Question :
What is the Islamic ruling on messages that are circulated via social media sites warning recipients of misfortune befalling them in case they did not send these to a particular number of people, and that they will hear good news if they did ? Also, what is the ruling on photos whose publisher claims that they are among the belongings of the Prophet (PBUH) and that if you(receiver) love him, click (like)and share with others?
The Answer :
Praise be to Allah, prayer and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah.
Sending these messages is unlawful because it is prescribing what neither Allah ,nor His Prophet has ordained, and there are no rules in Shari`ah authorizing such a thing. Similarly , it is unlawful to specify a reward or a punishment for those acts. Allah Said :” Or have they associates who have prescribed for them a religion which God has not given permission for?” {Ash-shura/21}.
Consequently ,we call on Muslims to properly understand the teachings of Islam and to stay away from anything that might tarnish its beautiful image since many of these messages are filled with myths and lies, and it is manifest lying when one tells whatever he hears.