The Impact of Television and Its Programs on People's Beliefs

The questioner:
Your Eminence, regarding the extent to which people are affected in their morals and behavior, and that influence comes through what is broadcast on the television set. But the calamity grows larger when people are affected in their beliefs, through what I am saying here, through the materials of disbelief that are shown on it. I give as an example that some, or that every week on the television screen, a program is shown called "The Natural World," where the host or commentator on this program tries through it to undermine people's ideas with that false, malicious theory claiming the evolution of human creation, which is the theory of Darwin or Freud. And here is the text of what he said in one of its episodes, and he keeps a record of the date of it, saying: "The error in creating this wide gap between man and his animal brother is that man himself, despite what links them from a single origin in ancient times." And he says in another phrase: "These movements performed by this ape are clear evidence of the single origin in which he converges with his human brother." And so, Your Eminence, we ask you to draw the attention of those responsible for this device to such...

The Shaykh:
No, no, but...

The presenter:
O watermelon.

The Shaykh:
And that is to know. We were tested with our discipline.

The presenter:
My advice to you is for them, and may Allah preserve you. Look.

The Shaykh:
There is no doubt that this is a matter among some of the sheikhs of their gatherings. There is no doubt that the media have a great impact in reforming people and in corrupting people. The media have a great stake in corruption and reform, and especially television, for it enters people's homes and everywhere. There is no doubt that there are types of evil in it. The responsible ones have directed them to what happens in it, advised regarding it, and ordered regarding it what they claim. But we ask Allah to guide those in charge of it, and to make the responsible ones stop what is not adhered to, and to remove those who drag Muslims into severe harm and corruption in acting and in other things. So acting is of great danger, and therefore its error is great.
And the press is of great danger. All of it needs righteous jihad. All of it needs complete care in removing the corrupt ones. From among the believers, this and this and this. And that one known for reform and uprightness be appointed in it. So that nothing is broadcast, and nothing is aired, and nothing is written except what is beneficial to the Muslims. So the continuation of this in its current state, broadcasting series that harm people, and broadcasting things of songs and entertainment that harm people, this is no doubt harmful to the Muslims. And we ask Allah to grant success to the sons of authority to remove what is in it of falsehood, and to remove from it the employees who are not righteous, so that the righteous are appointed, and so that the bad programs that harm the Muslims are removed. We ask Allah the Great and the prayer, and we ask Allah to support them from the evil of the Qur'an which clarifies for them some of the falsehood and establishes them in some of the truth. There is no power and no strength except by Allah.
The continuation is no doubt great and needs a great and large soul from the rulers until this program and this device are reformed. If it is good, it benefits people greatly, and if it is corrupt, it harms people greatly.
So it is an acknowledgment of the spirit of religion. It is directed to good, it stands upon good, and it establishes this good. May Allah benefit people through it. And if it is taken or one is martyred in it, it causes much harm. And there is no doubt that there is harm in it from now. And we ask Allah to make the rulers and those in charge of jihad in it for everything that is in the reform of the nation. And it is not in the hands of the scholars and the calling reformers except direction, guidance, and calling to good. And asking Allah to entrust the responsible ones, and for every Muslim to call upon Allah for the responsible ones to be entrusted, and to come to them, and to protect them from what is in the harm of the nation, and to replace the Muslims' good ones, and to protect them from their evil ones and the schemes of their enemies. And there is no doubt that the enemies have hands in these matters.
They have malicious hands in appointing the wicked and removing the good ones. And not every false hand and every malicious hand is allowed to act. And it may come through a way that appears to be a way of reform but is corruption. There is no power and no strength except by Allah. Yes.