everybody makes mistakes. Allah says:

"And mankind was created weak."

"Allah wants to lighten [your difficulties];"

Balancing Success and Failure in Faith

So, when I'm able to frame my religion as a process, I'm not going to get to this illusion by success. As Allah says to Sayyidina Nabi:

"And do not confer favor, seeking increase."

Stand, you're forgiven.

And the reason he told him to stand is that there is a powerful message in that, like, you got this man, stand and own it. Don't stay weak. That's why we start salah standing. To remind us that with Allah, we can conquer anything that takes us from Allah. We stand.

So just a small reminder to myself and others. I know as we get away from Ramadan, the Ramadan noor starts to kind of lessen, starts to flicker. And we get worried, which we should be. But sometimes in our haste, we fail to appreciate that faith is a process. And when I understand that, I can treat myself, I can love myself, I can discipline myself, and I can also export that to other people.

Third Point: Sacrifice and Creating Healthy Friction with Dunya

The third outcome before we get to kind of the nahari if you will of the khutbah. The beef. It's sacrifice. If I understand that it's a sacrifice and everything around me is:

Everything in the dunya is just a tool to build my akhira. Imam Ibn al-Jawzi used to say:

He said the dunya is like a crop, what you harvest from it is what you'll receive:

From the good deeds.

The Danger of Loving Dunya

So then I'm not scared to make sacrifices. I'm not scared to be resilient. We often talk about how dunya can condition our religion. When are we going to talk about how religion can condition and create healthy frictions for dunya? The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said:

Like I'm not worried that you'll commit shirk after me, الحمد لله But what I fear for you is love of dunya. Shaykh Ahmed Ndiaye from Senegal, he used to say to me:

Loving dunya is the head of all sin. And when I love dunya I can't sacrifice man.

The Example of Malik Faisal

When Kissinger visited Malik Faisal in the early 70's. May Allah restore that place to Inshallah better situation. Win and protect the people of Yemen Inshallah. When he came there Malik Faisal (رحمه الله). He met him in the desert in a tent. And Kissinger he began to you know sweat. He was in a suit man. You know government service. They wear the cheapest clothes. That brother was about to bust out of his Armani. I think it was double breasted in the desert. And Malik Faisal said to him, Look at you. Like you'll never be able to defeat us. We live in the desert. We sacrifice. You can't sacrifice.

Practical Examples of Sacrifice

At a micro level, it's hard to pray Fajr if I love last chance you. It's hard to pray Fajr if I'm lost in the handmaid's tale. It's hard to get the throne in Jannah if I'm watching Game of Thrones. If I stay up till 4 o'clock in the morning, listen to the lost tapes too, and then I wonder why I'm lost. The point I'm trying to say is, you and I, I'm talking to myself, discipline. One of the greatest signs that I'm on the right course:

Is that I look after what will trigger obedience more than I look at what will trigger opulence.

The Example of Imam Hussain

Look at Sayyidina Imam Hussain (عليه السلام) who's willing to sacrifice himself, his family, and everything he owns. And this story unites us as Sunnis and Shias. This is a story that I'll put justice in front of myself. He learned that from his grandfather. I'll put everything on the line for what's right. We see now in this country so many people are vulnerable. And mashallah we see young Muslims on the border sacrificing. We see young Muslims going overseas and working in relief efforts, mashallah, sacrificing. We see people in the business community, the private sector, being very generous in their donations.

But at a personal level, my obedience to Allah is first and foremost rooted in my ability to create healthy friction against opulence.

Main Topic: Being an Influencer for Allah

And that takes me to the beef. Somebody asked me, they said they're an influencer, mashallah, which I think is really cool, that's a cool thing. I don't like when people make fun of people because of what their passion is. That's so, excuse my language, ratchet, just to make fun of someone. That's what Allah put in their heart, alhamdulillah. Instead of making fun of people, we should help them redirect their talent if we can. Imam Ibn Taymiyyah, he said something beautiful: Islam never came to destroy people. It came to polish people.

So they asked me, how can I make the gram for Rabbul Anam? They didn't say it that way. But what they meant is, how can I make the gram for the Lord of Anam, all creation?

First Principle: Establish Your Own Foundation

I said, number one, if you don't pray Fajr, don't post that day. That brother said, oh. He said, in the multiple choice question, aren't you supposed to start with the multiple choice test, aren't you supposed to start with the easiest question? I said, that was the easiest question. He said, no. I said, you see the... Let's translate that. What that means is I got some work to do. And that's okay. But if you want to influence, make sure you're influenced. Allah is Al-Muathir Al-Haqiqi. In our Aqeedah, Asha'ira, we believe that the only true Muathir, the only true influencer, is Allah. Koon Faya Koon. Now of course, he gave you freedom, kasb. You can do what you want. There's the order of Allah. Then there's the will of Allah. Sometimes those collide.

But the next time you put together one of them amazingly edited programs and you post it, make sure you edit your sins with Toba first. And then he said, ouch. Why did I come and ask you? I said, I don't know. Allah brought you here. So the first is, if I don't establish some of the acts of obedience, I shouldn't project myself out there because I haven't been influenced. That's something very private.

Second Principle: Internal Before External

Number two, as keen as I am to edit and wear a good foundation, throw on some bronzer, get that six pack abs. What are six packs abs going to do for you if you don't have five pillars? So I said, you got to relate all this to immediately translate it into your life. He said, do you do it? I said, I don't have to worry about six pack abs, bruh. I'm 47 with babies. And I like honest chops a lot. But next time I go to honest chops I won't go if I didn't do some things. So, OK, OK, we agree.

Third Principle: Balance Worldly and Spiritual Engagement

The last thing I said, every time you check for likes, every time you go back and look, or the person who works for you tells you, you know, you got this many likes, make sure you're doing what will bring you likes in the hereafter.

Framing Theology as a Process

So there's a way that we can frame and talk about theology within a process. And that's the last point I'll make. When you frame theology as a process, we won't strictly stick to the tradition and talk about things that happened eight, nine hundred, ten thousand years ago. But we'll be able to speak on what's the tasawwuf of being an influencer. That's very important. What's the taskiyat al-nafs of being an influencer? Because our influencers are amazing. They're doing great work, alhamdulillah. They're on the front lines of helping people understand Islam and humanize Islam.

The Attention-Driven Economy

But one of the outcomes that those designers talked about that used to work at Facebook and Google and casinos in Las Vegas, this is absolutely terrifying, is that we want people to feel full during the experience. In fact they have a name for it. It's called the attention driven economy. SubhanAllah, we have khushu' in Allah.

They're trying to create khushu' in dunya. All of this happened to me a few days ago. I was on Instagram. I was like, oh snap. What happened to that hour? Like it just happens. They call it the rabbit hole. You want to be Alice in Wonderland. Boom. You're in a new world.

They said something very powerful. They said our goal is that the moment of profit, at the moment of experience, people will feel full. And as soon as they step away, they'll feel hungry. They'll want it again.

The Need for Discipline

The last point I think that all of us can think about is disciplining our engagement with these things. Creating a schedule. Being able to control ourselves. Because as this professor from NYU, and I hope Dr. Natasha can visit us one day, she said that this is going to have dangerous repercussions for people.

Summary: Three Key Points

So what do we talk about today? We talked about framing faith as a process, not getting too caught up in the successes or the failures. We talked about two outcomes of that: healthy personal care, and then being able to care for others. And then we talked about a way to frame the awesome work that Muslims are doing in these circles to be an influencer. Some disciplines maybe we can bring in to make sure that it's for Allah.

The Importance of Solitude with Allah

Another thing I told him I forgot is make sure at least once during the week you spend time alone with Allah. You spend all your time with creation. Make sure you pull back a little. Khalwa with Allah. Be alone with God.

Closing Supplications and Prayers

So ask Allah to bless our influencers. Alhamdulillah. May Allah use them and continue to bless them to be the bridge by which many people translate our community and our faith. Ask Allah on behalf of 4,000 children held at the border that Allah will make us true allies to these children and that Allah will unite them back with their parents. Ask Allah to help us to be aides of justice and equality. Ask Allah to help us be allies to the environment. Ask Allah to tie our hearts to Him so that we live lives really which are faith driven and purpose driven. Ask Allah to make us committed to Him more than anything else.

Ask Allah to bless those who may be suffering through anxiety or pain. May Allah cure you and bless you and heal you. We pray for our single brothers and sisters, especially those in their 30s and 40s. May Allah bless you with wonderful spouses. May Allah alleviate your loneliness with at least us as a community that can be there to help you.

Ask Allah to bless our Sheikh Fayyaz and his family. Ask Allah to bless Imam Khalid, Sister Amira, Sister Hana and everyone involved here at the IC. Ask Allah to make us a means of guidance for people in the city of New York. Ask Allah to forgive our parents who have passed away. We ask Allah to heal relationship problems that

we may have with our spouses, with our children, with our parents. Ask Allah to help those with low self-esteem, for them to find a sense of true value. We pray for our convert community. May Allah bless you, may Allah guide your family and your friends and ease your entrance into our community.