Too much screen time steals our purpose
“If something doesn't concern me, does not benefit me in this life or the hereafter, doesn't help other people, doesn't help our cause, then we turn away completely from it.”
Excessive recreational screentime is a spiritual trap that distracts Muslims, especially youth, from their God-given purpose of worship and khilafah, so they must unplug and invest their time in beneficial, obedient living.
The khutbah in 9 steps
- Junk-food analogy: mindless consumption harms the body, just as mindless screen content harms the soul
- StatsCan statistic: Canadian youth average seven hours of recreational screentime daily
- Purpose of creation: worship is broader than salah; humanity is meant to be Allah's khalifa on earth
- Quranic contrast between the heedless and believers who turn away from laghu (nonsense)
- Examples of youthful potential in early Islamic history (Ali, Zayd ibn Thabit, Mu'ad and Mu'awwid, Aisha, Asma)
- Distraction as a defining trial of the age and accountability for how youth and life are spent
- Hadith of Abdullah ibn Amr and the priority of consistent, beneficial action
- Practical call to unplug, start small, and replace screen time with Quran, learning, service, and work
- Closing dua for recently deceased community members
In the khateeb's words
“What if I told you that StatsCan released a study a couple of months ago, saying that the Canadian youth, on average, spends seven hours a day on recreational screen time.”
“If something doesn't concern me, does not benefit me in this life or the hereafter, doesn't help other people, doesn't help our cause, then we turn away completely from it.”
“Can you imagine that standing before Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and He asks you, What did you do with your youth? And you say, Oh Allah, I watched 40,000 reels.”
“This is how we enjoy our youth. By knowing more. By growing bigger. By growing wiser. By doing things of benefit to us and other people.”
For the dinner table
The khutbah reminded us that Allah created us with a purpose, not simply to eat, drink, scroll, and pass time. Worship includes prayer, but it also includes serving people, avoiding harm, learning, building useful skills, and caring for our families and communities. Too much recreational screen time can distract us from that purpose and fill our minds with things that do not benefit us. The khateeb encouraged us to start small by putting devices away for 30 minutes or an hour, reading Quran, learning, helping others, or talking with our parents. It is never too late to reset our priorities and grow through small, consistent actions.
- What is one useful thing you would like to do before reaching for your phone?
- Which person from the khutbah’s examples inspires you, and why?
- What screen-time break could our family try together this week?
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