Muslims urged to rebuild human bonds amid digital disconnection

By Ahmed Idriss

Sheikh Hussein Ali Bulafu has urged Muslims to restore genuine human connection, warning that society is growing more isolated and emotionally unstable despite being digitally connected.

Delivering a sermon at Gaddafi National Mosque in Old Kampala on Friday, Sheikh Bulafu said Islam emphasizes the importance of human interaction and communal living.

“We are called human beings because it is within us to love being with fellow humans,” he said. “We were not designed with individualism in us.”

He noted that although many people are active on social media, they still lack meaningful companionship.

“You are with people, but you are not with people,” he said. “Just because others follow you online doesn’t mean you are truly connected.”

Sheikh Bulafu expressed concern over the rise in loneliness and mental health struggles, attributing them in part to a breakdown in traditional community life.

“It causes more illness and emotional instability when people don’t talk to each other,” he said. “Even joy becomes empty when you have no one to share it with.”

He said the growing demand for therapists reflects how far communities have drifted from the Islamic practice of brotherhood and support.

“It is therapy to just sit down with another human being and talk,” he said. “Someone always needs someone to talk to.”

Citing the Qur’an, Sheikh Bulafu reminded worshippers that Allah created people as diverse communities and tribes to foster mutual understanding and support.

“O mankind, indeed, We have created you from male and female, and made you peoples and tribes so that you may know one another,” he recited.

He concluded by urging Muslims to revive family conversations, prioritize face-to-face communication, and rebuild the social fabric of their communities.

“There is no way we are going to prosper or overcome mental illness if we do not return to the core value of humanity — being with one another,” Sheikh Bulafu said.