10:12 People have never felt…30:21 It is enough evil for…30:33 Before you open your…
Character & conductFrom the masjid's own video, Sep 3, 2025.

Think critically before you share online

ICCP

“Before you open your mouth and you say something, ask yourself, am I bringing light to the world?”

The khateeb, at 30:33

Watch the khutbahFamily kit
In one sentence

Muslims must cultivate critical, spiritually grounded media habits by resisting algorithms and consumer culture, verifying information, and aligning their virtual behavior with Islamic ethics.

The khutbah in 6 steps

  1. Social media is pervasive, requiring adab and awareness beyond simple halal-or-haram rules.
  2. Consumer culture, algorithms, and popular media shape desires, identity, attention, and assumptions.
  3. Islam encourages independent thinking, conscious imitation, and preservation of the intellect.
  4. Children imitate their surroundings, so families and mosques should cultivate compassionate, welcoming environments.
  5. The story of Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr and Uthman shows how rage and group influence can mislead good people.
  6. Listeners are urged to verify information, examine their online persona, and return to foundational Islamic learning.
Try this week
Put down social media when endless scrolling becomes a dopamine-seeking habit.
Verify information before repeating, reposting, or sharing it.
Ask whether your words and posts bring light or darkness.
Compare your online behavior with your in-person Islamic character.
Bring children into the mosque early and help them build a positive connection.
Return to foundational Islamic learning through organized classes and programs.
Sources the khateeb cited
Surah 17Hearing, sight, and the heart will be held accountable.
Sahih MuslimIslam began as something strange and may return to being strange.
Quotes

In the khateeb's words

“People have never felt more alone than they do right now.”
ICCP · Potomac, MD
Play from 10:12
“It is enough evil for a person to repeat everything that he hears, everything that she hears.”
ICCP · Potomac, MD
Play from 30:21
“Before you open your mouth and you say something, ask yourself, am I bringing light to the world? Or am I a force for darkness?”
ICCP · Potomac, MD
Play from 30:33
Talk about it at home

For the dinner table

The khutbah reminded us that social media can connect us while also shaping our attention, desires, and sense of reality. Islam asks us to protect our minds, think independently, and verify what we hear before repeating or sharing it. We should try to be the same honest, responsible people online that we are in person. Children learn by imitating the adults around them, so families and mosques should make room for kindness, play, learning, and belonging. This summer is a good time to return to the basics of faith and build a more organized understanding of Islam.

  1. How can we tell whether something online is helping us or controlling our attention?
  2. What is one good quality you have learned by watching someone else?
  3. What should we do before sharing a surprising story or video?
Where it was given

The masjid

Islamic Community Center of Potomac10601 River Rd, Potomac, MD 20854Jumu'ah Adhan 1:15 PMArchiveAll khutbahs at ICCP96 khutbahs
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