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Bismillāh ar-Raḥmān ar-Raḥīm. Alhamdulillāhi Rabbil-‘Alameen. Wa salātu wa salāmum ‘alā ashrafil anbiyā’ wal mursalin. Muḥammadur Rasūlullāh ṣallallahu ‘alayhi wa ‘ala alihi wa sahbihis-salam. Tasliman kathīran kathīran. My brothers and sisters, today one of the most dominant phenomena in the world is social media. And if you think about it, the simplest description of social media is a place where people voluntarily share information about themselves—ranging from opinions to the most intimate personal details—of themselves and their lives. Literally, from minute to minute, moment to moment. This information is shared voluntarily, free of cost. Nobody pays them to do it by themselves. This information is shared on a public platform. That’s the input side of it. The output side of it is that people who own those platforms are then at liberty to use your data any way they please: legitimate ways, illegitimate ways, good ways, bad ways, any way. They are free to use that data in any way they please. As a result of which, they make humongous amounts of money—which they do not share with you—even though the reason they are able to make that money is only one reason. And that reason is that you shared your data on that platform free of cost. Right? It sounds like a completely insane thing to say. Because the obvious logical thing is: why would you give something that you own, which obviously has commercial value, because if it had no commercial value, then somebody else would not be able to make money out of it? But we know they make money out of it. And they make unbelievable amounts of money out of it. So, why would you share something which you have, which is of value to you, and which is in itself valuable—why would you give it away free? To someone you don’t even know? I can understand if I have something which is of, you know, commercial value, monetary value, and I give it to my brother, I give it to my sister, I give it to my friend; it’s okay, understandable—you know, you want to help your friend. But why would I give it to a complete stranger I’ve never seen, probably will never see in my life? For that stranger to use that thing which I have given, in any way they like—at great benefit to themselves—and that benefit is not shared with me? I can understand if I’m selling my stuff, for better or worse; that is understandable, right? Somebody is paying, even if they are paying me practically nothing, somebody is giving me 10 cents for something, okay, I’m getting 10 cents. But this is free. This is the most benign description of social media. I’m open to correction. The most benign description of social media is what I’ve just given you. Now, there are obviously more non-benign, more malignant descriptions of social media, of what is done with your information. The most benign use of it is: it is used to generate ads, advertisements. It is sold to producers of goods and services for them to be able to create targeted ads at you, because you said, you are interested in something. Right? That’s the most benign, most—within quotes—harmless, if I can use the word, use of that data. So, for example, I’ve given data; my data is showing that I’m interested in, say, food of a particular kind. I’m interested in South Indian vegetarian food. How do they know that? Because before I ate my dosa this morning, I took a picture of this dosa and I posted it on Instagram. Now, why would anybody, anyone be interested in my dosa? I don’t ask that question. Nobody asked the question. But this is almost standard now. Before you eat the food, you don’t say Bismillāh ar-Raḥmān ar-Raḥīm. You don’t—you don’t say Allāh Subḥānahū wa Ta’ālā. You take a picture of the food and you post it on social media. Why is anyone even interested in what you eat? But you post it. So now what happens is: now they know that so-and-so likes this kind of food. So now I get ads from restaurants which are selling that food, or from people, you know, ready-made dosa batter, or whatever. Right? So it comes to this. And so also for everything else. I’m interested in watches, I get advertisements for watches. I’m interested in cars, I get ads for cars. Whatever. Most benign use of this. Less benign uses of this information—my personal information, which I have given—would be to send me information which steers my mind towards a certain way of thinking. For example, if I express interest, either by posting my own information, or my own opinions, or by clicking something which is already there and I like it, or I put a thumbs-up sign on it, or a heart on it, or something. So I’m saying, okay, I like this kind of information. So if I say I like information, or I’m interested in information about, say, what is happening in Iran in the war, or in the funeral of Ayatollah Khomeini which is going on, then I will get more—and more information about that. Right? More clips, and more videos, and more opinions, and more pictures—you know. Similarly, if I say I’m interested in the 250th anniversary of American independence, then I will get all of that stuff. Whichever I express interest in, I get this. So my mind is steered towards that. So now I develop an opinion which is pro or anti, whatever I have been selecting. This is how elections are influenced; this is how you know candidates are built up or destroyed, and so on, so on. And there are more malignant ways in which this is used. The key thing is that all this information—if somebody using spyware or surveillanceware were able to get this or extract this information from you—it would be completely and totally illegal. Right? In theory, you could sue them. In theory they would—they would go to jail because they have taken your information, which is your private information. And they have taken that information and they are using it for their benefit. So this would be something which would be illegal. It would be something which is—you know—which is potentially, they are culpable. But when you volunteer that information voluntarily, when you are giving them that information, then it’s completely legal. They can do whatever they want with it. That’s what is happening. This is what social media is, and this is the basis on which these enormous empires are built, which today we know that these social media empires literally influence how we eat, what we see, what we—what we—you know, how we vote, who we vote for, and how we run the country. So all of this is influenced by this voluntary for us. And the reason I’m saying all this is that none of this is necessary. None of this needs to happen. And always the question is: what so what if I don’t do it, everybody else is doing it? That’s not the point. The point is that each one must do what is right. Right? You don’t share your data; let somebody else do it. That’s up to them. But why must your data be part of that? So that is the key thing: what do I do? Now for that, one of—the—I was reading the other day, there’s a kind of philosophy called Stoic philosophy. And the great Stoics of the world, these are people who lived—you know—sometimes more than 2000 years ago. Seneca, for example, of the Romans; or Epictetus of Greeks; or even Marcus Aurelius. Amazing. To be a Roman emperor and to be a Stoic is like two completely opposite things. You know, the Roman emperors were not like this. But these were people who thought about life and who came up with some very extremely powerful and very useful principles. And when I tell you what they are, they’re very very similar to what you know we talk in Islam. Now they have five principles that the Stoics said. And they said these five things must alw
Keep certain matters private; they must not be shared with anyone. This is the first principle: safeguard your innermost anxieties and doubts. Do not talk about them. In today’s social media culture, this is often the very first thing people discuss. However, voicing intimate struggles can undermine your own resilience. At the end of the day, whatever doubt, anxiety, or fear you possess, who will take it away? It is not external forces that resolve these issues; it is your own struggle. By telling others about these things, you sabotage your own journey toward overcoming them.
Now, I am not saying you should never speak to a specific person for a valid reason. For instance, if you have a doubt regarding religious knowledge, seek clarification from someone knowledgeable. If something is bothering you, consult a counselor. Speak with a close friend, spouse, or any trusted individual with whom you share a deep relationship where such conversation is appropriate. Yes, seeking help in these specific instances is legitimate and necessary. But generally speaking, do not broadcast your doubts. Including topics like current events, politics, economic collapse fears, and global uncertainties—discussing all of this only raises your anxiety levels without offering any real benefit. Therefore, the first rule is to safeguard your innermost anxieties and doubts. Avoid sharing intimate struggles to preserve your resilience.
Number two: keep your health conditions confidential. You must tell your doctor by all means, obviously. But do not tell anyone else. Do not talk about bodily functions or your medical history outside of professional care. Preserve your own dignity. Why would you tell people about your ailments when they cannot possibly help? “I have this problem, so what shall I do?” They will simply say, “If I were your doctor, that would be fine,” but no one else can offer genuine solutions. Do not talk about your health conditions; it preserves your dignity.
Number three: do not talk about financial issues. Maintain secrecy regarding your financial status. True self-worth stems from within, not from material assets. Do not discuss how much money you have, what property you own, or how many cars you drive. Keep your financial details private; that is nobody else’s business. People love to boast about wealth. Practically zero individuals genuinely care if you are doing well financially, except perhaps your own parents. If you are struggling, most people will merely feel pity on you. That pity becomes a subject of conversation between them, turning into gossip. If you are successful, they will be jealous of you. Either way, you become a topic for their discussion. One or two things happen: either they pity you or they envy you. Very few are genuinely happy for your success unless it is your family. Nobody truly cares about your net worth. So, keep your financial status secret. That is your private affair.
Number four: protect your personal relationships. Keep those also private. Your relationship with others has nothing to do with the rest of the world. Keeping these matters private strengthens your friendships and trust. Do not air your relationship details publicly.
And the fifth principle: protect your candid self-reflections. Inner growth requires a safe space, one free from judgment. Keep your personal reflections private. This includes spiritual matters as well—your thoughts regarding Islam, your Deen, and your connection with Allah ﷻ. Keep this internal dialogue private. Once again, sharing these specific reflections with a knowledgeable individual, such as a teacher or mentor, is acceptable. But generally speaking, posting these intimate thoughts on social media is absolutely foolish. It exposes you unnecessarily.
In summary, there are five things to remember: safeguard your innermost doubts and anxieties; safeguard your own health details; safeguard your financial details; safeguard details about your relationships; and protect your candid self-reflections. These are nobody else’s business. Keep them private because otherwise, you are opening yourself to harm—literally harm, in both physical and non-physical senses. Therefore, we ask Allah ﷻ to grant us wisdom and to live a life full of dignity and self-respect. Wa sallallahu alayhi wa sallam ala alihi wa sahbihi ajma’in wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. Alhamdulillah.