Is it Permissible to Use OMG or OMFG in Text or When in Surprise or Shock?


Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel

Question

Is it permissible to use OMG or OMFG in text or when in surprise or shock?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate

I pray you are in good faith and health. Thank you for your question.

As Muslims, we should utter words of remembrance like Subhan Allah, Ma sha Allah La Quwwatta Illa Billah, Inna Lillahi, etc., when we find something that shocks or surprises us.

‘Imran Al Qasir (Allah have mercy on him) says, ‘the Prophet’s (Allah bless him and give him peace) lantern went out, so he recited ‘Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un.’  ‘Aisha (Allah be pleased with her) exclaimed, ‘This is only a lantern!’ The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, ‘Anything that causes discomfort to a believer is a calamity.’

[Abu Dawud, Al Marasil; Qurtubi, Tafsir al-Qurtubi]

Supplication for Worry, Sadness, Sickness, and Difficulty

Asma’ bint ‘Umays (Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Whoever is afflicted by anxiety, grief, illness, or hardship and he says,  اللهُ رَبِّي لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ ‘Allah is my Lord without any partner,’ it will be lifted off him.”

[Tabarani, Al-Mujam al-Kabir]

Using OMFG

Uttering OMFG will come under using vulgar language and indecent words, which is most clearly prohibited in the Quran and hadith. See the links below.

Do Not Ridicule, Insult, or Mock
Allah Most High says, “O you who have faith, let not people ridicule other people; perhaps they are better than them. Neither let women ridicule other women; perhaps they are better than them. Do not insult each other, nor mock each other with nicknames. Wretched is the accusation of wickedness after faith, and whoever does not repent has done wrong.” [Quran, 49:11]

I would like you to go through the valuable answers and links below. You will receive guidance and direction in sha Allah.
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I pray this helps with your question.

Wassalam,

[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel

Checked and approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Mawlana Ilyas Patel is a traditionally trained scholar who has studied in the UK, India, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan, and Turkey.

He started his early education in the UK. He went on to complete hifz of the Quran in India, then enrolled into an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied the secular and Alimiyyah sciences. He then travelled to Karachi, Pakistan.

He has been an Imam in Rep of Ireland for a number of years. He has taught hifz of the Qur’an, Tajwid, Fiqh, and many other Islamic sciences to both children and adults onsite and online extensively in UK and Ireland. He taught at a local Islamic seminary for 12 years in the UK, where he was a librarian and a teacher of Islamic sciences.

He currently resides in the UK with his wife. His personal interest is the love of books and gardening.