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Mar 01, 2016
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Islamic Preacher Wajdi Akkari: Certain Emoticons Are Forbidden to Share on WhatsApp, But Okay to Google

#5447 | 02:55
Source: Online Platforms

Saudi-based preacher Wajdi Akkari posted a video on the Internet in which he instructs followers as to which emoticons a Muslim is not allowed to share on WhatsApp. The Lebanese-born Sheikh Akkari said that the halo emoticon is haram, because the notion of angels in Islam is different than in Christianity. The various Satan emoticons are also haram, because Muslims do not know what the devil looks like. Nevertheless, Sheikh Akkari said that it was permissible to Google these emoticons in order to learn why they are forbidden. The video was posted on March 1, 2016.


Following are excerpts


Wajdi Akkari: Forbidden emoticons... The face with the halo - when someone wants to share their innocence or say: "I'm a good boy," they send that yellow smiley face with a halo. No! That halo representts, in Christianity, an angelic type of character. It is supposed to be for the angels. That means that it is a concept of "I am good as an angel." In Islam... Do we believe that angels in Islam are like the angels in Christianity, which we have seen in their idols and statues? Absolutely not. So you cannot be sending the one with the halo, let alone any one with the devil.


There are many [emoticons] that are devilish - the red devil and stuff like that. We don't know what Satan and the devil look like. Therefore, we are not allowed to draw him. Some people make videos, or different things, trying to symbolize or materialize the appearance of the devil. We don't have the right in Islam to do this. We don't know what he looks like. It is from the knowledge of the unseen. So these emoticons that are devilish in their nature are not allowed, even if you are trying to say that you are being a bad boy or a bad girl.


This one - many people send it as a prayer, and this is, again, used among Buddhists and Christians. Christians usually kneel on their knees, and they make this particular form to supplicate, to ask God. In Islam, how do you make du'a?You have your hands facing heaven like this: We don't have... We never make du'a like this. Maybe they do it in karate or something too. So this particular emoticon is not allowed. Because it resembles... Don't believe me. Google these things.


These are among the things which it is halal to Google. Google it. Go look it up, and find the explanation - which I did, on your behalf.


The same goes for this one. You saw that one coming... Do you know this one? This is also a symbol of the devil. These are the two horns of Satan. This is one of the hand symbols on WhatsApp. People don't know what it means. They just send it. They just look through all the different fingers that they have, and they just want to send anything unique, so they send this one. No, you cannot send this one.


So among all the list - of course, they have pigs and all types of stuff, and they have added the Kaaba... The Kaaba is now there, in case you haven't seen it. But anyway, to cut a long story short, you have to be selective in these emoticons. Not everything is halal to share.


[...]

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