Wait, O Aishah, for Allah loves kindness in all things.

These were the words spoken by the Messenger of Allah (salAllahu alaihy wasallam) to console his wife, Aishah (may Allah be please with her) when she got angry at a group of people who had said to him: “Assaamu alaikum” (death be upon you).

The mercy, kindness and gentleness of the Messenger of Allah (salAllahu alaihy wasallam) was the reason why people entered Islam. If it wasn’t for these, he would have put off the people around him, and they would have never taken interest in his message.

Here are some things to remember when we’re online:

1. Always speak (or type) on the side of kindness

We have hundreds of friends online, the diversity means varying opinions and posts that we won’t always agree with. While social media encourages us to engage, always keep in mind that “how” we comment is half of the message. So choose your words wisely and always side with empathy.

The Prophet (salAllahu alaihy wasallam) said:

“and (saying) a good word is also a charity.”  [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

2. Counting people’s sins doesn’t make you a saint

Never rebuke others, list their mistakes publicly and go as far as calling people names like kaafir. Determining whether someone is a kaafir (disbeliever) or a faasiq (transgressor) is not up to you. It’s up to Allah and His Messenger (salAllahu alaihy wasallam).

Having a bitter tone and behavior only pushes people away from the message. Most importantly, we have no right to judge others.

3. Trolling trolls makes you a troll

The issue sometimes is we don’t have a fundamental education in our own deen. We don’t always know that our deen makes us civil, makes us decent, makes us patient, makes us not reactionary, it gives us control over our emotion, it doesn’t let us run by our emotions, it doesn’t turn us into behind- the-scene critics concerned more with commenting than constructing.

The Messenger of Allah (salAllahu alaihy wasallam) said,

“A true believer is not involved in taunting, or frequently cursing (others) or in indecency or abusing.” [Tirmidhi]

As Muslims, never let disagreements taint your character. It is encouraged to serve the deen, be involved in dawah, help others people through Islamic values, but for that you need to learn the basics. The solution is relatively simple: Unplug every once in a while, get involved in your communities, help and serve your people in real life.

As Muslims, never let disagreements taint your character.

It is encouraged to serve the deen, be involved in dawah, help others people through Islamic values, but for that you need to learn the basics. The solution is relatively simple:

Unplug every once in a while, get involved in your communities, help and serve your people in real life.