Writing: Muhammad Saad
Today, the era that you and I are going through is the era of social media, where national and international news is constantly in front of us. Everyone's fingers are constantly playing with the screens of mobile phones and smartphones, opinions are emerging from every language, and every mind is presenting its thoughts and ideas to the world. A few years ago, thinkers, writers, and intellectuals used to be specific people, but today everyone considers themselves a thinker, and is presenting their opinions and analyses on scholarly, practical, global, religious, social, and political issues.
The pen is no longer in the hands of a specific class; now everyone has a mobile phone as a digital pen. This is seemingly a freedom, but its effects do not appear very positive. Thousands of people are expressing their views on social media in their own way, but the majority of them are unaware of consciousness, and want to impose their opinions on others without any research or investigation.
Allah Almighty, while explaining the importance of research and verification in the Quran, said: "يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِن جَاءَكُمْ فَاسِقٌ بِنَبَإٍ فَتَبَيَّنُوا" (O you who believe! If a wicked person comes to you with any news, investigate) (Surah Al-Hujurat: 6) But alas, this teaching has been forgotten today. People present hearsay as evidence, and debate it for hours, but nothing is achieved. Due to the lack of research, the difference between falsehood and truth is fading away.
This multitude of thinkers on social media has scattered the minds of the young generation; they only have superficial knowledge left. Haste and emotionalism have become common in their opinions. Giving opinions for fame and popularity has now become a fashion, whether it matches reality or not.
In the Holy Quran, Allah Almighty has repeatedly invited reflection: "أَفَلَا يَتَدَبَّرُونَ الْقُرْآنَ" (Do they not then reflect on the Quran?) (Surah Muhammad: 24) But today's human being emphasizes speaking more, not thinking. This is why the original thinking and true intellectualism have become blurred.
In the end, it can be said that social media is a field where there is a huge crowd of thinkers, but not every voice is credible. This era belongs to "speakers," and the shortage of "thinkers" is increasing. If we use this platform responsibly, and base it on research, truth, and ethics, then this same social media can become a means of a scholarly revolution, otherwise this multitude of thinkers will only create noise, but no light.
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