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Islam and Television
BY MAULANA MOOSA OLGAR
When our Beloved Respected Marhoom Haaji Bhai Padia Saheb was alive, he used to mention that when he heard the hadith that a time will come when there would be singing and dancing women in every home, he could not understand how this would become a reality. However, in the seventies, when T.V. was introduced as a mass media, Haaji Saheb mentioned that now he understood how this hadith became a reality.
In 1992, Haaji Bhai Padia Saheb told me (Moosa Olgar), to attend a Jamiat KZN meeting, where some members were thinking of participating in a T.V. programme. In this meeting, a few Ulama spoke in favour of participating in the T.V. programme. Alhamdolillah, with Allah’s Taufeeq, we spoke out against participating in the T.V. programme and based our proofs on this Hadith...
Hazrat Numaan ibn Basheer Radi Allahu anhu narrates: I heard Nabi Sallallahu alaihe wasallam saying: “The lawful is clear and the unlawful is clear. Between the two are doubtful things which many people do not have knowledge of. Whoever abstains from doubtful things has saved his religion and honour. Whoever falls into doubtful things is bound to fall into the unlawful. Like a shepherd who grazes his sheep near a sanctuary. He shall soon graze his flock there. Listen! Every king has a sanctuary .Listen! The sanctuary of Allah subhanahu wata ‘aala is what He made unlawful. Listen! There is a piece of flesh in the body. If it is sound, the entire body will be sound. If it is unsound, the entire body will be unsound. Listen! It is the heart.” (al-Bukhari: 52. Muslim, Kitab al-musaqat: 107)
In short, we brought out the rule of Sudul Baab i.e. to close the door to evil that may appear. It is for this reason that our Beloved Hazrat Marhoom Moulana Saeed Khan Saheb would say: “Mufti wo nahi he jo kitab dek kar fatwa de, magar jo anjaam dek kar fatwa de.” A mufti is not he who looks at a kitaab and gives fatwa, but he should look at the end result of the fatwa he issued.
A glaring example of making short sighted decisions and rulings is the’ permissibility’ of photography that sadly even the sanctity of the Haram is no more being maintained or respected by Muslims. Hujjaaj and Mu’tameroon are taking photos of themselves all around the Haram.
Look where we have fallen to, when it comes to womens’ voice and the radio stations. Not even a wali can say that these womens’ voices is not affecting his heart. Have not these radio stations now fallen into Haraam?
Again, look how beautifully, Hadhrat Moulana Saeed Khan Saheb Rahmatullah Alaih said: “Baatil kabhi haq ki shakal me aaye ga aur har ek oos ko nahi peh chaan sake.” Baatil (falsehood) will come in the form of Haq (truth), but not all will recognise it.
Baatil comes in the form of Haq with Islamic names, “Islamic T.V.”, “Islamic Radio”, “Islamic Banks”, “Islamic Finance”, Halaal Nail Polish, etc.
Waabisah ibn Ma’bad Radi Allahu anhu narrates: “I went to the Nabi of Allah (Sallallahu alaihe wasallam) and he said to me: “You have come to ask about righteousness?” I replied: “Yes.” He said: “Ask that question to your heart. Righteousness is that with which the soul and the heart experience tranquillity. Sin is that which creates doubt in the heart and causes hesitation in the chest, even if people give you a ruling (fatwa), even if people give you a ruling.” (Ahmad: 4/228. Ad-Darimi: 2/245,246)
Those that desire to be blind shall never see.
27June2012
THE EVIL OF TELEVISION
By Maulana Yunus Patel
One of the many sunnats of the Ambiyaa (‘alaihimus Salaam) is that of Hayaa – shame and modesty: a quality which is sorely missing in the lives of the majority of Muslims today and which should otherwise be an outstanding characteristic and feature of all Muslims, whether married or un-married.
Television is such an evil that if our society only understood its reality, then they would find no excuse to watch. Its spiritual harm is that it takes away the hayaa and shame of our men, women and children.
The content of most television programmes is nothing but immodesty and indecency, which invites nothing but immodesty and indecency – into our homes, into our lives and the lives of our children.
However, this truth and reality seems to just pass over the understanding of even those Muslims who have some link with Deen. Many are regular with Salaah, they are seen in the Musjid, they are wearing the garb of the pious and yet they will be the ones to present flimsy and feeble excuses to view television programmes.
Let us consider this situation of sin from the following view – which Alhamdulillah, has been a means of many getting rid of the television.
¿ If a person has to knock on your door and tell you: ‘I would like to use your lounge to commit adultery.’
¿ Or a group of some friends have to request you: ‘We would like to use your home to gamble and enjoy our liquor.’
¿ Or a group of youngsters have to tell you: ‘We have chosen your home as a venue for our partying, dancing, drug-taking and fornicating.’
¿ Or a Christian family has to request you: ‘We would like to use your home as a venue for our church ceremony: The marriage of our daughter as well as the baptism of our grandchild. We have already obtained the consent of one of our priests.’
¿ Or some idol-worshippers have to suggest: ‘We would like to carry out some of our religious rites in your home. We would like to bring our idols also. You are more than welcome to observe or participate in our rites. ’
Many Muslims, on hearing such requests, will get very angry; will express disgust – if not swear and curse such suggestions.
However, these very same Muslims who will even resort to swearing and cursing such proposals, invite into their homes all of the above by the switch of the television, by hiring English and Hindi films as well as DVDs and downloading porn and unacceptable films from the Internet. There is so much of adultery, partying and other filth that we seem to just welcome into our homes – least realizing the consequences.
Just to give you one example and this is but the tip of the iceberg – and it is said with the intention of removing the blindfold that most parents wear:
A father of four children mentioned to me that he had got rid of his television and he thereafter mentioned why. He explained that late one night he heard strange noises from his children’s room. On opening the door of their room, he found their television switched on. […This is our concept of modesty: parents must have their own television, to view all kinds of filthy programmes and films in their privacy, and children must have their own television to view all kinds of indecency in their privacy (Na-uzu Billah).]
The father mentioned that there were dirty and obscene scenes of naked people on the television screen. He mentioned that it was filthy and that it shocked him; but what had him even more shaken was that his children were all undressed, engaging in the same kind of indecent acts. He said himself, that until then he had not considered the harm of television. It took this kind of incident to wake him up. …This is just one example of so many. Do we wish to face something similar?
…Do we care to even know what our sons and daughters are doing in the secrecy of their rooms? The fact that many demand that no one ‘invade’ their space and privacy to the extent of having ‘No Entry’ signs on their doors, should have parents a little more than worried… esp. if they are viewing television and are surfing the net or have free access with cell phones.
Many have written, that after watching certain films or programmes, the desire came strongly into their hearts to take drugs, drink liquor, murder their parents, indulge in homosexuality, engage in adulterous relationships, commit suicide, rape, and so much else – and many of them do so.
Moreover, with sins like television and evil, lustful glancing, Allah Ta’ala removes the love between husband and wife and even ones children become disobedient.
There are many husbands who entertain thoughts of and fantasize of other women when with their wives. Many wives are guilty of the same infidelity having seen or socialized with ghair-mahareem. Many women are so infatuated and obsessed with some soccer player or cricket player that they become dissatisfied with their husbands, and spend their time fantasizing.
Had the person not viewed all those strange women and men on the television screen and computer screen, and had lowered his gaze in real life situations, then he would not have desired that which he cannot have, and there would not have been dissatisfaction with his or her spouse.
Moreover we complain: There is no barkat in our homes; there is no barkat in our wealth; there is no barkat in our time. Our children are rebellious. The husband is having an extra-marital relationship. The daughter has accepted Christianity. The son is on drugs … and the list of complaints does not end.
Then who is to blame except the one who brought all of this Haraam into the home by purchasing the television and exposing the family to so much of sin.
…Great Ulama became Bay’t upon the hands of Maulana Hakeem Fakhrudeen (Rahmatullah ‘alaih). He mentioned that there was a time, that with the rising and setting of the sun, he saw nothing but noor in Surat. The atmosphere was one of noor. After the cinemas and television and videos flooded Surat, there was nothing but ‘zulmat’ – darkness.
One Wali of Allah Ta’ala, on visiting a home, mentioned that he perceived the sin of Zina (adultery) from the walls of that home. He was able to recognize this due to the purity of his heart. The residents of that home were not indulging in adultery but they were watching the sin on television.
When fire burns against a white wall, it blackens the wall. The Ahle-Dil, with their purified hearts, see the fire of sins which has burnt and blackened the white hearts of the Muslims.
With that we take lesson and take measures to protect ourselves and our children.
