Fitrah Fading: A Call Back to Purity

Have you noticed how immorality has started looking normal to you?

How a lady dressed in clothing that only reaches her knees now appears decent to you?

How do you no longer loathe indecent relationships, although you’re not involved in any?

What could have gone wrong?

The answer isn’t far-fetched.

In this digital age, our screens have caused more havoc than we often realize. TV shows, social media feeds, and endless scrolling on Instagram or TikTok are silently reshaping our minds. It’s a well-known truth that you are what you consume.

Let’s take films as a case study.

Films are not just entertainment. They’re designed to change your orientation, your mindset, your beliefs, and the way you view life. The first time you watch a movie, your soul naturally resists certain immoral scenes. You cringe at physical contact between the opposite sex. You feel uneasy seeing a woman dressed in a tight top and trousers. You’re disturbed by scenes of someone consulting a diviner. Why? Because your fitrah recognizes these things as wrong.

But the more you watch, the less you feel that discomfort. Your heart begins to soften toward it. You no longer flinch. In fact, you start rooting for James, to propose to Jane at the supermarket. You begin to believe Adigun’s problems might just be solved if he sees the diviner down the street.

Another close case study is social media.

Those “random scrolls” aren’t as random as we think. The posts you read, the reels you watch, the influencers you follow, all contribute to shaping your values. You now feel modest with your ears showing outside your hijab because a popular Muslimah on TikTok dresses that way and says “Allah is more concerned about your heart than your dressing”. You say “Awnn Awnn” to romantic posts of your favorite YouTubers, despite their obvious disobedience to Allah. You now believe you can “slay” and still be modest.

But haven’t you read Qur’an 33:33?

“And abide in your houses and do not display yourselves as [was] the display of the former times of ignorance.…”

Where did our fitrah go?

Have we lost it all?

Dhikrullah Rosheedah Adekemi