Some violations that sometimes occur against “Context” within social media
In The Name of Allah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy.
Allah, The Most High, said:
يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ كُونُواْ قَوَّٲمِينَ بِٱلۡقِسۡطِ شُہَدَآءَ لِلَّهِ وَلَوۡ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِكُمۡ أَوِ ٱلۡوَٲلِدَيۡنِ وَٱلۡأَقۡرَبِينَۚ إِن يَكُنۡ غَنِيًّا أَوۡ فَقِيرً۬ا فَٱللَّهُ أَوۡلَىٰ بِہِمَاۖ فَلَا تَتَّبِعُواْ ٱلۡهَوَىٰٓ أَن تَعۡدِلُواْۚ وَإِن تَلۡوُ ۥۤاْ أَوۡ تُعۡرِضُواْ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ بِمَا تَعۡمَلُونَ خَبِيرً۬ا
O you who believe! Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah; even though it be against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, be he rich or poor, Allah is a Better Protector to both (than you). So follow not the lusts (of your hearts), lest you may avoid justice, and if you distort your witness or refuse to give it, verily, Allah is Ever Well-Acquainted with what you do. [An-Nisaa. 135]
[وَإِن تَلۡوُ ۥۤاْ أَوۡ تُعۡرِضُواْ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ بِمَا تَعۡمَلُونَ خَبِيرً۬ا – and if you distort your witness or refuse to give it, verily, Allah is Ever Well-Acquainted with what you do]- meaning, Allah [Glorified be He and free is He from all imperfections] mentions two reasons that will inevitably lead to concealment of truth then He warned against them and issued a threat: the first of them is distortion and the second is to turn away from giving truthful witness. That is because when a proof that supports the truth is manifested and the one who wants to repel it finds no way of doing so, he refrains from mentioning it and thus becomes a silent devil, and sometimes he distorts it. Distortion is of two types -distorting words and meanings. Distorting words occur when one utters a word in a context in which it does not establish the truth – either adding to the word, omitting something from it, or substituting it with something else to the extent that the listener is made to believe something, whilst something else is intended, just as the Yahood [i.e. those Yahood who disbelieved in the Prophet and hated him in Madeenah] used to distort words when giving Salaam to the Prophet [i.e. saying As-Saamu Alayka (death be upon you), instead of saying Assalaamu alaykum)]. This is one type of distortion. The second type of distortion is related to meanings – distorting the wording, giving it an interpretation that is not intended by the one who uttered it and pretending not to know its unintended meaning; or dropping other meanings intended by it. Allah [The Exalted] said: [وَإِن تَلۡوُ ۥۤاْ أَوۡ تُعۡرِضُواْ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ بِمَا تَعۡمَلُونَ خَبِيرً۬ا – and if you distort your witness or refuse to give it, verily, Allah is Ever Well-Acquainted with what you do] [1]
Beware of kadhib, as it corrupts one’s ability to teach people as well as one ability to illustrate information based on how it should actually be. The liar presents what is present as something non-existent and what is non-existent as something present; misrepresents the truth as being something false and falsehood as being something true; misrepresents the good and the evil, so he corrupts his conception and knowledge, which subsequently results in his punishment. Then he portrays what is not true to the one who has been duped by him – the one who is drawn to him – and therefore corrupts his conception and knowledge.
The soul of the liar turns away from existing reality, preferring the non-existent, and falsehood. And when his conception and knowledge is corrupted, which is the basis of every wilfully chosen deed, his deeds become corrupt and marked by lies, so those deeds would emanate from him just as lies emanate from the tongue- neither benefits from his tongue nor his deeds (i.e. in relation to the specific affair). Because of this, lying serves as the foundation of immorality, as the Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be upon him] said, “Indeed, lies lead to immorality (or wickedness), and indeed, immorality (or wickedness) leads to the fire.” [Bukhaari 2606/2607]
Lies first emerge from the heart and then on the tongue, corrupting it; then they transfer to the limbs and corrupt their deeds, just as they corrupt statements of the tongue. As a result, lying prevails over his utterances, deeds, and state of affairs; corruption gets deeply ingrained in him, and its disease leads to destruction if Allah does not grant him recovery with the medication of truthfulness, which uproots the source (or basis) of the lies. This is why the basis of all deeds of the heart is truthfulness, and the basis of their opposites is lies, such as boasting, self-amazement, pride, being glad (with ungratefulness to Allah’s Favours), conceitedness, boastfulness, insolence, weakness, laziness, cowardice, disgrace, and others.
Every righteous deed, whether done privately or publicly, is founded on truthfulness. And the source of every corrupt deed, whether private or public, is lies. Allah punishes the liar by preventing him (i.e. due to his own chosen evil) from those things that will bring him well-being and benefit, while He rewards the truthful one by granting him the ability to attain the beneficial things of the worldly life and Afterlife. There is nothing comparable to truthfulness in terms of how it brings about the affairs of well-being in this life and the next, and there is nothing comparable to lying in terms of how it corrupts and harms one’s worldly and Afterlife affairs.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَكُونُوا مَعَ الصَّادِقِينَ
O you who believe! Be afraid of Allah, and be with those who are true (in words and deeds) [9:119]
هَٰذَا يَوْمُ يَنْفَعُ الصَّادِقِينَ صِدْقُهُمْ ۚ
This is a Day on which the truthful will profit from their truth. [5:119]
فَإِذَا عَزَمَ الْأَمْرُ فَلَوْ صَدَقُوا اللَّهَ لَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَهُمْ
And when the matter (preparation for Jihad) is resolved on, then if they had been true to Allah, it would have been better for them. [47:21] [2]
Shaikh Al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy upon him, said:
It is incumbent that the expression conveys the intended meaning through the appropriate terminology. Should the term be explicit or evident, the objective is achieved. However, if the term possesses dual interpretations—one valid and the other erroneous—the intended meaning must be clarified. In instances where the term suggests a flawed interpretation, it should only be employed with an explanation that mitigates any potential misunderstanding. Furthermore, if the term may mislead certain listeners into grasping an incorrect meaning, it should not be used if it is known to carry such implications, as the primary aim of communication is clarity and understanding. Conversely, if the term accurately reflects the intended meaning but some individuals remain unaware of its significance without any negligence on the speaker’s part, the responsibility lies with the listener, not the speaker”. [3]
Imam Ibn Al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy upon him, said:
The basis of Banee Adam’s misguidance stems from ‘General Terms’ and ‘Ambiguous Meanings’ (terms, meanings, statements) that can be interpreted as either truth or falsehood when not clearly defined). This issue is exacerbated when they interact with a confused mind, particularly when coupled with misguided desires and enthusiasm. Thus, seek the guidance of the One who stabilises hearts, asking Allah to strengthen your heart in His Religion and protect you from falling into this darkness”. [4]
He, may Allah have mercy upon him, also said: “If the speaker falls short in his clarification and addresses the listener with vague terms that may encompass various interpretations, and the listener remains uncertain of the intended meaning; if this arises from the speaker’s inability, the listener is given from the speaker’s inability rather than his intent. If the speaker possesses the ability and he does not do so while it is obligated to him to do so, he gives the listener from his evil intent”. [5] [end of quotes]
The violations of the aforementioned clarifications is evidently observable on social media. Certain deceivers on social media have persistently endeavored not only to detach the context of statements but also to isolate the circumstances surrounding incidents, thereby misleading both the inattentive observer and those who have not witnessed prior events that would enable them to identify and compare with current occurrences. Indeed, one must not be oblivious of the fact that context is of paramount importance in our statements and stances, which encompass the necessity of elucidating meanings, defining word connotations, providing specificity, dispelling misconceptions, rectifying erroneous interpretations, and avoiding contrived ambiguities and psychological projections. Rather than adhering to honesty, which is typically characteristic of a believer, some individuals deliberately resort to a form of communication that initially lacks clarity and necessitates further explanation. This approach misleads numerous readers, leaving them to navigate aimlessly in their quest for contextual hints to discern the intended message. Consequently, they deliberately aim to make an individual unable to determine whether the truth resides at the beginning, middle, or end of the discourse. This situation often neglects the essential function of context.
Some of the discussions prevalent on social media, along with the diverse agendas of those disseminating tweets, are so concerning that they necessitate a cautious approach, urging individuals to avoid jargon and only share tweets and retweets that they can comprehensively understand within their context. Due to deceptions and ambiguity prevalent on social media, one must engage with clarity, while consciously avoiding ambiguity and assumptions, as well as ensuring that the person’s words are timely if the topic is very controversial. Therefore, one should not allow themselves to be swayed by the ornate rhetoric of any orator to the point of overlooking the discrepancies between the discourse and its surrounding context, especially when the speaker neglects to offer concrete evidence.
We encounter individuals who tackle contentious matters regarding others, yet intentionally neglect to weave in crucial aspects such as situational nuances or contextual elements, alongside other influences like historical background when appropriate. The orator is aware that his apparent eloquence or compelling rhetoric falls short of effectively communicating the desired message, having omitted the external contexts of the dialogue and all active participants in the communicative exchange; yet, he fixates solely on the favorable assumptions held about him by the audience, even as he deceives them.
Therefore, it is crucial to acknowledge that the importance of discourse is intricately tied to the context in which it takes place. Upon encountering individuals who intentionally disregard the etiquettes of honest dialogue, we commit ourselves to disregard the utterances of anyone engaging in a controversial discussion who subsequently attributes statements to others without credible evidence. Thus, one should not permit himself to be misled or influenced by interpretations that lack context, whether through the construction of speech or the arrangement of words, unless they are substantiated by contextual evidence and the assertions or viewpoints of the individual being referenced or critiqued. In the realm of social media, the absence of context renders it impossible to elucidate ambiguities while revealing the intended meaning of statements and claims whose implications remain unclear and can only be understood through context.
Furthermore, neglecting to consider context and isolating an individual’s true circumstances invariably leads to misinterpretations of the entire discourse or its elements. This behavior has led some to deliberately sever the original meaning at the time of its inception from the meaning derived from interpretation. The quantity of retweets, the accompanying comments, or the status of the statement’s author is, in our perspective, a mere illusion when it contravenes the principles of honest discourse. No amount of propaganda, fervent appeals on behalf of their statements, or the most robust support received will blind us to the reality that the speaker has deceived, concealed, misrepresented, lied, and waged war against the accurate context.
Umm Salamah, may Allah be pleased with her, reported that Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said, “Indeed, I am only a human being and you people come to me with your disputes. And it may be that one of you can present his case more eloquently than the other and I consider him truthful, and judge in his favour. So if I ever judge and give the right of a brother to his brother, then it is a piece of hellfire and let him not take it”.
Some Benefits Derived From This Hadeeth:
The Ummah [i.e. the scholars and judges] have been commissioned to judge based on what is apparent, but the (mere) judgement of a judge cannot prohibit the lawful and allow the unlawful [i.e. because it cannot be taken if proven erroneous].
This Hadeeth contains a refutation against those who say that the Messengers possess knowledge of the unseen. This hadeeth also shows that speech can be seen to be true based on what is apparent, but it is truly falsehood concerning what is hidden within it.
This hadeeth shows that the one who receives a judgement in his favour is more aware than every other person as to whether he is entitled to it or whether he is a falsifier. So, he takes it if he is entitled to it or leaves it if he is a falsifier because, in reality, a judgement cannot change an affair from what it was in origin [i.e. the original truth in the affair before its distortion or concealment].
This hadeeth shows the sinfulness of the one who argues based on falsehood until he receives what he wants publicly, whilst he is upon falsehood.
In this hadeeth is proof that a scholar can make a mistake and it is a refutation against those who say that every Mujtahid is correct. This hadeeth shows us that the Mujtahid is forgiven (when he makes a mistake).[6]
And Allah knows best
[1] An Excerpt from ‘Badaa’i At-Tafseer Al-Jaami Limaa Fassarahu Al-Imaam Ibn Al-Qayyim. 1/300-303
[2] Al-Fawaa’id’ pages 202-203
[3] Ar-Radd Alaa Al-Bakri 702-703
[4] As-Sawaa’iq Al-Mursalah 3/927
[5] As-Sawaa’iq Al-Mussalah 2/503
[6] Saheeh Al-Bukhaari -Kitaab Al-Ahkaam (Book of Judgements): Chapter 29: Hadeeth Number: 7181 with Fat’hul Baari]