From Machine to Meadows: Finding Balance in the Digital Age

From Machine to Meadows: Finding Balance in the Digital Age

الحمد لله وحده والصلاة والسلام على من لا نبي بعده، نبينا محمد وعلى آله وصحبه وسلم اللهم تسليماً كثيراً، أما بعد.

All praise due to Allah and His praise and blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, his family, his companions, his followers until the Day of Judgment. I bear witness that Allah is the only one worthy of worship and Muhammad ﷺ is His last and final messenger.

O you who believe, have taqwa of Allah and do not die except in the state of Islam.

Today I would like to take you from the machines to the meadow. I want to unblock you from the machines if I can and root you into nature. It's a call for each and everyone listening to my khutbah today to make this khutbah an inspiration for you, for your family, to try to connect more to nature and less to machines. To be more connected to the creation of Allah, and less to the things manufactured by humans.

The Impact of Environment on Character

Abdullah ibn Mas'ud and Abdullah ibn Abbas — may Allah be pleased with them both — narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:

(Sunan Abī Dāwūd, Hadith 2859; also reported by Imam Ahmad in his Musnad)

Whoever dwells in the desert becomes rough. And in another narration: whoever remains in the desert becomes rough. And whoever follows the hunt becomes heedless. And whoever follows the ruler becomes tempted.

This hadith is actually a talk about a fundamental issue, which is: you will always be impacted by the environment and by the things surrounding you. You will be impacted by it.

The scholars said those who live in the desert — why do they become rough? Because the desert is rough and surviving there is hard. And also your character will become rough because you don't deal with people much. You're isolated. You're far from communities. You live as an individual or in small numbers. It's all about surviving there. It's all about yourself and your survival. So it impacts how you behave. And you don't have access to knowledge, access to those who will teach you proper manners and etiquette and so forth.

A study published in the journal Environmental Psychology found that individuals who live in mountain areas, for example, often report higher levels of self-reliance and community coherence compared to those in urban settings. Coastal towns often host festivals and community events that encourage social interaction, leading to a culture of friendliness and hospitality. People in rural areas — like those who live in the countryside — may prioritize family and community ties, often participating in local farming or cooperative activities that emphasize cooperation. They also have a greater appreciation of nature, which can lead to more environmentally conscious behavior. Living in desert environments requires individuals to adapt to extreme conditions, fostering traits such as adaptability, resourcefulness, and a strong sense of survival. And all of this impacts how you behave.

The Influence of Animals on Human Behavior

There is evidence to suggest that the characteristics and behavior of animals can also influence the personality and behavior of people who spend significant time around those animals. And we know that in the desert, people are around camels a lot. Camels have certain characteristics, and scholars said that is one of the reasons why desert-dwellers can become so tough — like camels.

For example, a study found that dog owners often exhibit increased levels of social interaction and community involvement, reflecting the social nature of dogs. Studies also show that those who spend a good amount of time around horses display high self-esteem, because they adopt something from how horses carry themselves — they build strength and personal growth. Research published in the Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science found that cat owners often report lower levels of stress and anxiety, but also display higher levels of laziness and less activity.

In conclusion, the characteristics and behavior of animals can indeed reflect on the personality and behaviors of the people who spend time with them. And these studies are not new to us in our heritage as Muslims — many scholars spoke about why in Islam we are not allowed to spend more time with certain animals, and why we have been encouraged to be around certain animals. Ibn al-Qayyim, rahimahullah, wrote an extensive piece about this and how people are affected by the character and behavior of the animals they eat a lot of or spend the most time around.

But today I don't want to talk about environment or about our pets and animals. That can perhaps be a different discussion. Even though — don't forget — animals also have certain characteristics that you should be careful about, especially around your children. They can demonstrate a sense of cruelty, selfishness, aggression, dirtiness, being messy — sometimes even immoral acts. And these can be picked up in an unintentional way by the people or kids around them most of the time if proper education is not provided.

I want to say something important about Western psychology in general. Western psychology tends to always make comparisons between animals and humans. I understand that when it comes to the physical — there's not much room for arguing that physically, certain parts of our bodies may be very similar to what exists in the animal kingdom. That's why we use parts of certain animals in humans, like heart valves and so forth. I understand that. But my observation — and this is my theory and my objection — is when you start comparing animals' behavior to human behavior. They are two completely different species. Because some of those people come from the perspective that humans originally came from animals, so they treat them as one species and that's why they make the comparison. But for me, comparing animals' behavior to human behavior is comparing two completely different species. It's like saying plants versus humans — they are one species different from another. You cannot make that analogy or claim that the behavior is similar. In any case, this is not what this khutbah is about, but perhaps for those who are interested in human psychology and animal psychology, they can write more about this and raise that question in universities and in the academic world.

Our Attachment to Machines

Today I would like to spend more time talking about the thing that we are most attached to. The thing that, in our day, we are not so attached to as much as we are to machines. And that can be your smartphone, your computer, your car, machines at work, the TV — these machines that we are so attached to, especially as we are now in the era of the revolution of AI.

In the near future, AI will be your son's and daughter's best friend. AI will know your son's and your daughter's likes and dislikes. It will know the key words they love to hear, the words they don't like to hear, the style of talking they prefer, what makes them happy, what makes them sad, their concerns, their emotions, what they are going through — it will understand them very, very well. And you can't compete with that machine. It will suggest and recommend and provide solutions for them. And it will be there for them 24/7. It listens very well. It doesn't argue.

So if you think about it, it is kind of scary — because this machine will be based entirely on who is feeding it, who is making it, who is creating it, and where the data comes from. It can be your son's and daughter's best friend — it can be Al-Jalees Al-Saleh, the righteous companion — or it can be the opposite. It depends. But in any case, the issue of being so attached to machines — how does this affect us?

Engaging with machines, especially in fields like programming, engineering, and data analysis, can enhance many positive things: analytical thinking, problem-solving skills. Regular interaction with technology can foster adaptability — individuals learn to navigate new software, tools, and systems. It certainly enhances creativity and innovation.

But what I want to focus on is what makes a real human being a truly good human being. What makes any civilization a good civilization? It's not how many kilowatts of electricity they use. Not how much technology they invented. Not how powerful their army is. What makes any civilization good and surviving is how much ethics and how much humanity there is in the people who live in that society — and what kind of moral system they have. Because no matter how big and how high we go, if we don't have a moral foundation, we collapse.

Social Interaction and Communication

One of the areas where machines have a great influence on us is social interaction and communication. Spending time with machines — particularly through social media and messaging platforms — can alter communication styles, decreasing face-to-face interaction. They say these machines were so good at connecting you to people far away from you, but they were equally good at disconnecting you from people right around you.

I still remember when I came to the United States — any time you'd stand in line, everybody was talking to everybody: "Hey, how are you doing? Where are you from?" Nobody does that anymore. Maybe you do that with someone on the other side of the world on your social media. For God's sake, in the house today, I need to call my kids from upstairs and I text message them. I don't walk to the room. I don't know what's in the room anymore — that's the reality.

We have become so poor when it comes to communication skills — ask me about it as someone involved in so many community members' marriages. One of the main reasons marriages fall apart from the very beginning — even before they go further — is that they don't know how to communicate with each other. It's fine online, but the moment they meet each other in person, all kinds of problems happen. They don't know how to talk.

Our emotional intelligence is declining. We are "emoji intelligent" — I can tell your feelings through emojis, but not through looking at your face. I don't understand you through your language. I need you to send me an emoji or a meme — that's how we communicate today.

Dependency, Addiction, and Isolation

Dependency and addiction have become very popular topics among psychologists today. Prolonged interaction with machines — especially smartphones and gaming devices — can lead to dependency and addictive behaviors. They can affect mood, self-esteem, and overall mental health. Technology creates a sense of isolation. It can connect people, but it can also isolate people very effectively.

Some kids are always home, always in the room. Even when you have guests — look at my generation and older, and a little bit younger — what did we used to do when guests came over? We would be with the guests. My father would never let me stay in my room when there were guests at home. That's how I learned what it means to have a guest: how to serve them, how to take care of them, how to welcome them, how to show them respect. Today, kids are playing games upstairs or in their rooms. Or if they do come out, they can't wait to go back to the game.

A study published in Psychological Science found that excessive smartphone use is associated with increased feelings of loneliness and depression, particularly among young people and youth.

We are in the spring now, and summer is coming — people travel, people have vacations. I would like for us to make this an action call upon all of us: to make sure we disconnect ourselves more from machines and try to connect more with nature. May Allah grant us and you understanding of the deen. I say what you have heard and I ask Allah for forgiveness for all of us.

Nature vs. Machines: Points of Reflection

All praise is due to Allah alone, and prayers and peace be upon the one after whom there is no prophet. I want you to reflect upon these contrasting points between connection to nature and connection to machines. I thought about this before my khutbah and put it down:

Nature connects you to the Creator — to Allah. When you look at the heavens and the earth and the mountains and you go outside walking and hiking, it's just سُبْحَانَ اللَّه, مَاشَاءَ اللَّه, لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّه, اللَّهُ أَكْبَر — it just connects you with the Creator and the greatness of Allah. While machines connect you to the creation — to whoever made the machine. Sony, iPhone, Apple — that's what you think about.

Nature is full of life and vitality; machines are lifeless and mechanical. When you look at nature, things are born and re-emerging and full of life. Nature is ever-renewing and dynamic, while machines are repetitive and static.

Nature represents freedom and exploration. You explore the world when you go out into nature. I know one of my students said, "Shaykh, I heard you once talking about connecting to nature, so I adopted something very interesting." I said, "What do you do?" He said, "I learned how to sail. I bought a boat and I started sailing." I said I'd never seen a desi kid sailing in my life — that was a first for me. He started laughing and I laughed with him. But he loves it. He invites me often to go to San Diego just to spend a day on the ocean sailing. He said, "It's very different, Shaykh." Then he said, "Why don't you use an engine?" He said, "I don't want an engine — I use the wind." And he's right — I tried sailing before. When you sail by wind, your heart connects to Allah and to the wind that He sends, not to the machine and the mechanic who maintains your engine. It's very different.

Nature encourages connection with others. When you go hiking, when you go outside, when you go to the park, you see people, you talk to people, kids play with each other. How machines can isolate and disconnect.

Nature is a gift from Allah, meant to serve us. Allah created everything in this earth for you. Machines often control you and dictate your actions. I once saw a cartoon of somebody reading a newspaper — when he finished the newspaper, he trashed it. And underneath it was another cartoon of a man watching TV — and when he was done, the TV trashed him. Machines control you with algorithms — one video after another, one reel after another, one TikTok after another. It just keeps you hanging. There's a reason all these social media platforms started doing reels and auto-play — to hook you.

Nature is free — a divine gift. Machines are not only expensive to buy but to maintain, fix, update, and upgrade.

Nature provides peace and tranquility. When was the last time you just went outside for a walk? Took a boat or a kayak onto a lake? When was the last time you went fishing? When was the last time you tried to dive? When was the last time you visited an outdoor space or did some outdoor activity? While machines can be exhausting for the mind and soul.

Nature offers a variety of options to choose from — so much to see, so much to walk, so much to explore. Machines often make the choice for you and manipulate your mind — what to see, what to watch.

Nature is lasting and enduring; machines are temporary and will eventually perish or be updated.

Nature gives you time with Allah alone. Machines often keep you away from having your own time with Allah — distracting you in Salah and in Quran every single time.

Nature makes you think and discover. Most people who use machines — not everyone, but most — are just users, consumers. It limits their thinking. Nature is a healthy choice for life — less toxic, fresh air — while machines cause so many health and psychological issues and damage.

Nature makes you more active — you need to walk, you need to put in effort. Machines just make you lazy. I said to some young kids, "MashaAllah, what kind of sports are you engaged in?" He said, "Oh, I'm in the eSports program at school," with a big smile on his face. I said, "What's that?" He said, "We play games — I'm a good soccer player. In FIFA." That's it. It's sad. I'm okay with you having fun with that sometimes. But when you are not physically active, that becomes a problem.

The Quranic Call to Explore and Reflect

Many verses in the Quran invite us — Allah in many verses invites us to go out, to look, to discover. So when you go out, you will realize the qualities of Allah. When you see how perfect, how beautiful, how everything is balanced in this world, it makes you understand the nature of this God — this Knowledgeable, Wise, Expert, Merciful and Exalted One. He said: this is the creation of Allah, who perfected everything.

All these verses talk about how Allah created the heavens and the earth for you to go out, reflect, and discover. So it connects you to Allah — and that is one of the ways, especially in a time of atheism, especially when people are denying Allah, especially when our young and old are not connected to Allah much. You want to build a strong connection with Allah? Let them discover. Go take them out. Let them connect to nature, and remind them who created all of this.

Because they are so surrounded by things made by humans. But when you take them out — even miracles — for God's sake, one brother was telling me he was asking his kids about miracles. Do you know what miracles his kids thought of? The Avengers. The superheroes. That for them is what miracles are. It's not even connected to Allah. The miracles of the prophets and messengers should connect you not only to the prophet or messenger, but to Allah and to the message behind it.

A Call to Action

My brothers and sisters, let's do it. Let's make it part of our weekly activity to have some time to go out. Let's reduce the amount of daily activity and connection to machines. Let's have this conversation with our families, with our kids. Let's get active again.

O Allah, forgive our sins and our parents' sins and all the believing men and women. O Allah, accept from us all our good deeds. O Allah, heal the sick and have mercy on those who have passed away. O Allah, bless our families, our businesses, our community, and our country where we live, and bless the Muslims around the world. Bring peace, tranquility, and justice to our brothers and sisters in Palestine and all other people who are subject to aggression and injustice. O Allah, help our brothers and sisters who are oppressed in Palestine and remove the oppression of the oppressors. O Living, O Self-Sustaining, by Your mercy, hasten their liberation, O Lord of Glory and Honor. O Allah, grant our souls their righteousness and purify them, for You are the best of those who purify them.