Islamic etiquette for social media: the adab of the screen

Is social media haram?

It is one of the most searched questions Muslims ask about the internet, and it deserves an honest answer: this article is not a fatwa, and we are not the people to issue one. Many scholars hold that a tool like social media is not good or bad in itself, and that what matters is how it is used — what we look at, what we say, and what it does to our time and our hearts. Circumstances differ from person to person, so for guidance on your own situation, please consult a scholar you trust.

What we can do is reflect on adab — the manners and character that Islam asks of us everywhere. Battut’s Community Covenant puts it simply: the same manners Islam asks of us in the marketplace and the masjid, it asks of us on the screen. The Covenant names four duties. Each is below, with a short reflection and the tools on Battut that can help.

Four duties of adab online

1. Lower your gaze

“Tell the believing men to lower their gaze…”

Scrolling is a form of looking, and an endless feed makes it easy to look at things we never chose to see. The Covenant frames it this way: scroll, post and interact as one who knows Allah sees you. What you would be ashamed to be seen doing has no place here. Lowering the gaze online can mean scrolling past quickly, closing the app, and choosing carefully what you follow.

On Battut: photos are screened before upload and content flagged as nudity cannot be posted. In Settings → Content Standards, “Hide Other Gender” hides posts from the other gender across your feed, search and Khawater. On any post, “Not Interested” hides it and shows you less like it. These filters are best-effort, not a guarantee — the gaze is still yours to guard.

2. Guard your tongue — and your keyboard

“Let him speak good or remain silent.”

Online, the tongue is the keyboard. A comment typed in anger can travel further and last longer than words spoken in a room. The Covenant asks for no mockery, no backbiting and no words that wound: if it is not good, leave it unwritten. A useful habit is to pause before replying and ask whether you would say the same words to the person’s face.

On Battut: you can delete your own comments, and you can edit a message you sent for 15 minutes or delete it for everyone. Short written posts called Khawater are a place for reflection — see Khawater, a halal Twitter alternative. Comment reactions such as 🙏 let you show appreciation without adding noise.

3. Conceal, do not expose

“Do not spy on one another, nor backbite one another.”

Social media rewards exposure: the screenshot of someone’s mistake, the private message made public, the rumour shared “just in case”. The Covenant asks the opposite — protect the honour and privacy of others, do not spy, do not spread sin, and do not amplify what should be hidden. Before sharing something about another person, ask whether they would want it shared.

On Battut: when you add a location, only the place name and city are shown, never a street address. If someone tags you, you can choose “Remove me”. In Messages you can turn on disappearing messages, and choose who can start a chat with you (“Everyone”, “Following” or “None”); first messages from people you don’t follow arrive as message requests.

4. Forbid the wrong

“Whoever sees an evil, let him change it with his hand…”

Seeing something harmful and scrolling past is easy. The Covenant reminds us that removing evil — even by a single tap — is an act of faith, not a betrayal of your brother or sister. Forbidding the wrong online does not mean public arguments or naming and shaming; often it means a quiet report and, where appropriate, a gentle private reminder.

On Battut: you can report a post, comment, user or message, and reports are confidential. Shariah reports about posts and comments are reviewed by volunteer Shariah Guards; reports about accounts and private messages go to the Battut team. You can also block anyone, which stops messages both ways. Read how Shariah Guard moderation works.

Guard your time and your intention

Beyond what we see and say, adab includes how we spend our hours. A few features on Battut are designed to help:

• Daily intention (Niyyah): once a day Battut asks “What brings you here today?” — Learn, Relax, Family or Discover — and gently shapes that day’s feed around your answer.
• A pause reminder: after many reels in one session, Battut asks whether it is a good moment to stop. You can choose “Keep watching” or “I’m done for now”.
• Quiet hours: pause notifications overnight in Settings → Notifications.
• Worship tools: prayer times, a Qibla compass and a dhikr counter are free at app.battut.app/worship, /qibla and /dhikr.

Adab is a shared amānah

No app can make anyone righteous, and no filter replaces a conscience. The Community Covenant is honest about this: a space stays clean only because the people in it choose to keep it clean. Every unclean thing you refuse to share, and every gentle reminder you give, is part of that.

If you want a social space built with these manners in mind, try Battut free at app.battut.app, and read the Battut guide for every setting mentioned above. You can also read why Battut is a halal Instagram alternative and why its reels are music-free.