What is the ruling on watching television?

The Shaykh : Here is a question that says: What is the ruling on watching television?
The Shaykh: The answer to this varies depending on what is known to be on the television screen. If what is shown benefits the viewer with knowledge and learning about matters that he cannot properly understand except through viewing, or if that viewing causes his heart to have greater reverence for Allah (Mighty and Majestic) than if he had not seen it—such as when the scenes displayed relate to the wonders of the creation of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) on land, in the sea, and in the air—in such a case, it is said: watching television is permissible. As for everything else, watching revolves between prohibition and dislike, depending on the matters displayed there. For example, if there is a party being shown with dancing, with "band music," or with such European customs that do not make something lawful or forbidden, then it is not permissible to look at that at all. In my view, the presence of a television in the home of one of the servants of Allah will, in most cases, divert them from performing some of the religious obligations. For instance, the presence of a television in the home exposes the household to staying up late after the 'Isha' prayer. The Messenger (peace be upon him) forbade staying up late in hadiths in "Sahih al-Bukhari and Muslim." The prohibition becomes more emphasized if a man or woman stays up late and prolongs it by looking at a television that is not obligatory to watch, at least not to the extent of watching it. The consequence of that long night of staying up is that he is unable to get up for the Fajr prayer at its time, but rather he wakes up for it after its time has passed. Thus, he has engaged in a forbidden matter, because it is established that what is necessary for performing an obligation is itself obligatory, and what leads to a forbidden act is itself forbidden. This includes staying up late around the television, even if the image is the permissible one we described, as long as it leads to that forbidden act, it is not permissible.