Question Summary:
Embarrassing Email Spam

Question Detail:

In this day and age all our information gets stored on the internet, been viewable to others and at times solely for the purpose of advertising (promoting business or services). There are Social networks which are used for making friends and meeting, 99% of the time with the opposite gender.
A few years ago, I registered on a website been free and assuming to be a source of advertising. This website requested permission to use my email contacts to locate any people I may know using the same website (System).
Once I realised that there was no benefit in the website and it is in addition related to dating, etc. I made sure I removed all my information. This website and many other websites have a scheme that they constantly send you email’s requesting you to join or return. After period of time they stop sending these attractions.
Recently I had a popup in my email which requested me to link all my contacts to this website, not reading the entire request and just unintentionally accepting this request instantly sent out and email to my email database saying I have sent them a message and they have to subscribe to see this message.
My query is how Igo about this happening? I have made a mistake, but corrected myself and made an effort for no future errors. This message sent to my contacts is something I would term as spam. A misguiding email sent without my knowledge and intention and requesting them to join something I would avoid.
Some replies I received as they read the email and Allah Ta’ala knows best the thoughts that passed through their minds. One reply sincerely requested that I do not send emails with such requests in future as they are not his type/means of communication.
I did not mind the mistake until I got the reply and met a musallee asking me if I sent him such requests from the particular social network website. This created embarrassment and sadness.
If Mufti Saheb can advise if there is a need to clarify or justify myself to my email contacts?

Answer :

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykumwa-rahmatullāhiwa-barakātuh.
In this day and age of technology providing ever expanding market opportunities global wide at the tip of one’s fingers, it only makes business sense to explore these various avenues to attain a cut edge on the market. Ecommerce as it is termed is still in its early stages here in South Africa and other third world countries, but already have found a massive market share in the USA and Canada. Soon that may spread worldwide and the earlier one can entrench himself in this market the better.
However such an ever expanding market comes with responsibilities, codes of conduct and etiquettes that are regretfully not fully regulated as yet which unfortunately leads to market abuse in the form of spam and junk email. The situation you have described is not uncommon at all and many people face similar abuse by such unsolicited emails.
After the damage has been done, there are two angles that come about which are important to understand.

 
In the following Ḥadīth Nabī Karīm ﷺ during his last Khuṭbah explained in very emphatical terms the importance of the honour of a believer:
عن ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما، أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم خطب الناس يوم النحر فقال: «يا أيها الناس أي يوم هذا؟»، قالوا: يوم حرام، قال: «فأي بلد هذا؟»، قالوا: بلد حرام، قال: «فأي شهر هذا؟»، قالوا: شهر حرام "، قال: «فإن دماءكم وأموالكم وأعراضكم عليكم حرام، كحرمة يومكم هذا، في بلدكم هذا، في شهركم هذا»، فأعادها مرارا، ثم رفع رأسه فقال: " اللهم هل بلغت، اللهم هل بلغت”[i]
 
Translation:
“Oh people, what day is this?” They replied: “The day of sanctity.”
“Oh people, what city is this?” They replied: “The city of sanctity.”
“Oh people, what month is this?” They replied: “The month of sanctity.”
“For verily, all your blood, your wealth and your honour is sanctious over the next brother, just like the sanctity of this day, in this city, during this month.” He repeated this phrase several times and then he lifted up his head towards the sky saying: “Oh Allāh, did I convey the message? Oh Allāh, did I convey the message?”
 
Part of maintaining the sanctity of a believer is to maintain a good opinion about him as the Qur’ān states:
{يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اجْتَنِبُوا كَثِيرًا مِنَ الظَّنِّ إِنَّ بَعْضَ الظَّنِّ إِثْمٌ وَلَا تَجَسَّسُوا وَلَا يَغْتَبْ بَعْضُكُمْ بَعْضًا أَيُحِبُّ أَحَدُكُمْ أَنْ يَأْكُلَ لَحْمَ أَخِيهِ مَيْتًا فَكَرِهْتُمُوهُ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَوَّابٌ رَحِيمٌ} [الحجرات: 12]
Translation:
Oh those who believe! Abstain from the majority of thoughts [you engage in]. Verily, certain thoughts are of a sinful nature. Don’t spy on each other and don’t backbite. Does anyone of you like to eat the flesh of his brother dead, subsequently you dislike it? Fear Allāh, verily Allāh is Merciful, Oft-Accepting of your tawbah. 
 
Allāh made us the noblest of his creation and made all the angels prostate towards Adam ‘Alayhis-Salām as a token of honour. For us to dishonour someone by harbouring bad opinions about such a person would constitute going against this denomination of honour that Allāh conferred to mankind.
 
But just like other people are part of mankind, likewise we ourselves are part of mankind and as such it is equally not allowed for a person to cause dishonour to himself by giving other people a chance of thinking bad of him in the first place. This is corroborated by the following Hadīṭh, narrated by the wife of Rasūlullāh, Safiyyah bint-e-Huyay:
عن صفية بنت حيي، قالت: كان النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم معتكفا، فأتيته أزوره ليلا، فحدثته، ثم قمت لأنقلب، فقام معي ليقلبني، وكان مسكنها في دار أسامة بن زيد، فمر رجلان من الأنصار، فلما رأيا النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم أسرعا، فقال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم: «على رسلكما، إنها صفية بنت حيي» فقالا: سبحان الله يا رسول الله، قال: «إن الشيطان يجري من الإنسان مجرى الدم، وإني خشيت أن يقذف في قلوبكما شرا» أو قال «شيئا»[ii]
Translation:
Nabī Karīm ﷺ was in ‘itikāf and I came one night to visit him to speak to him about a matter. Thereafter, I stood up to return upon which Nabī Karīm ﷺ accompanied me to take me home. Two of the Anṣār passed by at that time and when they saw him they started walking faster. Nabī Karīm ﷺ said to this: “On your ease, this is merely Safiyyah bint-e-Huyay” They replied shockingly: “Oh Rasūlullāh!” to which he replied: “Verily Shayṭān flows through your body like blood, and verily I fear lest Shaytān throws some evil in your hearts.” 
In this Ḥadīth, it is clear that Nabī Karīm ﷺ instructed his Ummah what to do when being in a situation in which there is a possibility for someone to think badly of oneself; namely to clarify the matter immediately.[iii]
Applying this to the scenario of one’s email contact list being hijacked by some social website due to one accidental click, then this means that when matters of this nature occur where you cannot expect people[iv] to maintain a good opinion, that the onus rests with the victim to clarify the matter immediately. After that it is the responsibility on part of the people[v] who were at the receiving end of the spam to accept the apologies and to believe the non-affiliation with that website in the most absolute of terms.
However, in this day and age where spam is almost like a plague, it should be common sense for people to maintain a good opinion in the first place. Nabī Karīm ﷺ prohibited us from thinking bad of those who are known to be pious on the basis of a small slip up that can have various justifications. Likewise Hađrat ‘Umar Radiallāhu ‘Anhu prohibited us from maintaining a bad opinion of someone who we know to be a source of overall good on the basis of hearsay only.[vi]
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Khalil Johnson
Student DarulIftaa
Canada
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.