{"id":184209,"date":"2025-06-05T23:13:36","date_gmt":"2025-06-05T23:13:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/?p=184209"},"modified":"2025-06-05T23:13:39","modified_gmt":"2025-06-05T23:13:39","slug":"comm-fest-2025-hafizul-faiz-advises-youth-to-choose-values-over-virality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/?p=184209","title":{"rendered":"Comm Fest 2025: Hafizul Faiz Advises Youth to Choose Values over Virality"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By, Shafiy Nordin<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gombak, 29 May 2025 : In an eye-opening forum at Comm Fest 2025, Hafizul Faiz, founder of Tentang Kita<\/em>, challenged students to resist the lure of online trends and instead build a meaningful digital presence rooted in self-awareness, values, and long-term purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking at the forum titled, \u201cBeing Muslim Online: Awareness, Ethics, and the Digital Footprint,\u201d<\/em> Hafizul emphasized the importance of self-control and intention in navigating today\u2019s internet culture, where attention is the goal. \u201cBefore you create content, be contented,\u201d he said. \u201cYour heart must be clear on where you\u2019re going and why you\u2019re doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He warned students about the dangers of living a life solely driven by virality and validation. \u201cDon\u2019t treat virality as your qiblah<\/em> (ultimate direction).\u201d he cautioned, using a powerful Islamic metaphor to describe how online trends can divert direction and purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Hafizul, one of the biggest challenges today is the web-like nature of the internet, where people often lose themselves in endless scrolling, distractions (ghaflah<\/em>), and superficiality. \u201cThe dunya is related <\/em>to the word zina<\/em>: decoration, cosmetic. We\u2019re always drawn to what appears beautiful,\u201d he explained. \u201cBut that\u2019s not always what\u2019s meaningful.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead of just \u201cfollowing the flow,\u201d Hafizul encouraged young Muslims to pause, reflect, and choose their path intentionally, a process he linked directly to the Islamic discipline of prayer. \u201cSolat teaches us self-control. It grounds us. That\u2019s where and how the online journey should begin too, with control, not chaos,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also addressed the mental health impact of online life, stating that content creation without direction can lead to anxiety, burnout, and a stagnant mindset. \u201cMany people get stuck in a cycle of chasing trends, but feel empty,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s not growth. That\u2019s a trap,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When asked how to stay true to ourself online, Hafizul shared a guiding question: Aina tazhabun?<\/em>: Where are you going? \u201cIf you don\u2019t know where you\u2019re headed, the algorithm will decide for you,\u201d he warned. \u201cBut if you\u2019re clear, you\u2019ll create content that resonates deeply, even if it\u2019s not viral.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He urged students to build value-based content, where relatability and authenticity take place over flashy trends. \u201cSome of us feel our content is boring, but others might find it exactly what they need. Don\u2019t underestimate your uniqueness.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On creativity, Hafizul encouraged attendees to be resourceful, not trendy. \u201cBe creative, but don\u2019t compromise your values,\u201d he said. \u201cPeople who understand your values will support you, regardless of your content,\u201d said Hafizul.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his closing remarks, Hafizul reminded the audience that ethics is at the core of everything online, and Muslims must always act with consciousness, clarity, and conviction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYour content is your character. Let it reflect who you are, not who the internet wants you to be,\u201d he ended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the session wrapped up, his message was strong: in a world filled with noise and distraction, the one who wins is the one who leads with value, not virality.***<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By, Shafiy Nordin Gombak, 29 May 2025 : In an eye-opening forum at Comm Fest 2025, Hafizul Faiz, founder of Tentang Kita, challenged students to… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":271,"featured_media":184211,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,66,4,6,114,773,11,8,19,15,3,21,24,23],"tags":[],"nelio_content":{"isAutoShareEnabled":true,"autoShareEndMode":"never","automationSources":{"useCustomSentences":false,"customSentences":[]},"followers":[271],"suggestedReferences":[],"efiUrl":"","efiAlt":"","highlights":[],"permalinkQueryArgs":[]},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-05-31-at-18.47.05.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184209"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/271"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=184209"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184209\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":184403,"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184209\/revisions\/184403"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/184211"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=184209"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=184209"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=184209"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}