Navigation through ages of information 

By Aisha Nadeem 

Oshawa

There have been so many different phases in human history. Stone age, metal age, industrialist age and now is the age of information and technology. Information, all through these ages have been descended from Allah SWT to human beings through the prophets. Now when the information that was descending upon us has been completed , we are living in the age of information. 

Easy access to information: 

This is called the age of information because many resources to get information are available to us at a very low cost as well as less effort . Modern technology has made print media very cheap and fast, resources are available to everyone in many different forms. Thanks to easy access to paper and materials, finding hard copies is much easier and on top of everything Electronic media has totally changed it. Now people can gather information in no time without even having the true knowledge. 

Pros and cons: 

Now people cannot only collect the information about any topic without any real life struggle but also all types of information is available. Without knowing what is right and what is wrong, people can easily fall into the wrong information. So what should be said is that there is information leading towards the right direction and miss leading as well, both kinds of information is available. These are some of its pros and some cons. 

Filtered and non Filtered : 

Sometimes you can find the right information and sometimes you are trapped into the wrong information. People believe, its necessary to express their opinion without actual knowledge. Social media is mass producer of so called information that actually is result of one person’s ‘right to express my thoughts’.

How to judge: 

So how we can judge what we are gathering is right or wrong. The simple answer to that is check your resources. The best resources are from the true resources and that true resources can only be from Allah SWT in His book Quran and the sunnah of His prophet SAW. Another thing that we can do to check our information is, that who is saying and what is being said. If somebody who is not known for some particular knowledge, is giving you information about some very sensitive matter that means it could be that person’s opinion. The bottom line is that we need to find the difference between ‘The opinion’ and ‘The information’. We need to check who is expressing his opinion and who is presenting the information. 

Quran & sunnah: 

Islam encourages all its followers to get good useful knowledge from reliable resources. Few examples are as follows: 

In Surah tauba, Allah SWT demands us to get out of our comfort zone and struggle to gain knowledge. That also means, go to the right source of knowledge. 

“It was not necessary for the believers to go forth all together (to receive religious instruction), but why did not a party of them go forth that they may grow in religious understanding, and that they may warn their people when they return to them, so that they may avoid (erroneous attitudes)?” (9:122) 

Also mentioned in a hadith: 

‘I heard the Messenger of Allah say: “There is no one who goes out of his house in order to seek knowledge, but the angels lower their wings in approval of his action.'”[ Sunan Ibn Majah 226] 

Whenever we come across a piece of knowledge, it’s our duty to check its authenticity . 

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) said:

The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم (said, “It is enough for a man to prove himself a liar when he goes on narrating whatever he hears.” 

[Muslim].Riyad as-Salihin 1547 

Prophet SAW has taught us dua to seek refuge from unbeneficial knowledge. 

 

(O Allah, I seek refuge with You from knowledge that is of no benefit, a heart that is not humble, a supplication that is not heard and a soul that is not satisfied.)” [Sunan an-Nasa’i 5470] 

And also pray to get good beneficial knowledge. Knowledge that can be beneficial to our own self and to others as well is highly appreciated. 

(O Allah, I ask You for beneficial knowledge, goodly provision and acceptable deeds).’”[ Sunan Ibn Majah 925] 

Social media not a source of information: 

Unfortunately nowadays people go to social media for all kinds of information. But is this a proper platform where we can get the right knowledge? We must check the resources. Not all the pages found on social media are wrong, similarly not all the information posted there is right! It’s our duty to cross verify the information provided. Either it’s information or someone’s personal opinion. 

Importance of old school:

There is a saying that old is gold. And it’s more true when it comes to the books. A good book can fill in for a good friend, an advisor and a reflection mirror as well. Best thing about books is that it’s much easier to track the source and get the right knowledge. So it’s highly recommended to read a book either digital copy or hard copy, it should be a book! Conclusion: 

• There’s nothing wrong with getting information but check your resources. 
• True reliable resources are the Quran and sunnah of prophet SAW. ● Beneficial knowledge is what we should acquire. 
• It’s our moral as well as religious duty to avoid spreading the information from unreliable resources.