27th October, 2021
One of the chief purposes of TikTok has always been the powering of connections between diverse groups across demographics and allowing creators to creatively express themselves to the global community. Since the app rose to popularity, we have seen people use it to establish links with fashionistas, sport players, musicians, and a diverse array of professionals. One TikTok user, Bro_Shakurr, has taken the connective purpose of TikTok to another level by creating a community of like minds since joining the platform in March 2020.
He has done this through creating Islamic content videos after seeing brothers from other countries making Islamic content too on TikTok. He explains that this is something he had been doing on other platforms, but TikTok presented new opportunities of content creation which he wanted to explore. Shakurr invites other users to his page through content that ranges from facts about the Quran to prayer recitations. With hashtags like #hadithoftheday, #sunnah and #muslimtiktok, Bro_Shakurr is both joining a community and facilitating bonds between Muslims on TikTok.
He first got to know about TikTik via videos shared by his friends online with the visible TikTok logo gaining his attention. “What made me join the app at first was to watch videos for fun because my friends usually send me videos on WhatsApp and I always see the TikTok logo at the bottom of those videos,” he says. “So, I decided to install the app, to get more of those videos for myself and after some days, I decided to start making my own short videos.”
In the process of doing this, Bro_Shakurr began to get a community of followers interested in his content. The creator explains that the community comes alive in the comments section. “In almost every video he posts, I see people praying for me, people wishing me success in this life and the next, receiving words of encouragement and many more – which is one of the things that has kept me going”. He adds that this is something he really enjoys and is grateful for the opportunity to meet with other people. He explains that as a result of TikTok, he has met new friends from the northern and southern part of the country, different parts of Africa and the world as well, and this has helped him get more exposure about life and how things are in different angles of the world.
Since joining TikTok, the Lafia-based creator has built a following of over 200K people and gotten more than 3.5M likes and he’s been surprised by the positive acceptance of his content. “It has gone beyond my imagination, because I didn’t expect that a lot of people will follow me and watch my videos, but I’m glad it happened.”
Additionally, he says that being popular for his Islamic content on TikTok has served the purpose of giving him more insight into his religion. “The biggest impact TikTok had on my life is that it brings me closer to my religion,” he says. “If you look at my contents they are Islamic, the people I follow mostly are people that make Islamic content and most of the videos that pop on my For You Page are also Islamic-related videos, so with all this, I get to know one or two new things about Islam.
“I get to know things I don’t know before and as a Muslim, I know it’s not right of me to come online and encourage people to do good and leave bad, and then I do the opposite. So basically I have to be closer to my religion before I encourage others to do the same.”