Assalaamu'Alaykum,
Question
To the noble Shaykh Muhammad ibn ‘Uthaymeen – may Allah Almighty preserve him: Television has penetrated the confines of virtually all homes, whether in cities, villages, or even in the desert. The shows that are aired consist, at least to some extent, of the following:
1) Singing accompanied by musical instruments.
2) Police and criminal dramas.
3) Untrue and made-up stories.
4) Mixing of the sexes among actors.
5) Portrayal of historical Islamic figures as being evil or corrupt.
6) Glorification of martial deception and unfaithfulness.
7) Practically naked women, sometimes playing the part of a singer or a prostitute.
8) Interspersed between what has preceded, the Qur’aan and the Prophet’s sayings are recited.
9) Actors portray the Prophet’s Companions, may Allah be pleased with them.
The Qur’aan station presents religious shows that are far better than what other television stations present. Here are my questions?
- If we know these things, then is it permissible to bring televisions into our homes, where our women and children will watch them, thus disturbing their perception of truth and falsehood?
- Is it permissible, when watching television, to look at women and at some men whose appearance is not in the least bit manly?
- What must a person do who persists in keeping a television set or who says that he cannot remove it from his home?
- What about a man who says that he finds it impossible to turn off his television when music or women appear?
- Are the shows I described above in concordance with the Sharee’ah?
- Is it permissible for men and women, in general, to watch the programs I described?
May Allah Almighty bless you with a correct and satisfying answer.
Answer
No doubt, all of the points you mentioned describe programs that are unlawful (forbidden), a fact that no one will deny, or at least no one who is aware of the Islamic Sharee’ah, due to the harm these shows have on society – corruption of the character and morals of those who constitute our societies.
We ask Allah Almighty to guide those who air these programs, to help them stay away from that which can only harm them. As for inserting the recitation of the Qur’aan between these programs, then this is an insidious attempt at trying to reconcile between the two opposites. No doubt, obtaining a television set for the purposes you outlined is unlawful, for watching what is unlawful is itself unlawful. A person is sinning when he persists in obtaining a television if he knows that he will not be able to protect himself or his family from evil programs. Even if he does not watch television himself, he is sinning, because he is helping others to do what is unlawful, and he is poorly raising his children, a dereliction for which he will be held accountable on the Day of Judgement. Watching television without actually acquiring one as property is of three kinds:
1) Watching programs that give a religious or worldly benefit – there is nothing wrong in watching these kinds of shows unless doing so involves something forbidden, such as a woman lustfully watching the presenter of a program.
2) Watching what is harmful to one’s religion; that is unlawful. A Muslim must protect his religion from all negative influences.
3) Watching what is neither beneficial nor harmful: this kind of viewing is a waste of time, something that does not befit a determined believer.
And I ask Allah Almighty to better the affairs of the Muslims and to protect them from evil in this life and in the next.
Ibn ‘Uthaymeen
Reference: Fatawa Islamiyah, Volume 8, Pictures, the Media, Singing and Music, P.p. 173-75
Question
To the noble Shaykh Muhammad ibn ‘Uthaymeen – may Allah Almighty preserve him: Television has penetrated the confines of virtually all homes, whether in cities, villages, or even in the desert. The shows that are aired consist, at least to some extent, of the following:
1) Singing accompanied by musical instruments.
2) Police and criminal dramas.
3) Untrue and made-up stories.
4) Mixing of the sexes among actors.
5) Portrayal of historical Islamic figures as being evil or corrupt.
6) Glorification of martial deception and unfaithfulness.
7) Practically naked women, sometimes playing the part of a singer or a prostitute.
8) Interspersed between what has preceded, the Qur’aan and the Prophet’s sayings are recited.
9) Actors portray the Prophet’s Companions, may Allah be pleased with them.
The Qur’aan station presents religious shows that are far better than what other television stations present. Here are my questions?
- If we know these things, then is it permissible to bring televisions into our homes, where our women and children will watch them, thus disturbing their perception of truth and falsehood?
- Is it permissible, when watching television, to look at women and at some men whose appearance is not in the least bit manly?
- What must a person do who persists in keeping a television set or who says that he cannot remove it from his home?
- What about a man who says that he finds it impossible to turn off his television when music or women appear?
- Are the shows I described above in concordance with the Sharee’ah?
- Is it permissible for men and women, in general, to watch the programs I described?
May Allah Almighty bless you with a correct and satisfying answer.
Answer
No doubt, all of the points you mentioned describe programs that are unlawful (forbidden), a fact that no one will deny, or at least no one who is aware of the Islamic Sharee’ah, due to the harm these shows have on society – corruption of the character and morals of those who constitute our societies.
We ask Allah Almighty to guide those who air these programs, to help them stay away from that which can only harm them. As for inserting the recitation of the Qur’aan between these programs, then this is an insidious attempt at trying to reconcile between the two opposites. No doubt, obtaining a television set for the purposes you outlined is unlawful, for watching what is unlawful is itself unlawful. A person is sinning when he persists in obtaining a television if he knows that he will not be able to protect himself or his family from evil programs. Even if he does not watch television himself, he is sinning, because he is helping others to do what is unlawful, and he is poorly raising his children, a dereliction for which he will be held accountable on the Day of Judgement. Watching television without actually acquiring one as property is of three kinds:
1) Watching programs that give a religious or worldly benefit – there is nothing wrong in watching these kinds of shows unless doing so involves something forbidden, such as a woman lustfully watching the presenter of a program.
2) Watching what is harmful to one’s religion; that is unlawful. A Muslim must protect his religion from all negative influences.
3) Watching what is neither beneficial nor harmful: this kind of viewing is a waste of time, something that does not befit a determined believer.
And I ask Allah Almighty to better the affairs of the Muslims and to protect them from evil in this life and in the next.
Ibn ‘Uthaymeen
Reference: Fatawa Islamiyah, Volume 8, Pictures, the Media, Singing and Music, P.p. 173-75