What is the ruling on watching television?
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The questioner : May Allah reward you. A questioner says: I have a television in my house, and I do not watch anything forbidden on it, but my children only watch cartoons on it?
The Shaykh : Yes, my advice to every Muslim is to avoid the television and bringing it into his home, especially with the existence of satellite dishes, which are like cancer in the Ummah. Its harm does not stop with the owner of the house but spreads to those around him. So, my advice to every Muslim, as a brotherly advice, is to avoid bringing the television into his home, because he is safe and his family is safe, and he does not know. Perhaps today he can control himself and his family, but tomorrow he may not be able to; he may be overcome or die, and his family inherits it from him after his death. Then every forbidden thing they see, he will bear its sin, or he will have a share of its sin, because he is the one who caused it to be brought into the house.
So, my advice to my brothers is not to acquire this, and praise be to Allah, news is available other than on television; it is available on the radio, and the Prophetic hadiths, sermons, and the Qur'an are also available other than on television. But suppose you visited a friend of yours and found that he had turned on the television to the news; is it forbidden for you to watch it? The answer is: No, it is not forbidden, because watching pure news is not a problem, as if you are looking at them from a window, so there is no harm in it. But the discussion is about acquisition, and acquisition is one thing, and watching is another thing. My advice to every Muslim is not to acquire it, but as for watching, it depends on what is shown on it, whether it is good or evil.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : If he is compelled by circumstances, he should break it and be done with it.[At-Taghabun 64:16] If the house belongs to his father and his father is the one who brought it in, and he is unable to do anything about it, then Allah the Exalted said: [At-Taghabun 64:16] And if the television is turned on to forbidden scenes, let him stand up. Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes, my advice to every Muslim is to avoid the television and bringing it into his home, especially with the existence of satellite dishes, which are like cancer in the Ummah. Its harm does not stop with the owner of the house but spreads to those around him. So, my advice to every Muslim, as a brotherly advice, is to avoid bringing the television into his home, because he is safe and his family is safe, and he does not know. Perhaps today he can control himself and his family, but tomorrow he may not be able to; he may be overcome or die, and his family inherits it from him after his death. Then every forbidden thing they see, he will bear its sin, or he will have a share of its sin, because he is the one who caused it to be brought into the house.
So, my advice to my brothers is not to acquire this, and praise be to Allah, news is available other than on television; it is available on the radio, and the Prophetic hadiths, sermons, and the Qur'an are also available other than on television. But suppose you visited a friend of yours and found that he had turned on the television to the news; is it forbidden for you to watch it? The answer is: No, it is not forbidden, because watching pure news is not a problem, as if you are looking at them from a window, so there is no harm in it. But the discussion is about acquisition, and acquisition is one thing, and watching is another thing. My advice to every Muslim is not to acquire it, but as for watching, it depends on what is shown on it, whether it is good or evil.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : If he is compelled by circumstances, he should break it and be done with it.