The boon and conveniences brought about by technology have been phenomenal. However, there seem to be a negative correlation between technological advancement and our thoroughness and communication skills.
Save for those account bills, as postal mail is becoming obsolete, the standard of the written word and handling of emails leaves a lot to be desired.
In the era of 'snail' mail, each and every letter one received would be a treasured item that was read over and over again if not for the joy it brought, at least for the memories it would kindle between correspondents.
When it was strictly ink and paper, one would sit down and think through what he/she would be committing to paper. Without 'undo' and 'delete,' one would carefully weigh the value of each written word over its not-so-perfect substitute in order to communicate effectively and yet politely.
Today, we have SMS language and emoticons. We can 'cut' and 'paste.' We can also forward an inbox item, not to one or two but literally, to scores of recipients.
As Muslims, we cannot be helplessly nostalgic without an attempt to restore order. It is appropriate to adhere to an etiquette that is consistent with rules of our faith that govern our social interactions. Some noteworthy points below should serve as guidelines:
1. The Prophet Sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam said it is sufficient for a person to be called a liar if one repeats everything that he hears. The moral standard of a Muslim is high. Echoing everything one hears/reads, even if it is the truth, can make one a liar! Let's remember: "…If what you say about him is true, you are backbiting him, but if it is not true then you have slandered him." (Muslim)
2. “… Neither backbite one another. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would hate it (so hate backbiting)…” (49:12) Do we resist forwarding 'too juicy not to share' emails that would tantamount to backbiting? “And why did you not, when you heard it, say: 'It is not right of us to speak of this…?'” (24:16)
3. Once Umar Radhi-Allahu anhu would use the lamp with oil from the public treasury only when he was doing work of the treasury. He would extinguish it even if he had no light as soon as he finished the work of the official work of the treasury. Does your firm allow you to use corporate email service for private purposes? Do we ever consider the consequences of an email that we send or forward to others jeopardising the interests of your employer in the process albeit unwittingly?
4. The impersonal nature of the Internet gives a false sense of anonymity. For this reason, it is common that uncouth language thrives in chat-rooms, online forums and in emails. Rules of hijab are forgotten as netizens 'open up' to each other. We have to be mindful that an offence in cyberspace is neither lighter nor less serious than in actual space. “Modesty is part of faith, and faith leads to Heaven; while vulgarity is part of unfaith, and unfaith leads to Hell.” (Bukhari)
5. Attending to the amount of trivia that arrive in our inboxes proves to be a real time stealer. Do you have to read and/or respond to each and every message that we receive? Ibn Abbas Radhi-Allahu anhu narrated that Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu 'alayhi wassalaam said: "There are two blessings which many people lose: (They are) health and free time for doing good." Why do we forfeit our precious time attending to insignificant matters just like losers?
6. Chain emails that claim luck when you forward 'to seven people' while at the same time threatening 'misfortune' if you ignore them deserve nothing but a 'delete'. Does it occur to us that the best you can do to certain items in your inbox is just delete?
7. It is an obligation of everyone to treat other users with respect. Learn how to use your mail client software appropriately so that you neither cause offence nor compromise the privacy of others.
Taken from http://www.jamiat.co.za/newsletter/online_newsletter_0445.htm
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