The issue of watching TV

[nybrother]

Assalamu 'alaikum

Nowadays we let our children watch (and read) all this junk.

Question:
Assalamalaikum wrt wbt,
Is it halaal for a Muslim to watch a film such as Hercules which is based on Shirk stories/ideas?
I eagerly await your response insha'Allah.
Jazzakallahkhairum

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

It is not permissible to watch these kinds of movies which tell stories of shirk. Seeing and hearing them can cause serious damage to the heart of the Muslim. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) got angry with ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allaah be pleased with him) when he saw him with a piece of the Tawraat (Torah) in his hand, and told him to destroy it.


Many of the Muslims do not have sufficient protection or the level of knowledge required to recognize the corrupt ideas in these movies, so some viewers may develop doubts that damage their eemaan and shake their belief; they may start to believe some of the false ideas and their hearts may be filled with evil poisons as a result of watching these movies.


This is in addition to the haraam content in many of these movies, such as pictures of women, music and so on. We may also note the recent appearance of movies based on distorted Biblical beliefs or the false prophecies of liars and charlatans. These movies have become very popular in the West because of the spiritual vacuum resulting from the lack of true religion. Due to the environment surrounding the Muslims in western countries, some of them have started to follow these movies. Muslims should fear their Lord and avoid watching these films of kufr. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “… Verily! The hearing, and the sight, of each of those you will be questioned by Allaah.” [al-Isra’ 17:36]

If Muslims want to entertain themselves, let them do so in permissible ways. And Allaah is the guide to the Straight Path.

Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

[Al-Hayaa]

jazakallahu khayran brother for your post, but wud this apply to watchin TV that are not movies, like watching the news or islam channel for instance.....wht r the rulings on that?

shukran

One thing I'm wondering in regards to general exposure of children to that which is wrongful (including things that are on TV, etc.) is -- to what extent do you shelter them without making them curious about what's on 'the other side'.

For example, we know that shirk is wrong. Television exposes children to shirk. But if you never expose them to television, what goes to say curiousity doesn't get the best of them?

[Stawf]

Why not we try to live without TV?

[Al-Hayaa]

Originally Posted by ayesha

One thing I'm wondering in regards to general exposure of children to that which is wrongful (including things that are on TV, etc.) is -- to what extent do you shelter them without making them curious about what's on 'the other side'.

For example, we know that shirk is wrong. Television exposes children to shirk. But if you never expose them to television, what goes to say curiousity doesn't get the best of them?

i understand wht ur saying sis, but we jus hav hope in Allah that their mind wont get to that curiousity level? And teaching them since their young wil jus mak them register in their mind that there wil b consequences n so forth...but curiousity is deadly really cos there r som ppl by Allah's Grace have a good practising family n havent been exposed to such shirk n sins but YET feel the 'need' to try out bad stuff cos they r merely 'curious'! Allahuma st3an......we can only ask Allah for st3an!

fee amanilah

[hibahmac]

Originally Posted by Stawf

Why not we try to live without TV?

That might work....if you never let your kids visit other kids' homes, don't visit family, and stay with them every second, lol. Actually, I know families who are TV-free and I'm very happy for them.

***

This past weekend in my class (I teach 1st grade Arabic/Islamic Studies), I focused on the fact that what makes us special is that we say that our Creator is the only one who deserves our worship. I went on to say that some people don't believe we have a creator but most people around us - whether in our families, on TV, and everywhere outside our homes - agree that we have a Creator. The difference is that they believe we were given something/one else "nearer" to us for us to send our love/hope/fear (i.e. worship) to as a sign of love and mercy.

I then asked them if they know of examples of people worshipping something other than the Creator. You wanna know the answers I heard?

worshipping Jesus (a.s.) and...(drum roll please)....how SpongeBob worships the GrabbyPatty.

Let me tell you something.... TV or not, we must all be on guard.

All kids have to do is go to public school to be affected by shirk. If any of you have or have had kids in public school, then you know what I'm talking about. From Halloween to Christmas to Valentine's Day to Saint Patrick's Day to Easter, there barely passes a month before a new wave of shirk is sugar-coated in the form of candy, parties, stories, class activities, and school plays and performances. And you want to fuss about TV? Kids are most influenced by live people in their faces.

About TV, remember that if you have it, then realize you've added another layer of work to your home tarbiyyah program. I'm saying this especially to the mothers. Mothers are every child's rightful first school, the rib that protects iman inspiration and vitality, the "rabbatul bayt" who is the guardian, protector, and supervisor responsible for improvements at home. If you have TV, then accept the responsibility of monitoring and educating to contradict what they might have seen and correct what they've interpreted.

TV is like money and any other tool - use it wisely. No more, no less. And if you mismanage, well...don't be surprised when the kids start acting buck wild and confused because the filter (meaning the parents) weren't on when the show was on. Don't be surprised when the kids seem to be desensitized and losing their sense of hayaa'.

Public schooling or TV, both risk- and rizq-management are needed.

[Ibrahim ibnImran]

Originally Posted by hibahmac

I then asked them if they know of examples of people worshipping something other than the Creator. You wanna know the answers I heard?

worshipping Jesus (a.s.) and...(drum roll please)....how SpongeBob worships the GrabbyPatty.

Let me tell you something.... TV or not, we must all be on guard.

SubhanAllah, I've also seen kids watching cartoons with blatant forms of shirk, portrayed in a benign or silly way. Or glamourized as cool magic. Let's not forget, shaitan is out there giving da'wa twice as hard as most of us; trivializing shirk is a cheap and easy strategy for him to use.

Unfortunately, many muslim parents don't even object to their children watching such filth. May Allah Protect us and our children.

[nybrother]

Assalamu 'alaikum

For example, we know that shirk is wrong. Television exposes children to shirk. But if you never expose them to television, what goes to say curiousity doesn't get the best of them?

Well, we can say that for everything. I have actually heard (or read, rather) people say stuff similar to: "Why not let your child get a girlfriend/boyfriend so they can see how empty it is and how wicked that lifestyle is, then they will truly see the lesson and understand why it's haram."
I wish I was joking.

From my understanding, the Islamic remedy is to provide a halal alternative. Which is funny because now it is the 'alternative' when it should be the fitrah. Allahul musta'aan.

Stories of the Prophets are fun and nice to read and listen to for young kids and older people alike.

Remember that Allah does not burden a soul more than it can handle. You do your part and trust in Allah. If you try the best to raise your kids the Islamic way (which includes putting them in a good environment, teaching them, keeping them away from the evil, etc.) then Allah will take care of them. If He wills that this person be misguided, then nothing you can do will change that. But what matters is that you do your part and trust in Allah.

[1/2AWiseMan]

Honestly, this TV stuff can really hit hard as life goes on. We look back at all that amazing goals we had, then realize we didn't get jack because we were busy watching TV.

It's easy to discuss the negatives of TV and how haraam it is, but it doesnt seem to get us very far away from the TV. I'm speaking of myself, just knowing the haram-ness doesnt seem to impact us in the heart.

Now i want to turn my focus towards the loss TV causes, not just the gains of sins. We lose a lot of valuable time on TV, spending that 1 hour to learn our deen, personal development, working out etc. can change our lives.

A story i heard from a Ron White or Jim Rohn lecture, he asked a man
"how much does your TV cost you?"
"well, about $500"
"No, how much does it cost you, not how much you spent to buy it. Buying it for $500 is cheap, watching it everyday costs you over $10 000 a yr!"

This is some non-muslim giving 'naseeha' not to watch TV, it must be so much more for us because our dunya & akhira are at stake.

May Allah protect you n I from the evils of TV and ourselves.

[Stawf]

Originally Posted by hibahmac

That might work....if you never let your kids visit other kids' homes, don't visit family, and stay with them every second, lol. Actually, I know families who are TV-free and I'm very happy for them.

***

Alhamdulilallah, we are TV-free too. It seems hard at the beginning –but as you know Allah (swt) makes every thing easy if you just start to do something for the sake of Allah (swt). If we go to visit other families, they know our life style, so they do respect, and Alhamdulillah we spend our visiting period without TV too.

If you don't have TV, you do have your children with you (every second!!) and that is the blessing of Allah (swt).

Living without TV is the best decision WE chose as a family. Alhamdulilallah.