Nowadays, it has become very common for us to look up to movie stars, singers, sports persons and other celebrities for inspiration. We take great pride in being “fans” of a particular celebrity.
Is there any harm in being a fan of a celebrity? Nope. But what if we attach undue importance to such celebrities, and in the process, forget the real celebrities?
Once, when I was travelling back to home from college via bus, I noticed two teenage girls, happily chatting away. They were, probably, returning from a trip to the book-fair, wherein they had met a young author.
Sitting amongst their friends, the girls were narrating details — not about the book-fair, but that young author. Loud enough for everyone in the bus to clearly listen to their narrative, they went on: “Oh my God! He had dimples! He asked me my name! He signed my book! Look! He was this close to me!” and more.
The level of excitement was unparalleled — shouting, screaming, jumping with joy, laughing…
Once again, was there anything wrong in the girls’ behavior? Not really.
It is alright to admire celebrities — authors, actors, players, etc. But are we really admiring them for their talents, or for the “celebrity” tag? Are we admiring the human being, or that person’s stardom?
Disagree with me? Well, have you heard of the prank about a guy posing as a celebrity in New York? He got some people posing as security guards, some others to follow him around, and within minutes, he had several people requesting him for photographs, mistaking him to be a real “celebrity”. Read more here, or watch the video below.
The above prank was humorous. But it also showed a very sad and grim face of our society. The people had no idea who this guy was, yet they claimed to know him well, and sought photographs and autographs. It was not the person or his talent being appreciated; it was his “celebrity” tag that gained attention.
Will it not be better if, instead of blindly following celebrities and becoming sheep-like, we were to use our brains?
Even more so, will it not be better if we actually turned towards real celebrities? The best man to walk the face of this earth, our Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)? Although he had his family, friends and thousands of other people who loved him, he still cared for us even when we were not born!
Similarly, should we not read about the lives of Prophet Jesus (AS), Prophet Ibrahim (AS) and all other prophets, rather than wasting our time discussing addictions of Hollywood singers?
Also, are not the Sahabah way better role models than present-day actors and dancers?
