Ever since the revelation of Islam, Islam has always encouraged and went along with anything that enhances the quality of life for human beings. One of the aspects that greatly enhanced the lives of human beings is technology.

Science and technology have brought both benefits and harm to mankind, though the benefits have been much greater. Just think of all the people who starved to death due to the lack of modern tools and equipment that help us today in the farming industry, or the role of computers and internet in education and communication all around the world.

Ever since its advent, Islam has encouraged its followers to seek knowledge. It is astonishing how much importance the Quran ascribes to knowledge and learning. It bids us to reflect on the creatures of God.

Just as with anything else we could use technology to our benefit or to our demise. We could use technology to increase our knowledge or awareness. The Quran believes that:

... Only those of Allah's servants having knowledge fear Him. (35:28)

 Also, giving the example of China as the farthest region or as a place of intellectual flourishing in those days, Prophet Muhammad said to his companions, "Seek knowledge even if [you have to go] to China. Surely seeking knowledge is an obligation for every Muslim." But knowledge should always be complemented by action, for "knowledge is a burden on its owner unless it is put into practice." So knowledge is light. Even when it enables us to make atomic bombs, it is not evil. Evil comes through our lack of knowledge about the true value of human lives, or when we know it but do not act accordingly.

throughout the world, Muslims embraced modern technology just as did the rest of the world, because of all the benefits it brought us, and because life in the new world is impossible without using new technology. No matter what, technology would finally get into people's lives one way or another. And when it is a matter of necessity, prohibition is senseless.

True, it might have harmed the Islamic Ummah as well, but just as other people around the world, most Muslims are using it in education, easier and faster communication, and so on and so forth. Moreover, many Muslims have actually adopted it to serve moral and ethical purposes! Smart-phone apps, channels, websites, and social networks are being made and used to help Muslims with their rituals, to allow open discussion of religious questions, to give a voice to young Muslims, and many other wonderful purposes.

These incidents made it clear, even to those scholars who had at the beginning banned new western technologies, that technology is like any other tool; it can be used for good or evil. It is up to the user to fear God and to use His gifts in a way that pleases Him.

We must embrace and master technology, and then go on to develop more beneficial ways to use it.

Today is the world of science and technology and one cannot deny the benefits it has brought to the human kind. In Islam, using of Technology in itself is permissible and technological advancement is much desirable for Muslims. However, the manner in which technology is used can make it haram. For example, it is permissible to use a mobile phone, but it is haram to use it for an illicit relationship.

The most common tool of entertainment in the world today is the television. Even the poorest of people have a television set in their homes. It is a powerful tool that can be used for both good and evil; it is highly influential and plays a major role in shaping people’s personalities and morals.

However, since its invention, the television has been used mainly as an instrument of the satan; it has been condemned completely by most Muslim scholars since it has proved more harmful than beneficial. It is only recently that Muslims have decided to use the television to propagate Islam and its teachings. As a result, it has been discovered that Muslims lack media content as compared to the disbelievers may be because their delayed start left them behind.

Originally, Muslim scholars rejected television because it enabled many forms of immorality to enter the Muslim home and corrupt it from within. The effects of this are evident in many Muslim homes today, where there is unrestricted access to television programmes with unsuitable content. However, scholars later realized the mistake of this ruling.

It is not the television itself that is evil; instead, the way it is used determines whether it is good or evil. If television is being used correctly, it can be a great means of influencing people in the right direction. Taking this into consideration, many scholars have changed their rulings regarding television.

A Muslim, however, should tread very carefully because most of what is shown on television is haram. It is best for Muslims to ensure that they tune in only to Islamic television stations and maintain a library of halal videos. Having UN-Islamic television stations in the home can prove to be too difficult a test for many Muslims and their children.

What’s more influential and powerful than television is the Internet. The most powerful tool of mass communication and globalization is the Internet. It has made an unlimited amount of information available at one’s fingertips, but unfortunately, a great amount of evil is also accessible. The Internet is perhaps the toughest tool to pass a ruling on. On one hand, so much good has come out of it: many Islamic websites exist, online universities and programmes have been initiated, and people have reverted to Islam online. In short, the benefits of the Internet are too many to count.

On the other hand, a lot of evil has spread through the Internet, the most common of which is the widespread and easily accessible pornography, and the worst of which are the misleading websites that take people away from Islam. Many websites twist the teachings of Islam to make it look evil, and this is nothing but a trap of Satan to make Muslims apostatize. Many of these misleading websites are easily accessible, causing a great test for a Muslim’s faith.

The Internet is like a minefield in which you must tread very carefully. You should fear Allah and use it only for good. If you fear that you will not be able to use it for constructive purposes, then you should not install an Internet connection in your home.

If we were to take a look around us we would notice that even toddlers are now capable of using a mobile phone. The use of mobile phones has become so widespread that almost every child owns one. Furthermore, the mobile phone has become so technologically advanced that it has the features of a computer, television, radio and phone all in one. This has been the cause of great trials for Muslims. The phone has given young Muslims access to the opposite sex and to pornography and other evils, right in the palm of their hands. It is now possible for a young man to exchange text messages with a girlfriend while he is sitting at the same table as his parents, without them even knowing.

The question that needs to be raised is whether the phone is necessary. Why does a ten-year-old or a fourteen-year-old need a mobile phone? The phone does not contain many benefits for them; in contrast, the harms and temptations greatly outweigh the benefits. It is for this reason that I hold the opinion that it is not permissible for parents to hand over a mobile phone to their young children until they are mature, strong and spiritually developed enough to resist its evil temptations and to use it only for halal purposes. If this is not considered, then parents should not be surprised to find their children in illicit relationships.

To conclude Technology is like any other tool; it can be used for good or evil. It is up to the user to fear Allah and to use His gifts in a way that pleases Him. A user who falls into error should repent and not allow the devil to overcome him or her. This is the balanced method; to completely cut Muslims off from technology would stifle the growth of Islam and any chance of Muslims becoming a rival to the West.

We must embrace and master technology, and then go on to develop more beneficial ways to use it. This will prove crucial to the development and growth of the Muslims, and it is definitely critical for the establishment of a Muslim state.