The Ruling on a Woman’s Participation in Acting

The questioner : Some people say that a woman’s participation in acting is a necessary requirement that cannot be avoided, because we cannot exclude women from life, and no dramatic work—meaning purposeful artistic acting—exists without a woman; it would be illogical. Our evidence for this is that the Qur’anic stories, from Adam (peace be upon him) to the final Messenger, mention Adam and Eve, Noah and his wife, and all the others, all of whom include women in their vital roles. So how can we close the door on them and exclude them from life? Please be kind enough to give us your guidance on this statement. This statement was not mentioned among us;

The Shaykh : perhaps it was in a newspaper that was read or not read. There is a great difference between a woman herself acting in front of people and a story being told that includes a woman. We do not say that women should never be mentioned, but we do not see it as permissible for an actress to act, except perhaps in an all-women community with no men present. In that case, it is possible if we accept the permissibility of acting, although there is disagreement among contemporary scholars regarding the original ruling on acting. But we ask Allah for safety. Indeed, the Muslims are almost saying that the trials have begun to raise their necks and have begun to appear. Perhaps this, and Allah knows best, is a preparation for the emergence of the Mahdi, for he will emerge when the earth is filled with oppression and injustice. The fact that the trials are multiplying to this great extent, with wars, foolishness, and other things, perhaps indicates that, and Allah knows best.