Islam Blog

I think it is impossible to be on the web and miss receiving ‘Islamic’ emails. These emails can range from, ‘Very beneficial’ to ‘Someone has a lot of free time.’ Unfortunately, most Muslims wont spare an additional brain cell before forwarding these alleged Islamic emails. By now you can probably tell I am really annoyed. Anyhow, here are a couple of questions to ask yourself before forwarding an email that you think may be Islamic:

1. Is this information authentic? : The most important question to ask. Am I passing on authentic and real Islamic information? Or, is this email just passed off in the name of Islam. You may think you are doing a very nice deed by forwarding this stuff. But, think again, what if you send wrong information? You may have just spread falsehood to a whole bunch of people. And they’ll forward it to even more people. Are you sure that you’re not sinning?

Check if the email has references from the Qur’aan and Ahadeeth. Any email that provides citations is better than an email that doesn’t. However, this still doesn’t make it authentic. So you’ll have to be careful about this issue.

2. Will this benefit my Muslim brothers and sisters? : The next question to ask is, ‘Is this going to help anyone?’ Emails that say ‘Forward this to 2 dozen people and you’ll get the love of your life’ will not even benefit you, leave out helping others. So be sure that there is some value addition. Will this educate my brothers and sisters? Will this email increase people’s interest in Islam? If your answered ‘No’ to these questions, you’re better off hitting the delete button. I know this can be subjective, but if you’re not too sure, then I feel it is better to not forward it.

3. How will non-Muslims perceive this? : If it’s on the internet, it’s for everyone to see. You can’t avoid it. Your forwards may reach a lot of non-Muslims too. Try and visualize what they might think. You don’t want them to think that Muslims are mindless idiots who forward stupid emails and waste everyone’s time. On the contrary, what if your forwarded email was so good that it actually makes non-Muslims read about Islam? That is a very powerful act of da’wah. If used smartly, forwarded emails have a lot of benefit.

4. Is this content appropriate for all ages? : Please be sure to consider this point. If your email has scenes of violence, or if it deals with adult issues, then make sure you’re forwarding it to the right group. I’ve seen a few emails that have very gruesome images. Without proper explanation, they can affect young minds. The first step is to screen your list and see that the email goes only to the right people. The second step is to make sure that you provide disclaimers. If someone can’t watch blood and scenes of violence, make sure you warn them.

5. What if I’m at the workplace? : This is an extension of point 4. But I chose to include it separately because of its importance. If you have a network of friends at work, then you should take extra care for points 2 and 3. Mainly because, you could get fired for sharing inappropriate information with co-workers. Also, you’re using company resources. Most companies would not appreciate your generous acts of da’wah at their expense. You may be comfortable sharing information with your friends outside of work. But this may not apply to your work friends. So take extra care about this.

Finally, if you receive an annoying ‘Islamic’ email, reply with a link to this article to them. If it makes them stop, that’s one spammer less in this world.