UAE Friday sermon warns of online threats to children’s minds

All praise is due to Allah, who has bestowed upon us children as an adornment of our lives and entrusted their minds to our care. I bear witness that there is nothing worthy of worship except Allah alone, without partner, and I bear witness that our master and Prophet Muḥammad is the servant and Messenger of Allah. O Allah, send Your peace, blessings, and grace upon him, his family, his Companions, and those who follow them.

To proceed: O servants of Allah, I advise you and myself to remain mindful of Allah Most High, who says: “O you who have believed, fear Allah. And let every soul look to what it has put forth for tomorrow.”

“O you who believe, be mindful of Allah, and let every soul consider what it has sent ahead for tomorrow” (Qurʾān 59:18).

O believers, the intellect is a tremendous blessing and a precious treasure. Through it, a person remains upright in religion and succeeds in worldly life. The minds most precious to us are those of our children. How, then, can a father or mother neglect a child’s mind and thinking, leaving the child vulnerable to someone who reaches them through a screen, video, or message; robs them of sound judgment; distorts their thinking; and changes their view of their religion and country—all while the child remains at home among the family? How many rooms have closed doors but open windows through which minds may be led astray!

We must therefore ask ourselves: Where are our children's minds, and who is shaping the thoughts of those dearest to us? Their minds are a trust, and neglecting them leads to loss and regret. Our Prophet, peace be upon himHe said: God will ask every shepherd about what he was entrusted with, whether he protected it or neglected it, even asking a man about his household.

“Allah will question every guardian about those entrusted to his care: whether he safeguarded them or neglected them, until a man is questioned about the members of his household” (Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Ḥibbān, no. 5103).

Care begins in the earliest years, when personalities are being formed, confidence is being established, and children are learning how to relate to others. What we plant today will continue to affect their lives.

O Parents: reflect upon how close your Prophet, peace and blessings be upon himHe spoke to children, instilling in their hearts and minds wisdom that would refine their conduct. He said to Ibn ʿAbbās, may Allah be pleased with them both: “  O young man, I will teach you some words: Be mindful of Allah, and He will protect you.”

“Young man, I shall teach you some words: be mindful of Allah, and He will protect you” (al-Tirmidhī, no. 2685).

Spend time with your children and make them feel your love. Understand the stages of their development and the changes in their emotions. Notice changes in their thinking and the expansion of their relationships. Speak with them, pay attention to their questions, and contain them when they make mistakes without treating them harshly. Otherwise, fear may drive them into secrecy, leaving them alone with someone who fills their emptiness, captures their awareness, and leads them into a deep sea whose waves of extremism crash against one another—layers of darkness, one upon another.

Know your children's friends and those with whom they spend their time. The Prophet, peace be upon himHe said: A man is on the religion of his friend, so let each of you look at whom he befriends.

“ A person follows the religion of his close friend, so let each of you consider whom he takes as a close friend” (Abū Dāwūd, no. 4833; al-Tirmidhī, no. 2535).

Today, such a companion may be the owner of an account on social media or a participant on an electronic gaming platform who influences your children's thoughts and conduct. Pay attention to what they watch, whom they listen to, and with whom they communicate. Protect them from exploitation and develop within them minds that think, question, and verify.

Teach them to ask: Who is speaking? Has this statement been removed from its context? Where will this idea lead me? In this way, they will not surrender their minds to those who manipulate their emotions, nor circulate everything they hear. The Prophet, peace be upon himHe said : It is enough of a sin for a person to relate everything he hears.

“It is sin sufficient for a person to relate everything he hears” (Abū Dāwūd, no. 4992).

O servants of Allah: Extremism may begin with a misleading idea that someone embellishes and reinforces until it controls its recipient, hatred within them, and drives them towards aggression. Teach your children not to be deceived by slogans. Explain to them that our tolerant religion does not justify harming others. Our Prophet, peace be upon himHe said:  The believer is neither a slanderer nor a curser, nor is he obscene or foul-mouthed.

“The believer is neither one who attacks the honor of others, nor one who habitually curses, nor one who is obscene or foul-mouthed” (al-Tirmidhī, no. 2092).

Instil within them that our upright Sacred Law permits neither treachery betray noral. The Prophet, peace be upon himHe said:  Return the trust to the one who entrusted you, and do not betray the one who betrayed you.

“ Return the trust to the one who entrusted you, and do not betray the one who betrayed you” (Abū Dāwūd, no. 3535).

Our religion neither justifies injustice nor permits the unlawful shedding of blood. The Prophet, peace be upon himI warned emphatically against this and explained the enormity of murder and the killer's regret when the victim comes on the Day of Resurrection to dispute with the killer before Allah, saying:   O Lord, ask your servant why he killed me ?

“My Lord, ask Your servant why he killed me” (Aḥmad, no. 2142).

At that moment, the extremist will confront the terrible truth: a mind led astray, a life wasted, and nothing remaining but regret and loss. Our Lord says: “ Say, [O Muhammad], ‘Shall We inform you of those who will be the greatest losers in their deeds? Those whose efforts have been wasted in this worldly life, while they thought that they were acquiring good by their deeds.’”

“Say: Shall We inform you of those who are greatest in loss through their deeds? They are those whose efforts have gone astray in the life of this world while they believe that they are doing good” (Qurʾān 18:103–104).  So consider, O you who have insight

“So take heed, O people of insight” (Qurʾān 59:2).

So, hold firmly to the words of your Lord: “O you who believe, obey Allah, obey the Messenger, and those entrusted with authority among you” (Qurʾān 4:59). I say these words of mine and seek Allah's forgiveness for myself and for you.

All praise is due to Allah alone, and may peace and blessings be upon the one after whom there is no prophet.

To proceed: O fathers and mothers, teach your children that the nation is a trust: its security is a trust, its resources are a trust, and its reputation is a trust. They must preserve these and never neglect them. Whenever the Prophet of Allah , peace and blessings be upon himAddressing his Companions, he would say: “ He who has no faithfulness has no faith, and he who has no covenant has no religion.”

“There is no faith in one who cannot be trusted, and no religion in one who does not honor a covenant” (Aḥmad, no. 12567).

Raise your children to honor their covenant with their country by embodying its values, respecting its laws, and protecting its security. A sincere believer neither betrays the country nor deceives society, nor turns employment into a means of corruption. Rather, work should become a field of excellence. Allah Most High says: “And do good as Allah has done good to you. And do not seek to cause corruption in the land. Indeed, Allah does not like corrupters.”

“Do good as Allah has been good to you, and do not seek to spread corruption upon the earth. Indeed, Allah does not love those who spread corruption” (Qurʾān 28:77).

Instill within them respect for the human dignity bestowed by Allah, who says: “ And We have certainly honored the children of Adam.”

“Indeed, We have honored the children of Adam” (Qurʾān 17:70).

They must neither oppress, attack, nor terrorize others, but treat people with good character and uphold the values ​​of tolerance and peaceful coexistence. Protect their minds through awareness and fortify them through knowledge so that those with malicious purposes cannot deceive them. Protecting one mind protects a family, and protecting the family protects the nation.

If a parent notices a disturbing change in a child or anyone nearby, or an attachment to rhetoric that incites hatred and violence, it must not be ignored. The person should be engaged with wisdom, and cooperation should be sought from the appropriate official authorities to prevent and eliminate extremism. Prevention is a shared responsibility.

Neither is a divorced parent is released from this responsibility by placing it entirely upon the other. Both remain responsible for caring for their children and protecting their minds. The Prophet, peace be upon himHe said: Each of you is a shepherd, and each of you will be held accountable for his flock.

“Each of you is a guardian, and each of you is responsible for those under your care” (al-Bukhārī and Muslim).

Cooperate in protecting your children's minds just as you cooperate in protecting their bodies, so that they may grow into a source of strength for their families, a source of good for their country, and a source of safety for others.

O Allah, send Your peace, blessings, and grace upon our master and Prophet Muḥammad, and upon all his family and Companions.

O Allah, be pleased with Abū Bakr, ʿUmar, ʿUthmān, and ʿAlī, and with all the noble Companions.

O Allah, protect our children, illuminate their minds, safeguard their hearts from deviation, and preserve their thinking from extremism. Make them a source of strength for their families, honor for their society, and goodness for their country.

O Allah, we ask You for the beginnings and conclusions of all goodness, its first and its last, its outward and its inward, and the highest ranks of Paradise.

O Allah, perpetuate the honour, victory, stability, prosperity, goodness, and well-being of the United Arab Emirates.

O Allah, protect His Highness SheikhMohamed bin Zayed, President of the State, through Your protection. Be his Helper and Supporter, and bless his life and his work.

O Allah, grant him, his deputies, his brothers the Rulers of the Emirates, and his trustworthy Crown Prince success in attaining what You love and what pleases You.

O Allah, have mercy upon Sheikh Zayed, Sheikh Rashid, and the Sheikhs of the Emirates who have passed into Your mercy, and admit them by Your grace into Your spacious Gardens.

O Allah, encompass the nation's martyrs within Your mercy and forgiveness.

O Allah, have mercy upon the Muslim men and women, the living among them and the deceased.

O Allah, grant us abundant rain and do not make us among those who despair.

O Allah, send us rain. O Allah, send us rain.

O Allah, send us rain. O servants of Allah, remember Allah, the Magnificent and Majestic, and He will remember you. Thank Him for His blessings, and He will increase you.  Establish the prayer.