The Ruling on Selling a Television and Loving for the Sake of Allah
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner:
The questioner says: I inform you that I love you for the sake of Allah, may Allah make us among those who love each other for His sake, amen. To proceed, I present my question to you: I have had a television for a long time, and it has become clear to me that its harm outweighs its benefit. By the praise of Allah, I have hidden it, but my question is: Is it permissible for me to sell it and benefit from its price, or not? May Allah grant you success and guide your steps.
The Shaykh:
First, we say: May Allah love you, for you have loved us for His sake. Loving one another for the sake of Allah is among the most important acts of drawing near to Him and among the best of acts of obedience, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said in the authentic hadith: Allah says He says in the hadith, and He the Exalted says Sahih Muslim 2566 And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said Muwatta Malik 51:14 mentioning two men who love each other for the sake of Allah, who meet for it and part for it, which encompasses all men and women. As for what Allah has facilitated for you in abandoning the television and guarding against its evil, you have done well, and praise be to Allah. The television contains errors from which one should guard. So, whoever Allah grants safety from it is in the best and most complete state. And whoever does not find it easy to do so and is prevented from it, let him beware of the harm in watching harmful series, or what involves mere entertainment, or listening to songs and amusement. Let him lock it against that, and not open it or struggle with it except for what Allah has made permissible for him only. Let him forbid what Allah has forbidden. If Allah saves him from that and keeps him away from it, and he finds rest from it, he will be safe from evil and its means.
And if you sell it, there is no blame on you, because perhaps someone who fears Allah in it will buy it, and one who sees nothing but good and hears nothing but good. And if you destroy it, there is nothing wrong with that, for the matter in this is broad. If you destroy it as a precaution so that no one who would mess with it buys it, there is nothing wrong with that. And if you sell it, because if you destroyed it, it would not affect the people with anything existing. If you sell it and spend its price on what helps you in good, perhaps Allah will place it in the hand of one who benefits from it and it does not harm him. We ask Allah for guidance for all of us. Yes.
The questioner:
He sold something of the corruption that is in it.
The Shaykh:
Yes.
The questioner:
He sold it, and 'Abd al-Halim.
The Shaykh:
If you send it to [someone] with corruption in it, we ask Allah to grant him [someone] who does not corrupt it, one who benefits from it and does not corrupt it. So it is a double-edged tool.
The questioner says: I inform you that I love you for the sake of Allah, may Allah make us among those who love each other for His sake, amen. To proceed, I present my question to you: I have had a television for a long time, and it has become clear to me that its harm outweighs its benefit. By the praise of Allah, I have hidden it, but my question is: Is it permissible for me to sell it and benefit from its price, or not? May Allah grant you success and guide your steps.
The Shaykh:
First, we say: May Allah love you, for you have loved us for His sake. Loving one another for the sake of Allah is among the most important acts of drawing near to Him and among the best of acts of obedience, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said in the authentic hadith: Allah says
My love is obligatory for those who love for My sake, and those who exchange love for My sake, and those who trade in love for My sake, and those who sit together for My sake
وجبت محبتي للمتحابين في والمتبادلين في والمتداولين في والمتجالسين فيon the Day of Resurrection: Where are those who have mutual love for My Glory's sake? Today I shall shelter them in My shadow when there is no other shadow but the shadow of Mine.
يوم القيامة أئذا متحابون بجلالي أل يوم أظلهم في ظلي يوم لا ظل إلا ظليThere are seven whom Allah will shade in His shade on the day on which there is no shade except His shade
سبعة يظلهم الله في ظله يوم لا ظل إلا ظلهAnd if you sell it, there is no blame on you, because perhaps someone who fears Allah in it will buy it, and one who sees nothing but good and hears nothing but good. And if you destroy it, there is nothing wrong with that, for the matter in this is broad. If you destroy it as a precaution so that no one who would mess with it buys it, there is nothing wrong with that. And if you sell it, because if you destroyed it, it would not affect the people with anything existing. If you sell it and spend its price on what helps you in good, perhaps Allah will place it in the hand of one who benefits from it and it does not harm him. We ask Allah for guidance for all of us. Yes.
The questioner:
He sold something of the corruption that is in it.
The Shaykh:
Yes.
The questioner:
He sold it, and 'Abd al-Halim.
The Shaykh:
If you send it to [someone] with corruption in it, we ask Allah to grant him [someone] who does not corrupt it, one who benefits from it and does not corrupt it. So it is a double-edged tool.
Source
أخلاق المؤمنين والمؤمنات — islamhouse.com (1:07:41)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.