It was a hoax ... a complete fabrication. Sure, it could have happened,
but it didn't. It's not true. It's not the first time that I've
received fabricated e-mails by "Muslims". Not too long ago, I
received an e-mail with a picture of a "giant" human skeleton that was
supposedly discovered by ARAMCO workers in Saudi Arabia. The skeleton of
one of the people of 'Aad turned out to be a photo of a mastodon dig that was
altered to look like a giant human skeleton.
We live in an age where it is easy to reach the entire world with just one
e-mail. Many people feel compelled to forward useful information to
others. Before hitting the "forward" button in your e-mail,
remember to verify the information first.
Allah (swt) revealed to us in the Qur'an in Surah Al-Hujjirat:
"O ye who believe! If a wicked person comes to
you with any news, ascertain the truth, lest ye harm people unwittingly, and
afterwards become full of repentance for what ye have done." (49:06)
Passing on incorrect information can be very
dangerous. Imagine what would happen if someone fabricated a phony fatwa
from Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi and sent it in an e-mail. This e-mail would
get forwarded from person to person until it reaches the whole world.
Everyone would believe it to, because the information is attributed to a trusted
person.
If you receive an e-mail with information that sounds
just too amazing to be true, it's most likely a hoax. Verify the
information. Check with the source of the article. Check the
archives of the Web site of the journal or newspaper where the article
supposedly comes from to verify the information before passing it on to
others. It's better to take a few minutes to double check the validity of
some important news before propogating misinformation.
