SOCIAL MEDIA AND ITS UTILIZATION FOR DA’WAH BY SELECTED MUSLIM SCHOLARS IN NORTHERN NIGERIA

Social media has become an integral component of Muslims' personal and public lives throughout the world. The paper looked at how selected Muslim scholars used social media platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, Telegram, Twitter, YouTube, and Zoom to conduct Da'wah in Northern Nigeria, using a sample of scholars from the three geopolitical zones of Northern Nigeria, namely the North-West, North-Central, and North-East. The goal of this study is to see how Muslim academics in Northern Nigeria use social media for Da'wah. Northern Nigeria was chosen for this study because it is a crucial location with a long history of Islamic growth. In-depth surveys of various pages/channels on social media platforms were surveyed, and this was supplemented with observation and depth interviews to get data. The researchers chose twenty-one scholars for the study and conducted a poll on their different social media pages/channels to determine their level of social media technology use for Da'wah. The study's findings indicated that the sampled Muslim scholars found it convenient to electronically offer their teachings and to upload video and audio of their Da'wah lectures on various social media platforms. According to the findings, Muslim scholars should continue to use social media platforms to assist present the image of Islam and Muslims.


Introduction
In recent years, interactions between humans have completely changed with computers and networks' appearance and development. "Social relationships are going to start at the beginning of the web. People communicate, build relationships using social networks." 1 Today, social media is being adopted and used in a variety of areas of human existence. Muslims are no different from people from other societies, which has increased social media trends in the last few years. It has brought changes that can significantly impact the individual and group level of Muslim society. "Social media is easy to use, easy to learn and can communicate public universality of speed." 2 Modern social media is an important element of our lives since it promotes our culturally varied world's connection and interdependence. People may communicate and participate with information that is easily accessible on the Internet using media for social interaction. In today's society, there are a rising number of Internet users, so new Social Media has become more prevalent in daily patterns and routines. "Communication in these online contexts promotes interactive dialogues that build an understanding of different points of view. New social media means that everyone is a publisher and everyone is a critic. In Social Media, people have the opportunity to express their opinions to the public and participate in conversations and dialogue through a common virtual medium." 3 Social media is used for Islamic Da'wah and besides being a medium of interaction and a vehicle for communication among individuals social media users in Northern Nigeria social media is also used as a vehicle for delivering Islamic Da'wah in several forms, namely religious lectures, photos, drawings, cartoons, Islamic memes, religious appeals, inspirational Islamic stories, video clips of religious songs, wisdom words, religious slogans, studies on Qur'an and Hadith and its interpretation. The phenomenon of the delivery of Islamic Da'wah through the mediation of social media can also be referred to as Da'wah via cyberspace. Mild in this case does not relate to the material or message of wisdom that it conveys, but how the packaging is more concise and simpler. Because if in a conventional Da'wah that can be called a hard Da'wah whose implementation is very bound to the context, moments, and special themes and all involved in it cannot escape from the binding code of conduct, then this does not apply at all in the implementation of Da'wah through social media. Everything takes place in a relaxed manner and is not bound by the code of ethics enforced in conventional Da'wah. In social media, virtual spaces that continue to be active without time limits, that's where Da'wah messages spread that can continue to be accessed at any time by users of social media.

B. Methods
The approach used in writing this paper is a literature study approach. Basically the study of literature is the same as research in general, but the data obtained by the researcher is secondary data using the literature study method. Some steps that the researcher will take in preparing this article include: first, the researcher searches for and collects reference sources that are relevant to the theme of this research. Second, several scientific papers that have been collected are then processed and elaborated, in order to comprehensively explain the intersections of this article. Third, will analyze the da'wah preacher and muslim scholars who use Facebook, WhatsApp, Telegram, Twitter, YouTube, and Zoom to deliver their dawah and try to interview some of them.

"This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as religion."
"That is because Islam is the religion of guidance, and it has considered guidance to be of paramount importance. Therefore, it is impossible to guide people unless they are familiar with Islam's goals, knowledge, and teachings." 15  Another important factor of Da'wah through social media as revealed by Ja'afar is the number of social media users in urban centres of Northern Nigeria. The existence of social media has now become a necessity of life for its users in Nigeria. The presence of the internet makes people more secular than spiritual. 33 Therefore, Da'wah becomes important to the community through media that is now widely consumed by the public (the social media).

The level of usage of Social Media by Muslim Du'at
This provides a holistic approach at the extent to which Muslim scholars are using social media platforms to spread their Da'wah. Twenty-one (21) prominent scholars were sampled and among these scholars, seven (7) were selected from each of the three geopolitical zones of Northern Nigeria. This is to ascertain their level of utilization of the social media platforms for    (16)   The finding in Table 4

Social Media Sites (Islamic Sites/Pages) used for Da'wah by Muslim Du'at
This section discusses social media pages/channels utilized for Da'wah by Muslim Du'at. These Islamic sites/pages and channels are either in Facebook, YouTube, Telegram, WhatsApp, or Zoom.

Discussion of Major Findings
The results of the data obtained from the survey are discussed in this section.

D. Conclusion
The most important aspects of Islamic Da'wah via social media are significantly more complex. Competence of preachers, geographical location, shifts in thinking, attitudes, and social behaviors, as well as heretic theology (deviation from core Islamic teaching) are all key hurdles in the country. As a result, Islamic Da'wah practices via social media will require collaboration and synergy with a variety of stakeholders, including Islamic organizations, governments, universities, and civil society, in order to address problems of Islamic proselytization in the social media and achieve the desired results.
As a result, Muslims should take full advantage of social media's use and development.
As a result, Muslims must embrace and filter the Halaal (Lawful or permitted in Islam) from the Haraam (un-Lawful in Islam) aspects of modern means of communication and platforms, particularly social media, because it provides greater opportunities for spreading and globalizing Islam and its values in a more cost-effective, faster, and conducive environment.
All of the negative implications of utilizing social media can be avoided if Muslims in general and Muslims Du'at use it to preach Islamic teachings.
Finally, as the world shifts away from tightly regulated traditional media and toward new media, particularly social media, the nature of these platforms allows for easier propagation of Islam's true message. It is immensely encouraging for Muslim academics to establish such an educational organization in order to convey true Islam's teachings and practices while avoiding using the media to promote their beliefs.