The Ruling on Scholars’ Participation in the Media
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
Have our scholars fulfilled their media obligation toward their citizens? Why have many of them not participated in visual and audio media? Is it disliked or forbidden to work in it?
Answer:
Scholars differ on this issue. Some consider it permissible to participate, while others refrain from it because of the images involved. Consequently, many refrain from it. It is a matter of independent legal reasoning and scholarly disagreement among the scholars regarding the permissibility of participating in it and appearing on screen to deliver words and guidance.
Some have done so, considering that there is a public benefit in it, and that what is related to image-making is excused in light of that benefit.
Others have refrained from it. For this reason, those who participate in audio and written media are more numerous than those who participate in visual media, due to this matter you have heard—namely, the issue of image-making. And what we believe is: that it is permissible for one who participates in it with the intention of reform, refuting doubts, and manifesting the truth, and he is excused for what occurs in the image-making for the sake of the great public benefit.
The well-known legal principle in the pure Shari'ah is that it is obligatory to secure the greater of the two benefits, or the greatest benefits, even if it means sacrificing one of them or both in this world. And it is obligatory to nullify the greater of the two harms, or the greatest harms, even if it requires committing the lesser of them or the least of them. These are known legal principles.
Just as it is permissible for a person to take the identification he needs, for the sake of people’s minds, even if it is by image, because of his need for it, so the need of the Muslims for scholars to appear on television for advice and guidance is greater than a man’s need for identification and the like. We ask Allah to guide the scholars to what is in their well-being and the well-being of the Muslims. We ask Allah to guide us and them all to what is in our well-being, the well-being of our nation, and the well-being of all the Muslims.
Have our scholars fulfilled their media obligation toward their citizens? Why have many of them not participated in visual and audio media? Is it disliked or forbidden to work in it?
Answer:
Scholars differ on this issue. Some consider it permissible to participate, while others refrain from it because of the images involved. Consequently, many refrain from it. It is a matter of independent legal reasoning and scholarly disagreement among the scholars regarding the permissibility of participating in it and appearing on screen to deliver words and guidance.
Some have done so, considering that there is a public benefit in it, and that what is related to image-making is excused in light of that benefit.
Others have refrained from it. For this reason, those who participate in audio and written media are more numerous than those who participate in visual media, due to this matter you have heard—namely, the issue of image-making. And what we believe is: that it is permissible for one who participates in it with the intention of reform, refuting doubts, and manifesting the truth, and he is excused for what occurs in the image-making for the sake of the great public benefit.
The well-known legal principle in the pure Shari'ah is that it is obligatory to secure the greater of the two benefits, or the greatest benefits, even if it means sacrificing one of them or both in this world. And it is obligatory to nullify the greater of the two harms, or the greatest harms, even if it requires committing the lesser of them or the least of them. These are known legal principles.
Just as it is permissible for a person to take the identification he needs, for the sake of people’s minds, even if it is by image, because of his need for it, so the need of the Muslims for scholars to appear on television for advice and guidance is greater than a man’s need for identification and the like. We ask Allah to guide the scholars to what is in their well-being and the well-being of the Muslims. We ask Allah to guide us and them all to what is in our well-being, the well-being of our nation, and the well-being of all the Muslims.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.