What Everyone Needs in the Digital Era?

The development of digital technology has transformed nearly every aspect of human life. The ways people communicate, obtain information, learn, work, trade, and build social relationships have changed very rapidly. Information that once took days to travel from one place to another can now spread to thousands or even millions of people within seconds.

Social media, search engines, artificial intelligence, and various digital platforms have become part of daily life. This progress certainly brings many benefits. Islamic outreach can reach a wider audience, knowledge is more easily accessible, communication is faster, and various tasks can be completed more efficiently.

However, technological development also brings new challenges to human moral life. The speed of information dissemination is not always accompanied by careful verification. Freedom of communication is not always accompanied by responsibility. The ease of creating and sharing content can also open space for slander, insults, lies, and various other forms of wrongdoing.

Therefore, people in the digital era do not merely need technological skills. They need moral character to control technology so that it remains within the bounds of goodness. From an Islamic perspective, one of the important foundations for such control is ihsan.

Quranic verse Al-Ahzab 21 places the Prophet Muhammad as uswah hasanah, a good example. The Prophet’s example is not limited to matters of worship, but encompasses the way he spoke, treated others, faced differences, upheld trust, and exercised self-control in various circumstances.

Changing times do not eliminate the human need for these values. Technology may change, but honesty, responsibility, courtesy, compassion, and self-control remain human necessities.

The space of human life has also expanded. In addition to physical space, there is now a digital space that brings people together without geographical boundaries. Words that were once heard by only a few people can now become public consumption. A comment can be read by thousands. A video can spread far beyond the intention of its creator. A momentary mistake can leave a digital trace for a long time.

In such a situation, ihsan holds a very important position.

When Gabriel asked the Prophet Muhammad about ihsan, he replied: “You worship Allah as if you see Him. If you do not see Him, then indeed He sees you.” (Narrated by Muslim).

Ihsan gives rise to the awareness that human life is never outside the supervision of Allah. This awareness applies not only when a person is in a mosque or among the public. It also applies when a person is alone in front of a mobile phone screen.

In the digital space, a person can hide their identity, delete comments, use anonymous accounts, or communicate privately. However, not a single activity is hidden from Allah’s knowledge. This awareness can serve as an internal control when there is no human oversight.

With ihsan, a person will be more careful in receiving and spreading information. They will not easily forward news whose truth is unclear. They guard their tongue when writing comments. They do not use social media as a place to expose the faults of others. They also consider the impact before creating and sharing content.

The Prophet’s character thus has increasingly strong relevance in the digital era. Honesty is needed when information is so easily manipulated. Guarding one’s tongue is needed when everyone has a platform to speak to the public. Concealing others’ faults is needed when a person’s private life can easily become public consumption. Compassion is needed when differences of opinion can easily turn into hostility.

Technology is essentially only a tool. It can become a path to goodness when used with faith and responsibility, but it can also become a means of wrongdoing when detached from moral character. Artificial intelligence can assist education and Islamic outreach, social media can expand fellowship, and various digital platforms can serve as means of spreading knowledge. All of this depends on the values that guide their use.

The spirit of KH Ahmad Dahlan teaches that religion does not stop at knowledge, but must be manifested in action. This principle is highly relevant in digital life. A person’s religiosity is also reflected in how they use their mobile phone, how they speak on social media, how they treat people with different views, and how they behave when no one is watching.

Ultimately, what people need in the digital era is not a return to the past, but rather bringing the Prophet’s character into the future.

The more advanced the technology, the greater the need for self-control. The wider the digital space, the more important moral awareness becomes. And the easier it is for people to hide behind screens, the stronger the need for ihsan.

For true character is not only when a person is seen by other people, but when they still choose goodness.