Not Everything You Hear Should Be Repeated! The Prophet Muhammad’s Guidance on Media Literacy

Occasion of reflecting on this Hadith: 24-31 October: Global Media and Information Literacy Week

Introduction

Throughout history, enemies have exploited people’s lack of media awareness by spreading false stories to damage the reputations of religious leaders and those who stood against colonialism. Today, with social media allowing information to spread in seconds, the same danger affects our everyday lives. A false message, an unverified news story or an unfair accusation can harm individuals, families and communities.

More than fourteen centuries ago, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) offered a simple but powerful lesson that remains highly relevant today:

قال رسول الله (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم): كَفَى بِالْمَرْءِ كَذِباً أَنْ يُحَدِّثَ بِكُلِّ مَا سَمِعَ

“It is enough for a person to be considered a liar that they repeat everything they hear.” (Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 14, p. 494).

Educational Messages of the Hadith for Teenagers and Youth

1. Don’t Repeat Everything You Hear

Repeating unverified information can make you part of spreading falsehood.

Practical Challenge: Don’t repeat one unverified story today.

2. Don’t Encourage Rumour-Spreaders

Listening to gossip with interest can encourage others to spread more rumours.

Practical Challenge: Change the subject when someone starts gossiping.

3. Don’t Believe Everything You See Online

Not every post, video or message on social media is true.

Practical Challenge: Check one social media claim before believing it.

4. Learn to Check Information

Check both the source and the content before accepting information as true.

Practical Challenge: Verify one news story using a reliable source.

5. Never Trade Honesty for Anything

Truthfulness matters more than popularity, personal gain or avoiding embarrassment.

Practical Challenge: Tell the truth this week, even when it is difficult.

6. Choose Carefully What You Listen To

The people and accounts you follow influence the information you receive.

Practical Challenge: Unfollow one account that regularly spreads rumours.

7. Speak Less, Think More

Speaking carefully helps you avoid repeating false or harmful information.

Practical Challenge: This week, try to speak less and reflect more than you did in previous weeks.

8. Ask Four Questions Before Sharing

Check the source, truth, relevance to you and relevance to others before repeating information.

Practical Challenge: Ask all four questions before sharing your next news story.

9. Protect People’s Dignity

Someone’s reputation should never become a source of entertainment or jokes.

Practical Challenge: Refuse to share one humiliating joke or rumour.

10. Say “I Don’t Know”

Admitting that you do not know something is better than repeating unverified information.

Practical Challenge: Say “I don’t know” when you cannot verify a claim.

11. Correct False Information

If you discover that you have shared something false, take responsibility and correct it.

Practical Challenge: Correct one false message you have shared.

12. Stop the Online Rumour Chain

Forwarding or reposting unverified content can spread falsehood to hundreds of people. Repeating rumours can hurt people, even if you did not start them.

Practical Challenge: Verify a message before forwarding or reposting it.

13. Don’t Post in Anger

Anger can make us share things without checking the facts.

Practical Challenge: When a post makes you angry, wait ten minutes before responding or sharing it.

Educational Messages of the Hadith for Parents

14. Teach Children the Value of Honesty

Children need to understand that truthfulness is more important than personal gain or popularity.

Practical Challenge: Discuss the value of honesty with your children today.

15. Respond Kindly When Children Admit Mistakes

Forgiving honest admissions helps children learn from mistakes rather than hide the truth.

Practical Challenge: When your child admits a mistake, listen calmly and help them correct it.

16. Keep Your Home Free from Gossip and Slander

Parents should make home a place where rumours and unverified accusations are not encouraged.

Practical Challenge: Stop one conversation that involves gossip or an unverified accusation.

17. Establish a Family “Pause and Check” Rule

Family members should verify a message’s source and relevance before forwarding it to family groups.

Practical Challenge: Agree on a family rule to check messages before sharing them.

18. Encourage Direct Conversation

Misunderstandings should be resolved by speaking directly to the person involved rather than relying on hearsay.

Practical Challenge: Resolve one misunderstanding through a direct conversation.

19. Teach the Wisdom of Silence

Parents should show children that we do not need to comment on everything, especially when we lack reliable information.

Practical Challenge: Avoid commenting today on a topic you know little about.

20. Avoid Decisions Based on Rumours

Family and financial decisions should rely on verified facts, not hearsay or unsupported advice.

Practical Challenge: Verify one important piece of advice before acting on it.

21. Admit and Correct Mistakes

Correcting false information teaches children the value of honesty.

Practical Challenge: If you share false news, send a correction to the same group.

Educational Messages of the Hadith for Imams and Teachers

22. Verify Religious Narrations and Stories

Religious leaders and teachers should check the reliability of narrations, stories and extraordinary claims before sharing them.

Practical Challenge: Verify one narration or story before your next sermon or lesson.

23. Protect the Credibility of Religion

Unverified religious claims can damage public trust in religious teaching, especially among young people.

Practical Challenge: Check the evidence for every factual claim in your next presentation.

24. Avoid Spreading Political and Social Rumours

Repeating unverified claims about people or public affairs can damage reputations and increase social tension.

Practical Challenge: Do not repeat a political or social claim unless you can verify it.

25. Model Verification and Responsible Speech

Admitting that a claim cannot be verified teaches people the value of honesty and careful communication.

Practical Challenge: Explain in your next lesson why you will not repeat a claim without a reliable source.

26. Encourage Critical Thinking

Students and congregations should learn to question claims and examine the evidence before accepting information.

Practical Challenge: Ask your audience: “What is the evidence?” and “Is the source reliable?”

27. Separate Facts from Opinions

People should know the difference between proven facts and personal opinions.

Practical Challenge: Ask your audience to identify facts and opinions in one news story.

28. Teach Information Checking

Learning to check sources helps communities resist rumours and false news.

Practical Challenge: Spend five minutes showing your students or congregation how to check a message.

29. Correct False Information Responsibly

Corrections should explain the truth without unnecessarily spreading the original rumour.

Practical Challenge: Share one brief, evidence-based correction about a common misconception in your community.