29 Feb Social Media & Riyaa (Show-Off) Hosted by Fatima
Asalaam alaykum everyone!
It’s a new week, alhamdulilah and the topic on The Hub today is Riyaa (Show-off). With social media and the ease it affords us to share everything in less than a second, we are all prone to Riyaa.
There is a really thin line between showing-off and feeling thankful, and many of us cross that line everyday. We share images or updates that are solely for the purpose of showing off but use hashtags like #Alhamdulilah #Thankful #NaGod , fortunately or unfortunately there is one person who truly knows our intentions, Allah (SWT). So our secrets are safe right? Allah knows best.
Do you share your meals because you are grateful you have food to eat or because you’re having dinner at a 5 star hotel? Do you take selfies at the Kaabah because you’re in awe or because you want people to say “Masha Allah I wish I were you right now”? Do you take a supposedly innocent picture but have all your branded items peeking in the background? Were you really going out or did you dress your child up just for Facebook/Instagram updates? Did you buy that dress from that retailer so your image will be their profile picture? There are so many examples and we all have fallen into this trap at one time or the other. With social media we have become so focused on what others think of us, that we actually do not fully experience genuine moments in our lives anymore.
*At dinner*
*Takes selfie*
*Posts on Instagram*
*Checks every minute for likes and comments*
*Responds to comments* *
*Takes a few bites in between*
*Takes picture of empty plate*
*Responds to comments*
*Dinner ends*
Showing off keeps us trapped in the cycle of self-gratification and external validation. The more validation we get the more we seek. The more Facebook/Snapchat/Instagram/Twitter comments/likes/follows we get, the more we seek.
Social media is a great tool for business, leisure, networking etc, but there is an invisible line waiting to be crossed. That line takes us into the world of Riyaa, which is not only a sin, but also a cancer that begins to suck up the peace and genuine happiness in our lives.
Let’s work towards being amongst those who earn the blessings of Allah not those who think they have accumulated good deeds but end up being shamed on the day the world ceases to exist.
Do you have any personal social media stories to share? Have you ever deleted social media apps because you became too addicted? Do you catch yourself trying to live up to the expectations of your online buddies? Please share your thoughts so we can learn from eachother.
P.S : Last week we talked about the effects of hijab fashion, read about it here here and do feel free to share your thoughts.
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