Muslim Influencers: Experts or Detractors?

Praise be to Allah (SWT) and Blessings on Prophet Muhammad (SAW)

O you who have committed yourselves [to Allah’s power and authority]! Why do you say what you do not do? Most obnoxious in the sight of Allah is for you to say what you do not fulfil. [As Saff, 61:1-2]

In one of our khutbah on the normalisation of falsehood, we had already talked about the infect role that influencers, the new category of falsehood peddlers, can have on our perception of events. Since the past couple of decades, we have seen Muslim influencers on digital platforms, pretending to know everything about Islam and Muslims. Some Muslim influencers have indeed allowed us to know more about the genocide in Gaza or what is happening in Palestine. But to give them credit for Islam’s message is a long stretch; we need to flex our critical thinking muscle.

Influencers can never replace Muslim scholars who have dedicated their lives to study and explain authentic texts. With the youth reading less and less, and more inclined to imbibe short-length videos on social media, it is the duty of opinion leaders, imams, da’ees and khateebs, who are influencers in their own right, to equip themselves to warn the youth of the dangers of blindly following Muslim influencers’ messages.

When it comes to da’wah, these influencers can produce thousands of contents to attract followers, if not blind followers, by millions, disseminating messages on topics which they do not master, with the main objective of gaining the maximum “likes” possible.

O you who are firmly committed to Allah! If any depraved person comes to you with [slanderous and propagandistic] information, you are or-dered [by Us] to verify it lest you [falsely] accuse people because of erroneous information and then afterward feel regretful for what you have done. [Al Hujurat, 49:6]

Their Playground: Controversy

To increase or retain the number of followers, influencers tend to feed controversy, even if they have to apologise subsequently, by focusing on topics about which they have very little understanding, such as the hijab or feminism. They do not seem to learn their lessons for they are repeating offenders, with the single aim of captivating their audience. To remain relevant, Muslim influencers curate their images and create controversies to retain the attention of their followers and other online communities who thrive on sensationalist content.

Part of this explosion of online Muslim content comes from proselytization efforts, under the cover of da’wah, as well as marketing of products based on proximity with Islam and Muslim identity. It is important to dissociate and protect the prophetic concept of da’wah from the culture of influencers.

Perverting the meaning of the Ummah

The staging of Muslim influencers distorts our conception of the community, for it needs division to remain relevant. It is easier, and perhaps more controversial (therefore more appealing) to criticise the length of a sister’s eyelashes or to demand the re-interpretation of the faith according to one’s desires, than to speak of the decimation of a militant for the Palestinian cause. These influencers could also contribute to criminalising the Resistance, in the name of popularity.

Do people need a platform according to the number of their followers?

This way of thinking has become a scourge for our community organisation. It implies that those who have a large audience should be in the limelight, to attract even more people, even if their personalities, content or behaviour are irritating, without being given any critical eye. These very people will then present themselves as leading exciting lives, offering training at astronomical cost so that everyone can benefit from their so-called 7-figure fortune. There is a fee to join their halal luxurious life – hence, a con.

Another danger is the penetration of these influencers in the halal investment field. They can influence people to invest in Muslim financial companies in exchange of halal revenues. They are not aware that some so-called “shari’ah compliant” companies, despite not being involved in the sale of alcohol or gambling, may be investing in companies such as Allianz, thus financing the genocide. Any sensible person will perceive a conflict of interest in such cases but for influencers, arms dealerships or the displacement of millions of Muslims do not represent despicable acts which are condemned by the Shari’ah.

Finally, influencers’ concern is to preserve their audience, their market and refrain from tackling sensitive topics out of fear of being boycotted. Raising awareness about Gaza, or about resistance movements will have an impact on their algorithms and their freedom to travel.

Social media has undoubtedly played a crucial role in the democratisation of media coverage in Gaza, away from traditional media, and Muslim influencers have largely contributed to the same. They often put charitable organisations to which they are affiliated forward. They have thus contributed to maintaining support to the Palestinian people, but their freedom of expression is often curbed.

Online Da’wah: A Game of Numbers

It is important to remember that da’wah is a mission of the Prophets, one adopted with patience and perseverance. The messengers’ emphasis was two-fold: spreading the message of tawheed (monotheism) and simultaneously correcting the ills in society. Allah (SWT) invites us to the same, irrespective of results. We must not forget that there exists another world outside that of influencers, the world of true struggle, activism, resistance and sacrifice in the path of Allah (SWT), which is real, and which should remain our priority and duty.

Journalists who are in the line of fire, youngsters who are in prison for the sole crime of denouncing a genocide and war criminals, and those who have raised their voices against oppressive politics in their countries are the real heroes, who unfortunately are not given much attention.

Let’s not forget that these people hate us, these platforms are not ours. They are tools of the Big Tech for vested interests and are founded on algorithms of which we have no control. They are here to promote hate in the guise of diplomacy and use their narrative to promote Zionism.

[…] Vehement hatred has already come into the open from out of their mouths, but what their hearts conceal is yet of a more serious magnitude. We have indeed made the verses [thereof] clear to you, if you would but use your reason.  [Ali ‘Imran, 3:118]

It is our duty to fight these modernist traps and online fanatics.

May Allah (SWT) help and guide us.