The Ruling on Buying, Selling, and Keeping Televisions and Recorders

Question:
What is the ruling on buying a television? What is the ruling on keeping it, bringing it into the home, and using it for religious programs? And is it permissible for me to sell recorders, televisions, radios, recorders, and blank tapes? We ask for clarification on this.

Answer:
The television contains great evil; and it contains some benefits and good. So what we advise is to avoid it and not keep it, because of the evils that may occur in it, such as songs, instruments of amusement, and the appearance of women who are uncovered and not veiled, and some of the bad series that are shown in it. This is the reason why it should not be kept.
As for if it happens that a person controls it and does not hear from it anything but what is good, then if that is possible, there is nothing wrong with it, but it is not possible in most cases; because it leads from one thing to another.
Likewise, regarding recorders, if the recorder contains songs and what is wrong, it is not permissible. As for ordinary recorders that contain nothing, there is nothing wrong with recording what is good and what is bad on them. So the recorder is sold and bought, and there is nothing wrong with it, but it should not be used to record anything but what is good; one should not record bad things on it.
And as for the video, likewise, one must be cautious; because in it one watches evil films. One should be cautious and not keep it at all; because it is a means to great evil. May Allah except a video on which good is recorded that benefits the Muslims in calling to Allah and doing what benefits the Muslims. And this is rare among people; what is desired among people is the evil.