What is the ruling on video and television?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : I would like to follow up regarding video and television. We have established that if the video contains nothing unlawful, it is lawful. But television is essentially an image, and the presence of an image in the house—the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said Musnad Ahmad 1270Da'if (Darussalam). So, if one uses video, it cannot be used without a television; that is, a video device without a television has no function. If we use it for something lawful, we must use the television. If there are images on it, what is the ruling here?
The Shaykh : I do not think you have any images in your house.
The questioner : There are no doubt, even if I hide them and do not display them, they are there.
The Shaykh : When you have a video, is it hidden or displayed?
The questioner : No, of course it must be displayed. Where would I hide it?
The Shaykh : Video.
The questioner : The video must be a device.
The Shaykh : I know it is a device, but will the image be visible?
The questioner : The video, no.
The Shaykh : So what is the difference between the image you have in your house and the image that is not in your house but is on the video, in terms of the fact that neither is a visible image, but neither is visible?
The questioner : There is no difference.
The Shaykh : But you made a distinction.
The questioner : I meant regarding the television.
The Shaykh : I am not asking you about your intention. We agreed here with the professor that we do not look into intentions.
The questioner : Okay, there is no difference between the image on the video and a regular image.
The Shaykh : Okay, I am telling you that you made a distinction.
The questioner : It may be permissible.
The Shaykh : And it may not be permissible. We do not like to nitpick.
The questioner : I did make a distinction, yes. I made a distinction in the sense that it did not occur to me that this image...
The Shaykh : May Allah reward you. This is what allows us to proceed on the path of rapprochement and understanding. The image that is in your house, and in mine too—I am not better than you; we are all equal in this regard. The image that is in your house or in mine, we did not use it, we did not take it, and we did not acquire it except based on our belief in its permissibility, correct?
The questioner : Correct.
The Shaykh : Okay, if there is another image to which the same ruling applies, do we make a distinction?
The questioner : No.
The Shaykh : Okay, if we say in the answer you commented on that what is on the video is either something that does not please Allah, in which case it does not please Allah, or it is something that pleases Allah, in which case it is from what pleases Allah, what observation do you have left after this clarification?
The questioner : This answer is about the video; it did not address the answer regarding the television.
The Shaykh : I am speaking about the video; without the video, there would be no television.
The questioner : My question linked the video and the television together.
Another questioner : The question was not about the video; the video does not work without a television.
The Shaykh : I am not saying it does not work. In my mind, and it is possible that due to my ignorance of the art...
Al-Halabi : Ignorance of it is knowledge, O our Shaykh.
The Shaykh : What is in my mind is that the video is what provides the image on the television.
The questioner : Yes, it provides it to the television.
The Shaykh : But my friend, the old one, says no.
Al-Awaisheh: The television is general, and the video is specific.
The questioner : I mean, my dear sir, without the television, if we put the video tape in the video, we will not see an image.
The Shaykh : Correct, but without a video, there is no television.
The questioner : No, there is from the radio itself.
Abu Layla : ofThe Shaykh : Correct, there is no television image except from the video.
The Shaykh : This is... this is my intention. Okay. What is left?
The questioner : What is left now is the television.
The Shaykh : You should be at ease. Let us finish here and come to you. Let us finish here and talk with you, and see what the issue is. May Allah guide you.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good. If it is something religious and lawful, it is lawful. That is what I want to convey: if the ruling on the video is the same as the ruling on the television, that is the intention.
The Shaykh : The ruling on the television is like the image that is with me and with you. Now, we will bring up a real image, which I have spoken about in some sessions, and some of our brothers who are present here now. If, for example, a government uses television and video to achieve religious interests, similar to identity cards and passports—in my opinion, even more important than them—if they tasked a learned, virtuous Shaykh to show people the rituals of Hajj via television, and if this presentation needs to be repeated, the video medium must be used, correct?
The questioner : Correct.
The Shaykh : So this image is an example of what we briefly mentioned earlier: if what is on the video is from what pleases Allah, it pleases Allah, and so on. Is this example not very clear for this concise answer? But the reality today, unfortunately, is not like this. Most of what is broadcast is from what angers Allah (Mighty and Majestic). So in this, there is nothing hidden, or nothing remains hidden regarding what we mentioned earlier: what pleases Allah or what does not please Allah. Now we will see what the one who was eager to speak on behalf of the other wants to say. Do you have any facts?
Another questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And what is it?
Another questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : May Allah guide you.
We do not enter a house in which there is an image or a dog
لا يدخل الملائكة بيتا فيه صورة أو كلبThe Shaykh : I do not think you have any images in your house.
The questioner : There are no doubt, even if I hide them and do not display them, they are there.
The Shaykh : When you have a video, is it hidden or displayed?
The questioner : No, of course it must be displayed. Where would I hide it?
The Shaykh : Video.
The questioner : The video must be a device.
The Shaykh : I know it is a device, but will the image be visible?
The questioner : The video, no.
The Shaykh : So what is the difference between the image you have in your house and the image that is not in your house but is on the video, in terms of the fact that neither is a visible image, but neither is visible?
The questioner : There is no difference.
The Shaykh : But you made a distinction.
The questioner : I meant regarding the television.
The Shaykh : I am not asking you about your intention. We agreed here with the professor that we do not look into intentions.
The questioner : Okay, there is no difference between the image on the video and a regular image.
The Shaykh : Okay, I am telling you that you made a distinction.
The questioner : It may be permissible.
The Shaykh : And it may not be permissible. We do not like to nitpick.
The questioner : I did make a distinction, yes. I made a distinction in the sense that it did not occur to me that this image...
The Shaykh : May Allah reward you. This is what allows us to proceed on the path of rapprochement and understanding. The image that is in your house, and in mine too—I am not better than you; we are all equal in this regard. The image that is in your house or in mine, we did not use it, we did not take it, and we did not acquire it except based on our belief in its permissibility, correct?
The questioner : Correct.
The Shaykh : Okay, if there is another image to which the same ruling applies, do we make a distinction?
The questioner : No.
The Shaykh : Okay, if we say in the answer you commented on that what is on the video is either something that does not please Allah, in which case it does not please Allah, or it is something that pleases Allah, in which case it is from what pleases Allah, what observation do you have left after this clarification?
The questioner : This answer is about the video; it did not address the answer regarding the television.
The Shaykh : I am speaking about the video; without the video, there would be no television.
The questioner : My question linked the video and the television together.
Another questioner : The question was not about the video; the video does not work without a television.
The Shaykh : I am not saying it does not work. In my mind, and it is possible that due to my ignorance of the art...
Al-Halabi : Ignorance of it is knowledge, O our Shaykh.
The Shaykh : What is in my mind is that the video is what provides the image on the television.
The questioner : Yes, it provides it to the television.
The Shaykh : But my friend, the old one, says no.
Al-Awaisheh: The television is general, and the video is specific.
The questioner : I mean, my dear sir, without the television, if we put the video tape in the video, we will not see an image.
The Shaykh : Correct, but without a video, there is no television.
The questioner : No, there is from the radio itself.
Abu Layla : ofThe Shaykh : Correct, there is no television image except from the video.
The Shaykh : This is... this is my intention. Okay. What is left?
The questioner : What is left now is the television.
The Shaykh : You should be at ease. Let us finish here and come to you. Let us finish here and talk with you, and see what the issue is. May Allah guide you.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good. If it is something religious and lawful, it is lawful. That is what I want to convey: if the ruling on the video is the same as the ruling on the television, that is the intention.
The Shaykh : The ruling on the television is like the image that is with me and with you. Now, we will bring up a real image, which I have spoken about in some sessions, and some of our brothers who are present here now. If, for example, a government uses television and video to achieve religious interests, similar to identity cards and passports—in my opinion, even more important than them—if they tasked a learned, virtuous Shaykh to show people the rituals of Hajj via television, and if this presentation needs to be repeated, the video medium must be used, correct?
The questioner : Correct.
The Shaykh : So this image is an example of what we briefly mentioned earlier: if what is on the video is from what pleases Allah, it pleases Allah, and so on. Is this example not very clear for this concise answer? But the reality today, unfortunately, is not like this. Most of what is broadcast is from what angers Allah (Mighty and Majestic). So in this, there is nothing hidden, or nothing remains hidden regarding what we mentioned earlier: what pleases Allah or what does not please Allah. Now we will see what the one who was eager to speak on behalf of the other wants to say. Do you have any facts?
Another questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And what is it?
Another questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : May Allah guide you.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.