With the recent turn of event of technology, the famous Facebook application has launched a new version called Metaverse. Metaverse is heading towards what is known as ‘virtual reality.’ Virtual reality opens the doors to the impossible. In the world of virtual reality, we are able to perform all those actions that we are unable to perform in the real world. We can visit those places that we have never been to and even visit those that are not of this world. Through virtual reality, we will be able to meet all those individuals that are far beyond the realm of even this world. We can visit shopping malls of our choices and shop for anything desirable. We will be able to do business and conduct trade. Virtual reality will allow us to travel throughout land and enjoy the beauty of many beautiful places. Additionally, virtual reality will allow us to carry out all activities that are not possible in this world.
The concept of virtual technology is being used by the West in their daily lives by many people. This article will talk about the latest version of Facebook that is ‘Metaverse’ which is the virtual world using virtual technology. This is what is taking the world by a storm.
Let’s reflect on the last many decades. From the 1900s to 2000 and up until now, if we are to look at the growth in technology, we will see that since the advent of the Internet, much has changed exponentially. The exchange of information has become easier and faster. We have witnessed more and more innovation everyday. Along with the many benefits of information exchange, we have also seen an information overload and other disadvantages of this exchange of information has been evident. Many forums and applications such as ‘YouTube, Facebook, WhatsApp’ etc have been exploited also with regards to privacy and decline in moral values.
Ever since all such platforms become available in Pakistan and used frequently, we have seen many advantages as well as have witnessed many disadvantages. Such platforms have been used as weapons to plant seeds of change and brainwashing people into moving towards the concept of individualistic religion and moving away from the pure and real religion of Islam. As our youth has grown older, they have been pushed far away from the correct ideologies and have drowned into false practices. Media has become the source of gathering people who lacked the true religious knowledge and to get ratings on programs by creating doubt and a forum of arguments and suchlike. This has led to further misguidance and disarray in the minds of audience and performers alike.
The result of such atheistic and secular thoughts, was that the idea of Allah (عَزَّوَجَلَّ) as the Creator of all things has become vague and even questionable for many with weak faith. The youth today have become the target and produce of the above. Our youth today have sadly forgotten their purpose of existence and far away from the reality of life.
As a Muslim nation, the crises that we face today is that we are ready to give a reaction, yet we are not able to suggest solutions or provide ‘rescue-management.’ We do not have a strategy that foresees problems and creates a solid rescue-plan prior to the crisis. We are not pre-emptive to issues.
If we are to talk about the latest causes of corruption, we will look at the ‘Tik Tok’ application that is widely used today. It has taken over people with such a powerful force that people are addicted to it and cannot imagine life without it. The technology of Metaverse is being brought into our lives in a similar manner. If we are to believe that it will bring us ease, there definitely will be a downside to it as well. The effects of the previous technologies seem benign as compared to the after-math of this technology that is being witnessed today. Metaverse is a huge shift as it is in of itself a technology that has caused a shift in innovation. Let’s analyze this shift further.
Experts in Information Technology invite us to imagine a loved one who has departed from this world. This person was so close to your heart that it is next to impossible for you to accept their death. Naturally, we wish to be with such an individual again whom we loved so much and they are no longer with us. We long to see them again and speak with them. This has been made possible with the advent of virtual technology and virtual reality. We can bring back the dead into a “real world” by creating their hologram and converse with them as if they were alive and in front of us. The computer is used to feed in data and details about them so much so that not only with that hologram speak to you but will also be able to dig out memories that are fed in!
In London, there is a known lab that is continuously experimenting with the virtual reality technology. They have recently come up with a similitude environment where a person can simply wear VR glasses and enter the world of virtual reality. That person can use artificial intelligence and go to the extent of even having physical relations with a person that is physically not with him whether that person is alive or not. The effect of this relation is felt in the body as well as the mind.
It should be apparent by now that this technology has potential to reach areas which have never been explored before. And I do not say this in a positive way. There can be many negative effects of this powerful tool that are bound to cause derailment in the generations to come. I will list few of the many:
Access to Sin
There are many avenues today that invite to sin and make it easy to commit. For example, music and movies invite to the impermissible. Inappropriate websites are accessible in the palm of one’s hand. Although, there is no physical interaction All of this accounts to the zina of the eyes. Through the technology of virtual technology, the body, mind and thoughts are all involved in the sin with full experience.
Imagine a young boy who has access to such an easy way to sin, is not prevented by any means to obtain the full experience and complete independence. Whatever he desires is in front of him and is dependent on to his ability to create, feel and explore. He can take this technology to as far as he has choice to. There is really no need to further explain how this technology is bound to be misused, especially by our youth today.
The Prophet of Allah ﷺ has said:
تجيء فتنة يُرقِّق بعضها بعضًا
“Trials will appear one after the other.”
(Sahih Muslim: 1844)
Not only will trial appear but they will be followed by even a greater trial. If we are to analyze what we are faced as trials and tribulations today and what we have faced in the last twenty to thirty years, it will not be wrong to say that this is the time that was being referred to in this hadith.
Indecent movies are rampant in our society today and has spread like cancer. It has crippled our generations. The trial of virtual reality technology will only be greater in destruction than this.
The television itself was a cause of corruption in the minds of many. Then came the computer and rise of Internet. Here now we face the advent of Metaverse. The person who was only involved in the zina of the eyes will now be involved in the entire experience of having an illegal and impermissible relationship with another.
A World that is Fake
This world has been created by Rabb AlAlameen. He then populated it with mankind and subjugated all resources for us. Allah (عَزَّوَجَلَّ) says:
وَيَتَفَكَّرُونَ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ رَبَّنَا مَا خَلَقْتَ هَٰذَا بَاطِلًا سُبْحَانَكَ
and give thought to the creation of the heavens and the earth, [ saying ], “Our Lord, You did not create this aimlessly; exalted are You [ above such a thing ]; then protect us from the punishment of the Fire.
[Ali-Imran: 191]
Allah (عَزَّوَجَلَّ) has created all things with a purpose. His entire creation plan practices discipline. Hence, the existence of human upon this earth also has a goal and that is to worship the Creator. After His right are the rights of the people. All of this combined makes this world a real place as we strengthen bonds with each other with relationships that have been duly defined.
To be connected to the other is a norm of every society and culture. Each of us has a responsibility upon the other. Yet, there are individuals who want to absolve themselves of all responsibility and feel they are not liable to fulfill any such roles.
If we are to see the condition of the youth today, they are lost in games such as ‘PubG’. They are unaware of their environment and also indifferent towards it. Then there are those waste their time creating Tik Tok videos and indulge in such frivolous activities.
These individualistic applications cause a person to remain in their world. We can only imagine what Metaverse will do to such people. Metaverse claims to ‘connect people,’ allowing them space to socialize. Whereas, the reality is that they are rather, disconnecting them from the real world. Connecting people on virtual reality is not the same as providing an in-person interaction by any means. All relationships are actually being broken by this so-called “connect.”
We witness four people sitting in one room today, where all of them are talking to all those followers that are on their Instagram or Facebook. Yet, they are not aware of their immediate environment. They are not communicating with each other in the very same room. What is interesting is that the person that an individual is chatting with is a person whom he has never seen nor ever met. Yet, they are “friends.” Then there is the one who is sitting with the proximity of one foot, a person with whom he may have grown up with going to school, and they two are deprived of all conversations!
Allah (عَزَّوَجَلَّ) has mentioned a principle in the Qur’an:
وَمَا الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا إِلَّا مَتَاعُ الْغُرُورِ
And what is the life of this world except the enjoyment of delusion.
[Surah Ali-Imran: 185]
Hence, this world that we live in and this life encompasses all circumstances whether it be sadness, happiness, grief, ailment, hardship, problems, wealth or fame. We individually have witnessed it all. Allah (عَزَّوَجَلَّ) in the above verse clearly states that this world temporary and a hoax. This makes the concept of virtual reality delusion within a delusion. How fake can it be? It is another quicksand in which if a person falls in, he will continue to sink in deeper.
Depression
Many of those who are addicted to social media or screen games, are the ones who misuse the technology. It is hard for them to let go of the screen even when they really want to. This lack of awareness to their environment and people becomes a means of depression. Anxiety and hopelessness fill their lives making them devoid of happiness and contentment.
A person who is involved in the life of virtual reality sees himself as happy, hearty, earning well and enjoying life in the moment that he is experiencing the life in technology. As soon as he steps out from it, the reality hits him. He sees problems around him that need resolution. There is discord amongst family and friends. His business and earning may suffer loss. All of this further leads him to a depressive state where he is unable to manage his emotions. Such a person runs back like a person who is addicted to some drug, to the life of virtual reality and lives there. This depressive state and dissatisfaction with his real life may eventually lead him to suicidal thoughts.
Not Fulfilling Responsibility
Another vice of virtual reality is that a person runs away from the responsibility he is supposed to bear. Our youth which is engulfed in frivolous activities, is negligent of their roles and responsibilities. It seems users of Instagram and Twitter have made these applications their whole sole purpose of existence. Will these people ever be able to live life to the fullest? Will they ever be able to be a part of any reform that leads to a better society and advancement?
Their example is similar to that of a man who is always asleep and lives in a dreamworld. Will such a person ever be successful in the real world? Definitely not! This is what the world of virtual reality looks like. It is a getaway from the reality of life to a fake, non-existent and phoney world.
After the above understanding, the basic questions that we need to ask ourselves as Muslims is: What should our responsibility be after having understood the above? How do we save our youth from such corruption? What is the solution to all of this? How can we protect the coming generations?
Solution One
The first and foremost solution is to connect ourselves to religion, attach ourselves to masajid (mosques), become close to Rabb AlAlameen and to hold on to the Qur’an. This is the only way that will keep us focused and our lives in the correct perspective. Our religion also sheds light the to the truth about virtual reality and of all other items available in this world for a brief period. It is the understanding of Qur’an and hadith that open up our minds to perceive that all of this is nothing but traps of shaitan. Such meaningless acts have been made beautiful and attractive for us but they keep us far away from the Heareafter.
The Prophetﷺ has said:
In the last phase of its existence the world will be afflicted with trials and with things disagreeable to you. (In this phase of the Umma), there will be tremendous trials one after the other, each making the previous one dwindle into insignificance. When they would be afflicted with a trial, the believer would say: This is going to bring about my destruction. When at (the trial) is over, they would be afflicted with another trial, and the believer would say: This surely is going to be my end. Whoever wishes to be delivered from the fire and enter the garden should die with faith in Allah and the Last Day and should treat the people as he wishes to be treated by them.
(Sahih Al Jami: 2403)
One will only be fearful of these trials if they fear for their iman. The person who fears for their faith is the one who is close to Deen. Hence, to be protected from all these trial and tribulations to come is to stay connected to religion and stay in the company of the scholar. To keep ourselves protected from all such corruption, we must adopt the way of the Prophet ﷺ, adopt the way of correct way of Islam and provide Islamic teachings to our children.
Solution Two
The second solution along with education is to provide avenues to physical activities for children. In this day and age, our children are exposed to games on mobiles and computers. All kinds of games are at their disposal. Such games offer the use of mind but compromise on physical health. Such way of life is sedentary and causes children to become lazy.
The body needs nutrition through food as well as physical activity. We have grounds available but either we do not offer sports training or we are unaware of the fact that physical training along with education is essential for our youth. Sports are a good solution and bring our youth closer to reality.
Solution Three
The third solution is to stay close to nature. Traveling to various scenic areas offers an environment that is green and beautiful is definitely a key to bring our children closer to the world around them and have them witness the creations of Allah (عَزَّوَجَلَّ). Bring them closer to nature and you will see that they will remain grounded to reality. They will drift away from the facade of the fake world with the permission of Allah (عَزَّوَجَلَّ).
My last advice to my readers which will help in staying safe from all sorts of corruption, trials and tribulations is the hadith of our beloved Prophet ﷺ which has been mentioned earlier on also. The hadith mentioned that trials will come and will make it easier for man to sin. With the advent of each new trial, the previous trial will seem smaller. The real example of this hadith was the lockdown situation faced by the world recently.
The entire world shut down, businesses were closed and people were confined inside their homes. The only thing that was available to them as an activity was their cell phones. People subtly and being unaware of how the phone is becoming their lives entered into the world of virtual reality.
Now Metaverse is being launched. As it is we are used to the phones and applications within it. This makes the transition to Metaverse even easier, hence the earlier sin seems nothing as compared to those to come.
If we are to believe our purpose in life as Muslims is to be saved from the hellfire and to obtain Jannah as the hadith of the Prophet ﷺ states:
فمَنْ أحبَّ منكم أنْ يُزَحْزَحَ عنِ النارِ ، ويَدْخُلَ الجنةَ ، فلْتَأْتِهِ منيتُهُ وهوَ يؤمِنُ باللهِ واليومِ الآخرِ
If one of you wants to be saved from the hellfire and made to enter Jannah, so he should die believing in Allah (عَزَّوَجَلَّ) and Akhira
(Sahih An Nissai: 4202)
The second thing that the Prophet ﷺ instructed to deal with people in the manner that we would like to be dealt with. These are the two things that are mentioned and are important.
Lastly and most importantly we pray to the Almighty to give us the ability to implement what we have learnt and to help us rectify our affairs. May Allah (عَزَّوَجَلَّ) give us the ability to keep ourselves protected from the trials and tribulations of the world. Aameen.
وآخر دعوانا ان الحمد للّٰہ رب العالمین
