by Raeesa Padia
Have you ever paused and wondered why it feels so difficult to step back from social media? Why it pulls us in, distracts us, and slowly shapes our behaviour without us even noticing? As Muslim women, we speak about wanting change, about wanting to become better Muslimahs, about longing for a heart closer to Allah, yet social media remains the place where many of us lose the very qualities we’re trying to rebuild.
This is not about the men. Today, I want to speak to us, my sisters.
Somewhere along the way, our boundaries have blurred. We open our phones with good intentions, but hours later we find ourselves in spaces that don’t reflect who we want to be. We appear in lives, accept matches, respond to invitations, or sit in boxes surrounded by men, sometimes while wearing our hijab and full Islamic attire. We forget that other Muslimahs are watching us, that young girls are observing us, and that our behavior, online or offline, teaches them what is acceptable.
The question we must ask ourselves is simple yet unsettling:
What kind of example are we setting when our hayaa (modesty) becomes compromised?
Hayaa is not old-fashioned. It is not something to be embarrassed of, nor is it a barrier to confidence. Hayaa is a crown Allah placed upon the head of every believing woman, a shield, a protection, a beauty that no filter or camera can imitate. When we lose it publicly, even unintentionally, we lose more than a moment; we lose a part of the identity Allah honoured us with.
How many deaths have shaken us? How many janaazahs have we attended? How many reminders, khutbahs, and signs have crossed our screens and eyes yet we remain stuck in our old ways? We say we want respect, dignity, spiritual growth, purity of heart and sukoon in our life… yet we don’t always take the steps that lead there.
So, we must ask ourselves with honesty:
What are we searching for on these platforms?
Validation? Recognition? Fulfillment of desires? The attention of strangers?
My sister, you deserve so much more than a fleeting comment from a man on the internet. Your worth is not measured by how many people view your livestream or how many match requests you receive. Your value came the day Allah created you. It came the day He honoured you with faith. It came the day He wrote modesty into your nature.
This is not said to judge, shame, or look down on anyone. Allah knows every struggle, every intention, every private effort we make. This is simply a reminder, for you and for myself. A gentle shake of the heart. A moment to reflect before we slip too far into a world that glorifies the very things we are meant to guard ourselves from.
We are not perfect, and we will never be. But we cannot become complacent. We cannot pretend not to know the difference between right and wrong. We cannot keep living in a way that contradicts the very change we are begging Allah for.
May Allah make our hayaa beloved to us again. May He make our online presence reflect our values, our sincerity, and our longing to please Him.
And may He make us women who inspire, not through glamour, but through dignity.
