Applying Knowledge Responsibly
How should we use and share what we learn?
Learn the Qur'anic principles of verifying information, not speaking without knowledge, practising what we preach, and asking qualified people, with clear guidance for sharing religious content responsibly.
Why it matters
Knowledge is power, and like any power it can help or harm. Today anyone can publish anything to thousands of people in seconds, including claims about religion.
The Qur'an and the Prophet's teaching set out principles for handling knowledge responsibly that are remarkably relevant to the age of social media.
The teaching
Verify before you act or share
'O you who have believed, if there comes to you a disobedient one with information, investigate, lest you harm a people out of ignorance and become, over what you have done, regretful' (49:6).
The verse names the real cost of unverified information: harm to people, followed by regret. Checking sources is a moral duty, not just good practice.
Do not speak without knowledge
'And do not pursue that of which you have no knowledge. Indeed, the hearing, the sight and the heart, about all those [one] will be questioned' (17:36).
This is especially serious in religion. The Prophet said: 'whoever tells a lie on me intentionally, will surely take his place in the (Hell) Fire' (Sahih al-Bukhari 3461). He also warned of a time when people would take ignorant leaders who give rulings without knowledge, and so 'go astray and will lead the people astray' (Sahih al-Bukhari 100).
Ask those who know
'So ask the people of the message if you do not know' (16:43). Recognising the limits of one's own knowledge is a sign of wisdom. For personal religious questions, Islamic teaching directs people to qualified scholars rather than to whoever is most confident online.
Practise what you preach
'O you who have believed, why do you say what you do not do? Great is hatred in the sight of Allah that you say what you do not do' (61:2–3). Knowledge that is not lived can become a form of hypocrisy.
The Prophet prayed for protection 'from the knowledge which does not benefit' (Sahih Muslim 2722). The goal of learning is benefit: to oneself, through better character, and to others.
Yet he also said: 'Convey (my teachings) to the people even if it were a single sentence' (Sahih al-Bukhari 3461). Sharing accurate knowledge, within the limits of what one truly knows, is encouraged.
From the Qur'an
Each passage shows the Arabic text, an attributed English translation, and our explanatory note, kept visually separate.
Arabic text
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓاْ إِن جَآءَكُمۡ فَاسِقُۢ بِنَبَإٖ فَتَبَيَّنُوٓاْ أَن تُصِيبُواْ قَوۡمَۢا بِجَهَٰلَةٖ فَتُصۡبِحُواْ عَلَىٰ مَا فَعَلۡتُمۡ نَٰدِمِينَ6
Translation · Saheeh International
6O you who have believed, if there comes to you a disobedient one with information, investigate, lest you harm a people out of ignorance and become, over what you have done, regretful
Explanatory note (our words, not part of the Qur'an)
Investigate information before acting on it, to avoid harming people out of ignorance.
Arabic text
وَلَا تَقۡفُ مَا لَيۡسَ لَكَ بِهِۦ عِلۡمٌۚ إِنَّ ٱلسَّمۡعَ وَٱلۡبَصَرَ وَٱلۡفُؤَادَ كُلُّ أُوْلَـٰٓئِكَ كَانَ عَنۡهُ مَسۡـُٔولٗا36
Translation · Saheeh International
36And do not pursue that of which you have no knowledge. Indeed, the hearing, the sight and the heart - about all those [one] will be questioned
Explanatory note (our words, not part of the Qur'an)
Do not follow or assert what you do not know; hearing, sight and heart carry responsibility.
Arabic text
وَمَآ أَرۡسَلۡنَا مِن قَبۡلِكَ إِلَّا رِجَالٗا نُّوحِيٓ إِلَيۡهِمۡۖ فَسۡـَٔلُوٓاْ أَهۡلَ ٱلذِّكۡرِ إِن كُنتُمۡ لَا تَعۡلَمُونَ43
Translation · Saheeh International
43And We sent not before you except men to whom We revealed [Our message]. So ask the people of the message if you do not know
Explanatory note (our words, not part of the Qur'an)
Ask people of knowledge when you do not know.
Arabic text
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ لِمَ تَقُولُونَ مَا لَا تَفۡعَلُونَ2 كَبُرَ مَقۡتًا عِندَ ٱللَّهِ أَن تَقُولُواْ مَا لَا تَفۡعَلُونَ3
Translation · Saheeh International
2O you who have believed, why do you say what you do not do
3Great is hatred in the sight of Allah that you say what you do not do
Explanatory note (our words, not part of the Qur'an)
A warning against saying what one does not do.
From the hadith
Hadith are reports of the Prophet Muhammad's words and actions. Each one below shows its collection, reference number and grading, with the authority that graded it.
Narrated `Abdullah bin `Amr:
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Convey (my teachings) to the people even if it were a single sentence, and tell others the stories of Bani Israel (which have been taught to you), for it is not sinful to do so. And whoever tells a lie on me intentionally, will surely take his place in the (Hell) Fire."
Why it matters here
Share even one verse, but never attribute falsehood to the Prophet.
Source, grading and translation details
- Collection
- Sahih al-Bukhari, no. 3461 (Book 60, Hadith 128)
- Numbering
- Muhammad Fu'ad 'Abd al-Baqi numbering, as used on sunnah.com
- Grade
- Sahih: Included in Sahih al-Bukhari, a collection accepted as authentic (sahih) by Sunni hadith scholarship
- Translation
- Muhammad Muhsin Khan (English translation as published on sunnah.com)
- Checked
- sunnah.com English dataset (offline copy in the `hadith` npm package v1.3.0): wording, number, in-book reference and grade, on 2026-10-09
- Editorial note
- Words in brackets were added by the translator.
Narrated `Abdullah bin `Amr bin Al-`As:
I heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) saying, "Allah does not take away the knowledge, by taking it away from (the hearts of) the people, but takes it away by the death of the religious learned men till when none of the (religious learned men) remains, people will take as their leaders ignorant persons who when consulted will give their verdict without knowledge. So they will go astray and will lead the people astray."
Why it matters here
The danger of rulings given without knowledge.
Source, grading and translation details
- Collection
- Sahih al-Bukhari, no. 100 (Book 3, Hadith 42)
- Numbering
- Muhammad Fu'ad 'Abd al-Baqi numbering, as used on sunnah.com
- Grade
- Sahih: Included in Sahih al-Bukhari, a collection accepted as authentic (sahih) by Sunni hadith scholarship
- Translation
- Muhammad Muhsin Khan (English translation as published on sunnah.com)
- Checked
- sunnah.com English dataset (offline copy in the `hadith` npm package v1.3.0): wording, number, in-book reference and grade, on 2026-10-09
Zaid b. Alqam reported:
O Allah, I seek refuge in You from the knowledge which does not benefit, from the heart that does not entertain the fear (of Allah), from the soul that does not feel contented and the supplication that is not responded.
Why it matters here
Seeking refuge from knowledge that does not benefit.
Source, grading and translation details
- Collection
- Sahih Muslim, no. 2722 (Book 48, Hadith 99)
- Numbering
- Muhammad Fu'ad 'Abd al-Baqi numbering, as used on sunnah.com
- Grade
- Sahih: Included in Sahih Muslim, a collection accepted as authentic (sahih) by Sunni hadith scholarship
- Translation
- Abdul Hamid Siddiqui (English translation as published on sunnah.com)
- Checked
- sunnah.com English dataset (offline copy in the `hadith` npm package v1.3.0): wording, number, in-book reference and grade, on 2026-10-09
Context and key terms
Arabic terms in this lesson (4)
'Ilm
علم
Knowledge
Knowledge gained through learning, study and experience. The Qur'an repeatedly praises those who know and reflect.
Hikmah
حكمة
Wisdom
Sound judgement: putting knowledge into practice in the right way, at the right time and with the right manner. Classical scholars gave it several related meanings.
Fatwa
فتوى
Scholarly legal opinion
A non-binding opinion given by a qualified scholar in response to a specific question. This site does not issue fatwas; personal questions should go to a qualified, trusted scholar.
Sidq
صدق
Truthfulness
Truthfulness in speech, and also consistency between what a person says, intends and does.
A five-step check before sharing religious content
1. Source: is a Qur'an reference or hadith collection and number given? 2. Grade: for hadith, is it graded sahih or hasan by a recognised scholar? 3. Context: have you read the surrounding verses or the full narration? 4. Wording: does the quotation match a reliable translation? 5. Purpose: will sharing it benefit people, or simply provoke?
This website applies the same checks to its own content, as described on the Sources and Methodology page.
Personal opinions and rulings
Discussing ideas and sharing reliable knowledge is encouraged. Issuing religious rulings (fatwas) on other people's personal situations requires qualifications that most people, including the authors of this website, do not have.
Everyday example
Illustrative story (fictional)
The forwarded message
A message arrived in Bilal's family group: an alarming claim about a product being forbidden, with a supposed hadith attached. Several relatives had already forwarded it.
Bilal searched for the hadith on Sunnah.com and found nothing matching. He searched the product claim and found it had been debunked years earlier. He posted the links politely and suggested the family check before forwarding. Next time, his aunt messaged him first to ask.
Verifying before sharing protects people and builds a culture of trust.
Activity
Scenario challenge
The confident stranger
In an online discussion, someone with many followers states a strict religious ruling about a friend's personal situation, quoting a verse without reference. Your friend is distressed.
What would you do?
Knowledge check
Answer each question to see an explanation. You can retry as many times as you like; nothing is graded.
Reflection
Try it in practice
Check before you share
- 1For one week, apply the five-step check before forwarding any religious or alarming message.
- 2When you cannot verify something, don't share it.
- 3When you learn something useful and reliable, share it with one person.
This is also available as an optional daily practice: Learn something beneficial.
Sources and further reading
Primary sources cited
- Qur'an 49:6 (Surah Al-Hujurat). Arabic: King Fahd Complex Uthmani text; translation: Saheeh International.
- Qur'an 17:36 (Surah Al-Isra). Arabic: King Fahd Complex Uthmani text; translation: Saheeh International.
- Qur'an 16:43 (Surah An-Nahl). Arabic: King Fahd Complex Uthmani text; translation: Saheeh International.
- Qur'an 61:2–3 (Surah As-Saf). Arabic: King Fahd Complex Uthmani text; translation: Saheeh International.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 3461, graded Sahih (Sahih collection). Sunnah.com (opens in a new tab)
- Sahih al-Bukhari 100, graded Sahih (Sahih collection). Sunnah.com (opens in a new tab)
- Sahih Muslim 2722, graded Sahih (Sahih collection). Sunnah.com (opens in a new tab)
Further reading
- Qur'an 49:6 in context (opens in a new tab) · Quran.com
Read with surrounding verses on social conduct.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 100 (opens in a new tab) · Sunnah.com
On the loss of knowledge.
This lesson is educational and is not a fatwa (religious ruling). For personal religious questions, please consult a qualified scholar you trust. How we source and review lessons.
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