Your phone is a tool

The phone in your hand is not good or bad by itself. It is a tool, like a pen or a car. Allah says: He created for you everything on earth¹. The basic rule in Islam is that useful things are halal (allowed) until clear proof says otherwise.

• Nabi ﷺ used the tools of his time for the message. Rulers would not read a letter without a seal, so he had a silver ring made to seal his letters².
• So owning a smartphone, using the internet or having social media is not haram (forbidden) in itself. The question is always: what do I use it for?

Nabi ﷺ said: whoever calls people to guidance gets a reward like those who follow it, and whoever calls to wrong carries a sin like those who follow it³. Online, one post can reach thousands.

Your time: a blessing many people lose

Nabi ﷺ said: there are two blessings that many people lose: health and free time⁴. A phone is the easiest way to lose free time without noticing.

• Allah swears by time and says every person is in loss, except those who believe, do good, and remind each other of truth and patience⁵.
• On the Day of Judgement, each person will be asked about his life and how he spent it⁶.

Rest and fun are allowed. The problem is when hours disappear and you cannot say where they went.

Late at night

Nabi ﷺ disliked sleeping before Isha and talking after it⁷. Late talk with no need makes you miss Fajr. Late-night scrolling does the same.

Simple steps that help

• Check your screen time once a week, and turn off notifications you do not need.
• Charge the phone outside your bedroom, and use a cheap alarm clock.
• Put a Quran app on your home screen, where the time-wasting apps used to be.
• Start small. Nabi ﷺ said: the deeds most loved by Allah are the ones done regularly, even if they are small⁸. Five minutes of Quran a day is a great start.

Do not let the phone take your salah

Allah says: do not let your wealth and your children distract you from remembering Allah. Whoever does that, they are the losers⁹.

• Pray on time. A video can wait. Salah has a time. See Prayer times.
• Put the phone on silent before you pray. A ringing phone in the masjid disturbs everyone.
• Phone rang during salah? Your prayer is not broken. Silence it with one small movement and carry on. See What breaks salah.
• Do not check messages in your head while praying. Nabi ﷺ once prayed in a cloak with patterns on it. After the prayer he gave it away and said it distracted me from my prayer¹⁰. A phone lighting up next to you does the same. Keep it out of sight.

The gaze online

The rules of looking do not change because the person is on a screen. Allah says: tell the believing men to lower their gaze and guard their private parts. That is purer for them¹¹. He says the same to believing women in the next ayah¹².

• Nabi ﷺ said: the zina of the eyes is looking (at what is haram)¹³. (Zina means sex outside marriage.) A look is not the same sin as the act, but it is a step on that road.
• Pornography and sexual content are haram, by agreement of all scholars, and so are sexual chats with someone you are not married to.
• A sudden look is not your fault. Nabi ﷺ was asked about a sudden look. He said: turn your eyes away¹⁴. He told Ali: do not follow one look with another. The first is for you, but the second is not¹⁵. Online: scroll past and do not go back.

Chatting between men and women who are not married or close family has its own rules. See Men and women.

If you are struggling with what you watch

Many good Muslims struggle with haram content online. If that is you, you are not alone, and you are not finished. Fighting it is itself a sign of faith.

Never lose hope

• Allah says: O My servants who have wronged themselves, do not lose hope in Allah's mercy. Allah forgives all sins¹⁶.
• Nabi ﷺ said: every child of Adam sins, and the best of those who sin are those who repent¹⁷.
• He told of a servant who sinned and said: my Lord, forgive me. Allah forgave him. He sinned again, and asked again, and Allah forgave him again, and again¹⁸. So if you fall again, repent again.

How to repent

• Stop, feel sorry, ask Allah to forgive you, and decide not to go back.
• Keep it between you and Allah. Nabi ﷺ said all of his ummah will be forgiven except those who sin and then tell people about it, after Allah had covered them¹⁹. (Asking a counselor or scholar for help is different. That is seeking a cure.)

Practical help

• Close the doors. Use a content filter and safe search, and unfollow accounts that pull you in.
• Know your weak times, often late at night, alone or bored. Keep the phone out of the bedroom, and fill empty hours with exercise, friends or a hobby.
• Pray on time. Allah says salah keeps a person away from shameful and evil things²⁰.
• Marriage and fasting. Nabi ﷺ told young men: whoever can marry should marry, because it helps lower the gaze, and whoever cannot should fast²¹.
• Get help. If it feels like you cannot stop, talk to a trusted counselor or ask your doctor. That is not weakness.

Check before you share

Allah says: O you who believe, if a wrongdoer brings you news, check it first, so you do not harm people without knowing, and then regret what you did²².

• Nabi ﷺ said: it is enough of a sin for a person to pass on everything he hears²³. Imam Muslim put it at the start of his Sahih with the words enough of a lie. Forwarding is speaking.
• About those who passed on a false story, Allah says: you thought it was a small thing, but with Allah it was serious²⁴.

Fake hadith and religious posts

Be extra careful with anything that says "Nabi ﷺ said". He said: whoever lies about me on purpose, let him take his seat in the Fire²⁵. Many famous posts have no source, or a weak one. Check the book and number in a trusted place first.

Jokes that are lies

Nabi ﷺ said: woe to the one who tells lies to make people laugh. Woe to him, woe to him²⁶. Joking is allowed. Making up stories for likes is not.

A quick check before you press share

• Is it true? Where did it come from?
• Is it useful, or will it only spread fear, anger or hurt a person?
• If you are not sure, do not share it. Nobody will be asked why they did not forward a message.

Spying and privacy

Allah says: avoid much suspicion, some suspicion is a sin. And do not spy on one another, and do not backbite one another²⁷.

• Nabi ﷺ said: beware of suspicion, it is the most false of talk. Do not look for each other's faults, and do not spy²⁸.
• Asking permission to enter a home was made a rule because of looking²⁹. A phone or a private account is like a home.

What this means online

• Do not read other people's messages, go through their phone, hack accounts or use spy apps on adults.
• Private chats are a trust. Nabi ﷺ said: when a man tells you something and then leaves, it is a trust³⁰. Sharing screenshots of a private chat breaks it.
• Cover people. Nabi ﷺ said: whoever covers a Muslim, Allah will cover him in this world and the next³¹. Do not share embarrassing photos of people, even as a joke.

Parents and children

Nabi ﷺ said: each of you is a guardian, and responsible for those in your care³². Parents watching over a young child's phone is care, not spying. Be open about it, and build trust as they grow.

Husband and wife

Checking a spouse's phone in secret usually comes from suspicion and makes things worse. If something worries you, talk about it calmly, and get help if there is a real problem.

Comments: backbiting and mocking

Typing is speaking. Every rule of the tongue applies to the keyboard. See Guarding the tongue for the full chapter.

• Backbiting: Nabi ﷺ said it is mentioning your brother in a way he would dislike. If it is true, it is backbiting. If it is false, it is slander, which is worse³³. A group chat or a comment is the same.
• Mocking: Allah says: let no people mock another people, they may be better than them, and do not call each other bad names³⁴. Memes that mock a person's looks or accent fall here.
• Insults: Nabi ﷺ said: insulting a Muslim is a sin³⁵.
• The golden rule: whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him say good or stay quiet³⁶.

A person can say one word without thinking about it, and it raises him high with Allah, or it throws him down³⁷. A comment takes five seconds and can stay online for years.

• Arguing: you do not have to reply to every comment. Walking away is often best.
• Warning people is different. Warning people about a real scammer to protect them is allowed. Say only what is true and needed.

For more, read Is arguing online a sin in Islam?

Showing off and envy

Islam does not ask you to hide every blessing. But it warns about two diseases of the heart that social media feeds: showing off and envy.

Sharing a blessing is not always showing off

• Nabi ﷺ said: Allah loves to see the signs of His blessing on His servant³⁸. Sharing good news and thanking Allah can be fine.
• The problem is the intention. Nabi ﷺ said: whoever does deeds so people hear about them, Allah will make his real intention heard, and whoever shows off, Allah will show him up³⁹.
• Good deeds like charity and night prayer are often safer kept private. Ask: who am I posting this for?

Do not post your sins

Posting yourself doing something haram, as a joke or to look cool, is telling people about your sin after Allah covered it⁴⁰. Delete old posts like this when you can.

Envy and the comparison trap

• People post their best day. Nabi ﷺ said: when you look at someone who has more money or looks than you, also look at someone who has less⁴¹.

The evil eye

• Nabi ﷺ said: the evil eye is real⁴². So some people choose not to post their children or every blessing.
• When you see something you like, on a screen or in real life, pray for blessing for the person⁴³. Say ma sha Allah, la quwwata illa billah (what Allah wills; there is no power except with Allah)⁴⁴.
• For more, read Is the evil eye real?

Piracy and free downloads

Downloading movies, software or books free, without the owner's permission, is very common. Scholars today do not all agree on it.

What all scholars agree on

• Allah says: do not eat up each other's wealth unfairly; trade only by agreement⁴⁵.
• Allah says: fulfill your agreements⁴⁶. Nabi ﷺ said: Muslims are bound by their conditions⁴⁷. If you clicked "I agree" to terms that say do not copy, you made a promise.
• Selling pirated copies, or making money from other people's work without permission, is wrong.

Where scholars differ

• Most scholars and fiqh councils today: the right of an author, artist or company over their work is a real right, like property. Copying it without permission, even for personal use, is not allowed. They point to the ayat and hadith above, and the harm to people who live from their work.
• Some scholars: this kind of right was not known as property in classical fiqh. They allow a copy for personal use, not for selling, especially for beneficial knowledge that is hard to get or too expensive where you live.

Both views are held by real scholars. Follow a scholar you trust. Either way, many free and legal options exist, and many Islamic books and lectures are shared free on purpose.

Online gaming

Playing games is halal by default, like other kinds of fun. A game becomes a problem because of what is in it or what it does to you. The full rules on games, music and pictures are in Music, pictures and entertainment.

• No gambling. Allah calls gambling filth from the work of shaytan and says avoid it⁴⁸. Betting real money on games, matches or online casinos is haram.
• Loot boxes and paid spins (paying real money for a random prize): many scholars today warn that they are close to gambling. Others see them as buying an item. If you are unsure, it is safer to stay away.
• Watch the content. Nudity, or mocking Allah or religion, is not okay.
• Watch your mouth in voice chat. Swearing and insults are still sins⁴⁹.
• Watch the clock. A game that takes your salah, sleep, studies or family time has become harmful.

Earning money online

Working online is halal work, like any other. Nabi ﷺ said: no one has eaten better food than what he earned with his own hands⁵⁰. Allah says: after the prayer, go out and seek Allah's bounty⁵¹.

Halal ways to earn

• Freelancing (design, writing, coding, translating), teaching and tutoring.
• Selling real, halal products, and making useful, halal content.

What to stay away from

• Cheating. Nabi ﷺ said: whoever cheats us is not one of us⁵². Fake reviews, fake followers, lying about a product and scams are all cheating.
• Selling or promoting haram things: alcohol, gambling sites, adult content.
• Interest (riba) in any form.

Dropshipping

Nabi ﷺ said: do not sell what you do not have⁵³. So with dropshipping (selling an item you have not bought yet), many scholars say buy the item first, or work as the supplier's agent for a fee. Ask a scholar you trust.

Crypto, trading and investing

Scholars today differ on cryptocurrency and many kinds of online trading. This guide does not rule on them. For riba, debt and investing, see Islamic finance. Be very careful with anything that promises fast, easy money.

The best uses of your phone

The same phone can fill your life with good.

• The Quran. Read and listen every day. Nabi ﷺ said: the best of you are those who learn the Quran and teach it⁵⁴. Start at the Quran.
• Learning. Nabi ﷺ said: whoever takes a path to seek knowledge, Allah makes easy for him a path to Jannah⁵⁵.
• Dua and dhikr. Keep your morning and evening duas close. See Duas.
• Family ties. Nabi ﷺ said: whoever wants his provision increased and his life made longer, let him keep ties with his relatives⁵⁶. A short call to a relative is worship.
• Sharing good. Nabi ﷺ said: pass on from me, even one ayah⁵⁷. When a person dies, one of the good deeds that keeps going is knowledge that benefits people⁵⁸. A true, useful post can keep giving reward.

And sometimes the best use of your phone is to put it down, with your spouse, your children and your guests.

Common questions

Is it haram to have Instagram, TikTok or other social media?

No. Having an account is not haram. What you watch, what you post and how much time it takes are what count. If an app keeps pulling you to haram or away from salah, limit it or delete it.

Can I read the Quran on my phone without wudu?

Many scholars today allow it, because a phone is not a printed mushaf (a copy of the Quran), even when the Quran is on the screen. Being in wudu is still better. A person who needs ghusl has extra rules: see Ghusl and Wudu.

I forwarded a hadith and later found out it was fake. What do I do?

You are not sinful for an honest mistake. Delete it if you can, and tell the group it was not authentic. Next time, check the source first⁵⁹.

My friends share jokes about other people in our group chat. Do I have to leave?

Do not join in. If you can, change the subject or say kindly that it is not right. If the chat is mostly backbiting and mocking, leaving it or muting it protects you.

I watched something haram again after I repented. Is my repentance fake?

No. Repent again. Allah forgave the servant who kept coming back to Him⁶⁰. Keep closing the doors that lead you back, and get help if you need it.