Question :
There is a website called Facebook which has become well known and is widely used all over the world. On this website every person has their own page where they can write in and post up their pictures. Through the use of this website men and women are able to look at one another’s pictures and they often meet up through this website. Furthermore, it has also been mentioned on some of the newspapers and news reports that cases of kidnap, as well as adultery and fornication have increased directly because of this website. Now some of Ahl us-sunnah have started to use this website in the name of Da’wah. So is it permissible for us to utilize this website whilst knowing all of what has been mentioned?
Answer :
“Our Lord The Most High says in His Noble Book
“And those who do not witness falsehood, and if they pass by some evil play or evil talk, they pass by it with dignity”.
And from the meanings of to witness is to take part in or to be present for. Allah the most high says
“So whoever of you sights (the crescent on the first night of) the month (of Ramadan i.e. is present at his home), he must observe Saum (fasts) that month.”Meaning is whoever is present for and takes part
in (that month).
So it is not permissible for any Muslim who fears Allah to use this website and take part in it. Especially due to what has been mentioned from the corruption and widespread evil which is present within it from pictures and the meeting of women as well as that which takes place because of this website from illegal sexual intercourse and kidnappings and other than that from the crimes which occur. So it is not permissible to use this kind of website. And by the grace and bounty of Allah anyone can create his own forum in this time which we live in. So Ahl us-Sunnah should create their own websites and forums where there is no aiding one another upon sin and transgression but rather where the people aid each o
ther upon righteousness and piety and where the people can call to Allah to their utmost. As for taking part in these kinds of websites, even if it is thought that there is some good in it, then the evil within it is a lot worse and taking part in this website constitutes agreeing with this evil so it is not
permissible to take part in it.”
Translated by Mustafa ibn Muhammad.
Answered by Shaykh Abu ‘Amr Abdul Kareem Al Hajooree (of Yemen)