The Ruling on Purposeful Stage Acting

Question:
He says: Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success, and after the greeting of peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah, what is your view on purposeful stage acting that is held in some schools and summer centers for the purpose of raising the awareness of the youth, knowing that it is free from evil and obscene speech and action? May Allah preserve you, and peace be upon you.

Answer:
Stage acting is not permissible because it is lying. The fact that he acts as if he is 'Umar, or al-Siddiq, or 'Uthman, or 'Ali, or 'Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz, or Shaytan, or Abu Jahl, or he himself, this is not acceptable; it is lying and not permissible. As for informing about them and saying, " 'Umar said, al-Siddiq said, 'Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz said, so-and-so said," this is reporting about them and there is no harm in it, provided he verifies the transmission and conveys it. But if he calls himself 'Umar and speaks about 'Umar, or about al-Siddiq, or about the Prophet, or about so-and-so, or about Shaytan, or about Abu Jahl, it is not acceptable. Yes.