Is It Permissible To Share Islamic Knowledge via Social Media?

Answered by Shaykh Yusuf Weltch

Question 

Is it permissible to share Islamic knowledge via social media?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate

Yes, it is permissible to share Islamic knowledge via social media. This is one of the modern means of spreading knowledge and is very important. However, due to the nature of social media, consider the following advice:

Universal Message

Due to the broad reach of social media, one’s discourse, the knowledge spread, etc., must be universal. Sharing rulings or knowledge that applies only to a specific context on social media may confuse people who live in other circumstances or contexts. 

Schools of Thought

According to the Sunni mainstream (Ahl al-Sunna wa al-Jama’a), there are four valid interpretive schools of thought (madhhab).

When sharing knowledge, one should refrain from knowledge related to opinions in which there is a valid difference, or one should specifically tell the followers which school this opinion is from.

Focusing on Core Issues

One’s discourse should focus on the core issues. It is not beneficial for common Muslims to be exposed to subtle legal or theological matters. These issues are points of discussion for scholars. 

Supervision of the Scholars

Lastly, I would suggest consulting with the scholars on the specific material being shared and having a scholar in the group supervise the content and navigate the discussions. 

A common occurrence in social media is that people begin to discuss an issue and fall into argumentation. People also often start to make opinions regarding the issue even though they are not scholars with the prerequisite knowledge. 

Hope this helps

Allah knows best

[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Yusuf Weltch is a teacher of Arabic, Islamic law, and spirituality. After accepting Islam in 2008, he then completed four years at the Darul Uloom seminary in New York, where he studied Arabic and the traditional sciences. He then traveled to Tarim, Yemen, where he stayed for three years studying in Dar Al-Mustafa under some of the greatest scholars of our time, including Habib Umar Bin Hafiz, Habib Kadhim al-Saqqaf, and Shaykh Umar al-Khatib. In Tarim, Shaykh Yusuf completed the memorization of the Qur’an and studied beliefs, legal methodology, hadith methodology, Qur’anic exegesis, Islamic history, and several texts on spirituality. He joined the SeekersGuidance faculty in the summer of 2019.