The Ruling on Television.

The Shaykh : Television is a wicked devil in the home of a Muslim. I mean, we do not know that it did not exist in the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Well, since you are saying this, I will ask you: Did opium exist in the time of the Messenger of Allah? If it is lawful, why don’t I go [to use it]? How did you know that opium, for example, is not lawful? And opium is also sometimes used in the treatment of patients. But you are saying that television did not exist in the time of the Messenger of Allah, and I tell you, yes, it did not exist in the time of the Messenger of Allah, and opium also did not exist in the time of the Messenger of Allah, and these cinemas where women and men mix did not exist in the time of the Messenger of Allah. Does that mean that every one of the evils that did not exist in the time of the Messenger of Allah but has appeared today is lawful? Islam is a broad religion that gathers and encompasses. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: A single hadith from which the scholar benefits with dozens, even hundreds of issues. This hadith, for example, is his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): So everything that harms, whether in health, in character, in behavior, or in anything similar to that, is not permissible to use even if it did not exist in the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), because it is harmful. Therefore, the harm of television is greater than its benefit. And your statement just now that there are benefits in television—this is something that, since you are a Muslim woman, if Allah wills, you should not fall into again in such speech. Because Allah mentioned regarding the forbidden khamr (intoxicants) in the Qur’an, He the Exalted said: So it is not permissible for a person to look at a thing from the angle that it has a benefit; we need to see if it also has a harm or not. If it has a benefit and it has a harm, one must weigh them against each other. If its harm is greater than its benefit, it is forbidden. If its benefit is greater than its harm, it is lawful. And so, when you say that there is a benefit in television, and we know this, but we know that the evil of television is greater than its benefit. I am asking you now: Do you imagine a house with a television where the people of this house sleep after the 'Isha' prayer, or do they stay up until midnight? Ah, did you see how it is? And the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade sleeping before the 'Isha' prayer and staying up after it. Did you see what the result is? How the one who uses television and brings it into his home contradicts the hadiths of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). And you say it did not exist in the time of the Messenger of Allah, and even if it did not exist, there are texts from which the scholar benefits that this thing which did not exist and then came into being is looked at to see if its harm is greater than its evil. If its harm is greater than its evil, then it is forbidden. Therefore, the house that has a television today, the children, male and female, grow up not caring about reciting the Qur’an, and not caring about reading the hadiths of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), because they amuse themselves and waste all their time behind the television, because it is a fitnah (trial, discord or temptation) and because it is attractive. So fear Allah in yourself and in those for whom you are responsible. And peace be upon you.