It was terrible reading about the suicide of three sisters from Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh with social media addiction being blamed for the tragedy among other factors. There is no doubt that in the digital age, it is virtually impossible for anyone, from kids to elderly citizens, to survive and be aware without the help of social media and digital tools. In the case of minors, however, parents and elders should make a strenuous effort to maintain a vigil on them and make sure they are not wrongly influenced by the huge range of content now freely available on media platforms. If monitoring is not done and kids are not told what they should not view, there is every possibility of social media turning out to be a BANE rather than a BOON for them.
Ahmed Kabir
Bengaluru, Karnataka
A Gentle Reminder to My Dear Friends!
Allah has revealed only one Qur’an for this Ummah. Therefore, when we speak, it would be more appropriate to refine our phrasing as follows:
Instead of saying, “We have three Qur’ans in our house,” it is better to say, “We have three copies of the Qur’an in our house.”
Instead of saying, “I have finished three Qur’ans,” it is better to say, “I have completed the recitation of the Qur’an three times.”
May Allah grant us the grace to honour His Holy Book in the most beautiful and accurate way.
Prof. Abdul Maliq
Former Principal and HoD of Arabic
The New College, Chennai
Ban the Use of ’786’ instead of ‘BismillahirRahmanir Rahim’
Some Muslims write ‘786’ instead of ‘BismillahirRahmanir Rahim’’(Tasmiah) while they begin writing anything. The use of ‘786’ distorts the Qur’anic verse BismillahirRahmanir Rahim(27:30).
When Prophet Sulaiman wrote a letter to Bilquis, the Queen of Saba, he first began writing it with BismillahirRahmanir Rahim’ meaning “In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.” (The Qur’an 27:30) Each Surah save Surah Taubahbegins with BismillahirRahmanir Rahim. Islamically, a Muslim is, at first required to read Tasmiah, not ‘786’ when he/she begins reading the Qur’an or doing a good deed.
There are many books containing some Surahs reduced to numerical symbols to make charms and amulets, considered shirk (polytheism) as per some Sahih Hadiths. Interestingly, they start with ‘786’. Writing ‘786’ in lieu of Tasmiah or trying to distort a Qur’anic verse is considered Kufr (unbelief). Actually, it may be called an attempt similar to the attempt of the enemies of Islam who distorted the earliest Scriptures and thereby earned money. (The Qur’an 2:79, 3:78, 5:66)
Regrettably some Muslims are doing a lucrative but haram business by selling these charms and amulets. Allah has prohibited the sale of Qur’anic verses in the Qur’an: “Do not sell My revelations (Ayats) for a small price and fear Me and Me alone.”(2:41) Our revered Ulama should issue a Fatwa banning the use of ‘786’ instead of BismillahirRahmanir Rahim and the books containing the Qur’anic verses reduced to numerical symbols for making charms and amulets.
Muhammad Abdus Samad
Ambari Dhupdhara, Assam