Authenticity and Contextual Accuracy of Qurʼānic Verses and Prophetic Ḥadīths in Religious and Daʿwah Content on Facebook: A Critical and Analytical Study

فیس بک پر دینی و دعوتی مواد میں قرآنی آیات اور احادیثِ نبویہ کی صحت و مطابقت: ایک تنقیدی و تحلیلی مطالعہ

Abstract

Social media, especially Facebook, has become the most influential platform for disseminating religious and da’wah content to Muslim audiences worldwide. While it has broadened access to Islamic teachings, the absence of effective scholarly oversight has facilitated the circulation of anecdotal narrations, unauthenticated Qurʼānic verses, and fabricated prophetic traditions. This study examines the textual authenticity, chain of transmission (isnad), and contextual validity of Qurʼānic verses and prophetic Ḥadīths shared on Urdu-language Facebook pages and groups. Using a qualitative research design and qualitative content analysis, this study also presents a Pakistani perspective within the broader international scholarship on digital religious misinformation. The findings identify four recurring patterns: the publication of weak and fabricated hadiths without citing authentic sources; the presentation of Qurʼānic verses and Ḥadīths outside their historical and textual context; the oversimplification of complex jurisprudential and religious issues due to the communicative structure of social media; and the algorithmic augmentation of emotionally engaging religious content at the expense of scholarly accuracy. The research further suggests that although the Arabic text of the Qurʼān is generally reproduced accurately from standard digital sources, its translation, interpretation, and contemporary application are at considerable risk of distortion. A comparison with recent studies from Bangladesh, the Middle East, and North Africa, and comparisons with the Arabic-speaking digital sphere, show that these challenges extend beyond the Pakistani context and represent a global pattern of digital religious misinformation. The study concludes by recommending greater scholarly engagement, institutional oversight, and platform accountability to promote the authenticity, contextual integrity, and responsible promotion of religious content in the digital environment.