Friday 19 Ramadan 1445 - 29 March 2024
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Ruling on watching TV, videos and satellite channels

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Publication : 31-12-2000

Views : 34842

Question

What is the ruling on watching TV? On watching depraved videos? On installing a satellite dish in the home?

Answer

Praise be to Allah.

Watching TV is very dangerous, and I advise you not to watch it and not to sit in front of it as far as possible. But if the viewer has the moral strength to benefit from what is good, and that will not lead him into evil, then there is nothing to prevent him from that, if he knows that he has that moral strength. If he can listen to something good and benefit from it, and keep away from evil things such as songs and objectionable dramas and other harmful things, then there is nothing wrong with that. But usually the one thing leads to the other, so I advise people not to bring the TV into the home and not to watch it, because one thing leads to another, and because people are inclined to watch weird things if they are in front of them. It is not like listening; listening is less dangerous, but watching and listening may be more attractive and more addictive to people.

 More evil than that are videos, if they contain depraved films and are circulated among people – we seek refuge with Allah. These depraved video movies are more evil, and we must beware of them. The wise person, if he finds anything of that nature, must destroy it or record something over it in order to remove the evil. If possible, he should record something useful over it, so as to remove the evil thing and so that some benefit may be gained from the tape on which something good has been recorded.

 Even more evil are satellite dishes. We must beware of them and not install them in our homes. May Allah keep the Muslims safe from all evil.

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Source:  Kitaab Majmoo’ Fataawa wa Maqaalaat Mutanawwi’ah li Samaahat al-Shaykh al-‘Allaamah ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him), vol. 9, p. 384