EP 46: The Fiqh of Social Media – How to Avoid Traps of the Online World feat. Omar Usman

In this episode we’re joined by Omar Usman, author of the new book Fiqh of Social Media: Timeless Islamic Principles for Navigating the Digital Age and current Executive Director of Muslim Matters.

Having observed the evolution of social media as a tool for socialising, learning and entertainment, among other things, Omar has also identified key issues that specifically affect Muslims with respect to their Islamic education, their character and conduct, and how their use of social media can impact their overall spiritual development.

Without a doubt social media has its benefits, but if misused, can have seriously negative impacts upon a person both spiritually and mentally. Omar helps us uncover these online traps and provides practical ways to avoid them, as well as sharing important advice to those using social media for Islamic purposes.

• An introduction into Omar’s work and what he does
• The dramatic changes in how Muslims consume Islamic knowledge online and how this affects us
• The dilemma of not having access to Islamic knowledge other than online sources
• What to look out for when deciding who to take knowledge from online
• Red flags to pay attention to when observing those who ‘give Dawah’ online
• Sincere advice to online dawah personalities regarding their content and behaviour
• The sacrifices that need to be made to go ‘viral’ and the spiritual implications of this
• The dangers of speaking about issues that you’re not qualified to do so
• The delusion of vanity metrics and how they create a false sense of justification for one’s actions
• How social media’s follower culture has been designed to inflate one’s ego and the implications of this on how we learn about Islam
• Basic principles to follow when conducting one’s self on the internet
• The harsh reality of Islamic online personalities whose brand is based off putting others down
• Why not everyone’s opinions matter online
• How to overcome comparison syndrome online (e.g. from watching influencers)
• A fun rapid fire round with Shaykh Abdullah – facts you didn’t know about him!

Omar Usman works professionally as a technology consultant and is a certified project manager and leadership trainer. He is a founding member of Qalam Institute and has served in different leadership capacities with numerous local and national Islamic organizations. He is a khateeb in his local community and teaches regularly around the country on the topics of leadership, social media, and conducts public speaking training. He is also the author of the book Fiqh of Social Media.

Follow Omar on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook for more content. 

Visit the ibnabeeomar.com blog to join Omar’s exclusive newsletter and for a wide range of insightful articles and resources.

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