
By: Al Haadi (updated and edited by MuslimVillage)
Source: Al Haadi
If there is a disbeliever – an outright rejector of faith – in front of us, then due to his physical presence, we will be on our guard and will not allow him to influence our mind and ways. However, there is something called the mental or hidden presence of the disbeliever.
This hidden presence takes the form of words and ideas presented via various media. It is like the whispering (waswasa) of Shaytan but in the material world.
The novels and newspaper articles or shows on the internet and television that are authored and produced by disbelievers are consumed by unwary Muslims. Such things are consumed in our free time, when our minds are relaxed and receptive. Over time, we begin to develop an indirect friendship with these authors and and producers of the content and the ideas and assumptions of disbelief can become our own.
What makes a person crave to read another novel authored by a particular author? What prompts a person to continue reading a novel or article or video clip, but finds no time for the Quran Majeed? Constantly consuming the the works and output of disbelievers destroys the desire of doing good and the inclination to Allah.
Many Muslims today will read the newspaper or articles on the internet or videos on YouTube, digest it and relate it to others without knowledge of the basic of Deen, analysis, or the slightest hint of skepticism. But when the Quran Majeed and hadeeth are presented to them, they will question, struggle, and sometimes outright reject it. Their minds and hearts have become so poisoned with darkness and fiction that they no longer wish to accept the light and truth of Islam.
We need to abandon such poisonous “friendships” or at least limit them to the extent of genuine need, so that once again we may have Muslim minds and hearts that will think and desire that which pleases Allah Most High.