Our Joys.... Do They Bring Us Closer or Drive Us Away?

We are in days of occasions: graduations, weddings, and various celebrations. It is common during these occasions for some girls to post their pictures on social media platforms, beautified and swaying. My advice here is directed first to our sisters and daughters who venerate the Sharia discourse with "Allah said and His Messenger, peace be upon him, said": Do not comment with admiration on such pictures, and do not settle for mere expressions of congratulations without advice or a reminder. When you write: "A thousand congratulations," "You look radiant," "From this to higher achievements," without any reminder that posting such pictures is inappropriate; where do you stand regarding the saying of our Prophet, peace be upon him: (Whoever among you sees an evil, let him change it with his hand; if he cannot, then with his tongue; and if he cannot, then with his heart, and that is the weakest of faith)??. Do not say to yourself: "I deny it in my heart, but I comment with these words out of courtesy." For this apparent courtesy contradicts the rejection of evil, and you are not forced into it. The least you can do is not to comment and not to be part of encouraging or normalizing this behavior. And remember the saying of the Lord of Might, Glory be to Him: (But Allah and His Messenger are more worthy that they should please Him, if they are believers). As for our daughters who post these pictures in the first place, as well as their mothers and fathers, I think we need to establish areas of shared principles with them before talking about this phenomenon in particular. Nevertheless, it must be remembered that all our sons and daughters need reinforcement, and to be made to feel their importance and dignity before Allah through obedience to Him. Many forms of illegitimate celebration are fundamentally a search by the son or daughter for attention, appreciation, or a sense of success... which is something educators often fall short in providing. So let us satisfy this need through permissible means, before they seek it in ways that do not please the Creator, Glory be to Him.