June 2, 2021

About Share Photos in Social Media

When hijabi woman share self-photo on social media is not appropriate in terms of taqwa. Before listing the reasons for this, it is necessary to understand the true nature of the hijab.

Hijab: To cover the beauty (other than the spouse), avoid the evil eyes (glances), and protect the honor. Allah revealed this to us in the verses of the Quran.

O Prophet, tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to bring down over themselves [part] of their outer garments. That is more suitable that they will be known and not be abused. And ever is Allah Forgiving and Merciful. (Al-Ahzab : 59)

And tell the believing women to reduce [some] of their vision and guard their private parts and not expose their adornment except that which [necessarily] appears thereof and to wrap [a portion of] their headcovers over their chests and not expose their adornment [i.e., beauty] except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands' fathers, their sons, their husbands' sons, their brothers, their brothers' sons, their sisters' sons, their women, that which their right hands possess [i.e., slaves], or those male attendants having no physical desire, or children who are not yet aware of the private aspects of women. And let them not stamp their feet to make known what they conceal of their adornment. And turn to Allah in repentance, all of you, O believers, that you might succeed. (An-Nur: 31)

And women of post-menstrual age who have no desire for marriage - there is no blame upon them for putting aside their outer garments [but] not displaying adornment. But to modestly refrain [from that] is better for them. And Allah is Hearing and Knowing. (An-Nur : 60)

So, according to these measures, would a person behave in accordance with the wisdom of hijab when they post their own photo (s) on social media? Let's explain step by step:

Sharing photographs is an act that is contrary to “protection from evil eyes” which is one of the wisdom of hijab. Even though she has fulfilled her veiling completely, she can easily attract the attention of foreign men with her facial beauty and clothes. In addition, when we assume that these photographs are often the most beautiful and charming photographs of the person, they may attract more attention rather than avoid the eyes of foreign men.

Sharing photos on social media means "showing yourself to people" in a sense, and the main purpose of a hijab woman is to "cover and protect herself against the namahrams(strangers, not from family)". It is clear that these two behaviors are different from each other.

Maybe, "But we are walking around like this in streets, are we not acting in accordance with veiling at that time?" There may be questions like. However, the person is out there for a compulsory reason (education, job, etc.), but sharing photos on social media is simply arbitrary. Since the outside acts seriously and modestly with the gaze on the ground as much as possible, the veiling is appropriate.

In a hadith, the Prophet said: "Woman is a being that has to be veiled, for when she goes out the devil looks at her." (Mishkat al-Masabih 3109, In-book reference: Book 13, Hadith 30)

As it is clear from the hadith, a woman is a creature that should be veiled and should not leave the house as much as possible, the person who shares her photo on social media takes herself out of the home 24/7 and provides people with the opportunity to copy, keep, constantly look at and use their photos for different purposes. These situations can harm the wisdom in hijab for the person.

When the secret is "who causes something, is like the one who does it", it drags the person who shares his photographs into sin because he causes men to fall into haram. Allah Almighty warned us about this issue:

Whoever intercedes for a good cause will have a share [i.e., reward] therefrom; and whoever intercedes for an evil cause will have a portion [i.e., burden] therefrom. And ever is Allah, over all things, a Keeper. (An-Nur: 85)

A lady who shares her photograph gives a photograph to the hands of namahrem men that she can open and look at whenever he wants and that he will fall into sin as he looks at it, and because she initiated this, she also fell into sin.

In a hadith, the Messenger of Allah(God) said to Ali radıyallahu anh: "O 'Ali! Do not follow a look with a look, the first is for you, but the next is not for you." (Vol. 5, Book 41, Hadith 2777, Book 43, Hadith 3004)

It is wrong for men, who can look once or -if they are not afraid of Allah- twice when they see a woman outside, they can look at the photographs they share arbitrarily (without obligation) as much as they want. The person who shares self photos can also be written as a sin to her as the man looks at those photographs, since the eyes our Prophet warned Ali gave him the opportunity (for an arbitrary reason).

In addition, men have structures that are "affected by even the slightest thing" that come from their nature, and most of the men who look at these photographs generally look at them for different purposes. As evidence for these; we can only show many couples who are affected by seeing their photos online and have met and married. A lady should not and should not want to be looked at with dirty eyes and lust. Therefore, she should avoid behaviors that will cause this and lead the other person to sin and wrong.

When we think of a woman sharing a photo from the point of view of the ummah-i Muhammad, she has normalized the phenomenon of "a woman in hijab easily sharing her photos" and taking courage from many of her friends around her, or "Even she shares it, that is not such a bad thing." and in time, this ummah spreads to the men and women (currently like that) of the ummah and becomes the pawn of a movement that causes normalization and corruption of morality over time.

You may be thinking "My profile and photos are only open to my friends and not to men, so is it okay to share them?" However, social media is now on everyone's mobile phones and always open, your girlfriend's brothers, male cousins can easily see your pictures on your friend's phone and get different feelings. Even in the bus, at school or in crowded places, your photo may appear on the screen when they use social networks that are constantly accessed from the mobile phone.

There are many people who photoshopped the photos (especially the photos of women wearing hijabs) that they copied from social media and transform them into different and inappropriate photos and post them on the internet in order to make fun of religion or suggest sexuality, and there are available who make rude comments under posts. The number of people who make photos inappropriate by photoshop is quite high and legal struggles do not affect them. In fact, a woman sharing an innocent photo may one-day encounter unexpected photographs of her unexpectedly, and these inappropriate photos and comments may see by the person's parents, spouse, children, etc. can see.

There are many people who are exposed to such events. For this reason, you should not share your photos on social media in order not to allow such people and not to find yourself in such a fraud.

Maybe at this time, while everyone is sharing their most beautiful and charming photos and this situation has become normal, just to gain Allah's pleasure; In order to be a servant whom He praises to his angels; Here are the glad tidings of his Lord for a person who does not share his photographs on social media in order not to harm his veil even though his soul desires it very much:

And the reward of the Hereafter is better for those who believed and were fearing Allah. (Yusuf : 57)

O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Aware. (Al-Hujurat : 13)

And Allah will save those who feared Him by their attainment; no evil will touch them, nor will they grieve. (Az-Zumar : 61)