A man earns his livelihood from a shop selling video and cassette tapes; what is the ruling on this earnings?

The questioner : A man earns his livelihood from a shop selling video and cassette tapes; what is the ruling on this earnings in detail?

The Shaykh : The ruling on video is like the ruling on many matters in which the permissible and the forbidden are mixed. The criterion in such cases is to look at what is predominant. If the predominant part is lawful, it is lawful; if the predominant part is forbidden, it is forbidden. What we believe regarding our reality today is that what predominates in video is what predominates on television, and what predominates on television, without a doubt, is what is not permissible to broadcast or to look at. Therefore, the ruling on video is that it is not permissible to use it, sell it, or buy it. All of this falls under the generality of the saying of Allah the Exalted: . This verse must be firmly established, at least in its meaning, in the minds of every Muslim, in the mind of every Muslim, even if he is an ordinary man. The fact that a Muslim is ordinary does not necessarily mean that he must be ignorant of some of the general Islamic principles with which people are frequently tested. So, the saying of Allah, Mighty and Majestic: , is a general principle. Therefore, a Muslim should not frequently ask about any type of matter in which he knows there is cooperation in wrongdoing. The answer should be known to him: it is not permissible. Therefore, I am very distressed when the questions all come in the same tone, and they all fall under cooperation in wrongdoing. This can never be limited. For this reason, I advise that this principle should not be removed from our minds: . This includes every type of wrongdoing, such as the one who sells, for example, what they call today "novelties." These are mostly characterized by... women in free mixing and tabarruj (display of adornment) and the like. Therefore, one should not ask whether this is permissible or not, as long as the predominant aspect of it is cooperation in wrongdoing. The issue of video is of this same nature. Yes.