Assalamualikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuhu. My question is about flipping through instagram. As with videos from the world they are bound to have music and women who are not covered etc. Some of the videos include nudity too. Is keeping the volume low and skipping fast if something haram comes up okay or it is haram to flip through instagram?

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

If these accounts on Instagram or other means of communication are useful or needed by the Muslim, and he finds music clips or some pictures of women in them, then, in this case, he must turn off the sound of the music and lower his gaze from the pictures of women, and take what is useful or needed by him. He must also lower his gaze if he enters a market or a public place.

The first look (glance) is pardoned, which is the sudden look – as scholars said – this is the first look when a person looks in any direction and sees something suddenly, so his sight falls on it unintentionally. This is forgiven because it is difficult to avoid it.

Jareer narrated: “I asked the Prophet about the sudden look and he ordered me to turn my sight away.”

If a Muslim can find what he needs in other means that are devoid of these prohibitions, then he should approach them and avoid these, for that is safer for his religion and his honor.

Allah Knows best.