The Sale and Purchase of Low-Grade Magazines
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
He says: Honorable Shaykh (may Allah preserve him), amen. What is the ruling of the Shari'ah, in your opinion, regarding the sale and purchase of low-grade magazines that spread obscenity in society and stir up fitnah (trial, discord or temptation), which is one of the greatest trials? What is your role, and the role of the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, in addressing these errors?
Answer:
Any magazine or newspaper that spreads evil, calls to evil, and whose evil outweighs its good, must be prevented; it must be put an end to. As for one whose evil is slight compared to its good, the evil in it must be removed and it must be prevented from spreading it, so that it remains in the realm of good. It is obligatory for the officials in the Ministry of Media and the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, and for us and everyone who has the ability, to begin removing the evil and preserving the good. Any magazine or newspaper that spreads evil, or in which evil predominates, must be stopped. This falls under the category of enjoining good and forbidding evil, and under the category of advising one another to truth and being patient in it. Yes.
He says: Honorable Shaykh (may Allah preserve him), amen. What is the ruling of the Shari'ah, in your opinion, regarding the sale and purchase of low-grade magazines that spread obscenity in society and stir up fitnah (trial, discord or temptation), which is one of the greatest trials? What is your role, and the role of the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, in addressing these errors?
Answer:
Any magazine or newspaper that spreads evil, calls to evil, and whose evil outweighs its good, must be prevented; it must be put an end to. As for one whose evil is slight compared to its good, the evil in it must be removed and it must be prevented from spreading it, so that it remains in the realm of good. It is obligatory for the officials in the Ministry of Media and the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, and for us and everyone who has the ability, to begin removing the evil and preserving the good. Any magazine or newspaper that spreads evil, or in which evil predominates, must be stopped. This falls under the category of enjoining good and forbidding evil, and under the category of advising one another to truth and being patient in it. Yes.
Source
لقاءات لابن باز - لقاء مفتوح مع الشيخ ابن باز — archive.org (1:11:39)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.