What is the ruling on acting or drama?

Question : He asks: Is acting in a theater at the summer center or elsewhere permissible? Is there any harm in it?

Answer : Regarding acting, contemporary scholars have differed. Some have permitted it with conditions, while others have prohibited it absolutely. What appears to me is that it is permissible with conditions. The first condition is that it must serve a benefit; if it serves no benefit, it is idle talk and a waste of time. The second condition is that it must not contain anything forbidden; if it contains something forbidden, it is haram (forbidden), such as portraying the role of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), or the role of one of the Companions, or the role of one of the leaders of the Muslims, especially if the person playing the role is known for open sinfulness, for it does not befit the status of the one being portrayed. The third condition is that it must not contain...
...forbidden imitation, such as a person imitating a disbeliever by playing the role of a disbeliever, or imitating a woman by playing the role of a woman, or the like. This is likely included in the second condition, which is that it must not contain anything forbidden.
The fourth condition is that it must not contain lies. If it contains lies, such as a person playing the role of a specific individual and attributing to him words he did not say, that is lying, and it is feared that this falls under the saying of the Prophet . If the prohibited matter is absent and there is no lying in it, then it is permissible according to this opinion.
Because acting is a depiction of reality through speech. It is well known that using verbal examples is established by the Shari'ah.
For Allah the Exalted has used parables in His speech, Glorified and Exalted is He, such as His saying: “The parable of those who…” . to the end of it, So, making a parable is describing a thing by its action.
This is actual acting, while using verbal examples is a depiction of a thing through speech. Perhaps these scholars have cited as evidence what is established in the authentic collections regarding the story of the three men: the leper, the bald one, and the blind one, when Allah sent an angel to them, and the hadith was mentioned, in which it says: "Indeed, I am a traveler and my journey has been cut off." He said the same to the bald one, and he said the same to the blind one. It is well known that the angel was not actually a traveler, but he assumed the role of a traveler. If the evidence from this hadith is valid, the matter is clear. If it is not valid, the default ruling for matters other than acts of worship is permissibility until evidence comes to prohibit it.