So watching TV is against Islam?
Submitted by admin on 17 July 2008 - 10:52am
By Nasiruddin Haider Khan
Saturday 12th July. Big crowed was gathered around Daurala road of Lavad village of Merut city. Every passing vehicle stopped to let their passengers see this tamasha. They tried to understand, what has happened. What is happening...? People of the area are bringing TV, VCD, from their homes and throwing on the road. Someone holding VCD player. Someone has tape recorder in their hands. TV.... tape recorders... VCD players... CDs... They are bringing whatever they have... Each and every article was smashed. To ensure complete destruction they poured kerosene and put the heap of broken electronics on fire. Nothing remained except ashes... ashes to spread in the air!
But why all this tamasha?
“These things (TV, VCDs and tape recorders) are responsible for obscenity, vulgarity and increasing crime in the society. Young blood is getting corrupted. They are not taking their responsibility seriously.” That was what the leader of this “smashing” event had to say about this. But he did not stop here, “All these things are against Islam. Ulema have given fatwa about it. They are learned people. Watching TV, VCD and listening tapes are haraam and Muslims should give up,” he continued. He appealed to all the fellow Muslims, “do not use these ‘evil’ media and if someone is using it, throw it out from home.”
Age before the advent of Islam is known as the age of jahiliyat (ignorance). Society at large was said to be in the Dark Age. It is believed Islam has put restrictions and imposed sanctions against several social evils at that time. Like, Islam has imposed strict sanctions against female infanticide prevalent in the Arab region; Islam has given women the right to inherit, just to name a few. In this respect, this religion never perpetuated status quo and always took steps ahead of its time. There are so many things that we have today, unthinkable 14 hundred years ago. So, the most important question here is what will be the religious directives for using these new inventions?
Are we going to reject or discard all the things which are outcome of the modern world? Then we have to go back to the jungle... and spend the whole life collecting leaves... eating leaves... and hiding behind leaves ... sleep on the leaves. Should we accept that clock of Islam has stopped 14 hundred years ago? Then, along with TV and tape recorder, everything which are invented after Islam, would be banned. As far as I know, this is not the teaching of Islam.
The age of jahiliyat has not come to and end after the advent of Islam. We have enough reason to believe this. Just see this example. The darkness of Jahiliyat is still persisting. These types of incidents only give bad name to Islam and Muslims.
It is very simple and clear. No invention in itself is obscene and anti religion. The most important thing is, who is using it and for what purpose. If the channels have typical saas-bahu serials, there is also a channel like QTV, purely religious. If there are ten bad films, there are several good and inspiring too. Huzur, All these media are the tools of information and knowledge. In today’s world, these are as essential as bread and butter. They work as oxygen for human being. They are the basis of democracy.
The fear that the young generation will be corrupted and indulge is a matter of research by social scietists, but by destroying TV, it is most certain that the young and energetic generation and future of Islam will be deprived of unlimited knowledge and information of the world. This is the jahiliyat of the modern world. Now, the big question is how this darkness will vanish?
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Nasiruddin Haider Khan is a Lucknow based activist and journalist and can be reached at nasiruddinhk@gmail.com, he blogs at http://dhaiakhar.blogspot.com
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Is Watching TV is against Islam ?
I am dismayed and surprised to read the comments of the honorable writer.
I congratulate the people of Daurala road of Lavad village of Merut city for doing a commendable act. What Mr Nasiruddin Haider Khan Saheb is describing as "Tamasha" was in effect an act of "Nahi Unil Munkar", in my humble opinion.
Quote: "People of the area are bringing TV, VCD, from their homes and throwing on the road. They are bringing whatever they have. Each and every article was smashed." What an excellent news!
This reminds of the days of Prophet SAS when Sahabas threw and poured out all the wines on the streets after Allah decreed that "Sharab" (Alcohol) was forbidden because it had more harms than benefits and it was an act of Shaitan.
The writer asks why all this tamasha?
Well it is beyond doubt and every one Muslim and non Muslim even a non believer recognizes the fact that these things (TV specially satellite TV, VCDs ) are responsible for obscenity, vulgarity and increasing crime in the society. It is not only young generation who are getting corrupted but even the old ones. People in 60s and 70s are watching despicable things.
There are news published in the Western newspapers almost every week which show increasing stories of promiscuity and ever increasing number of childhood pregnancy ( as young as 10 & 11 year old school girls), adultery, rape , incest and murder specially in the West. There have been recent news of brothers marrying sister abd fathering children and a father in Austria fathering five children from his own daughter. There has been progressive degeneration of moral values to the point that nothing is evil , bad , obscene or unacceptable . What brought the human race to such a low point. It is not the dissemination of knowledge through Internet and TV but the easy and worldwide accessibility of obscene pornographic material through these sources.
People in the Indian subcontinent , Asia and Africa are closely following the West.
Such disgraceful incidences were rare 40/50 years ago. Even the Western families are worried sick for the rising incidences of sex related crimes and moral degeneration.
My next door neighbor is an English lady, a consultant doctor. she said she removed her satellite dish and unsubscribed from the service because her children were mostly watching rubbish obscene material.
There is no way these days that one can control and discipline children after certain age. you can't watch them all the time and once they achieve teen age , one loses control over them .
You can buy DVD or subscribe to watch pornographic and sex films in the house.
whether these these equipment and tools are Haram" or not is irrelevant because the net effect of watching these boxes is to corrupt and destroy the moral fabrics of the society and drive one away from Islamic values.
The device itself is not bad or evil in itself but the bulk of the program broadcasted all over the world is about sex , pornography and violence . It encourages sexual permissiveness and provides visual sensual pleasure at the click of the button.
One does not need to go to a brothel now , one can enjoy watching every thing on the screen in the privacy of the home. There is no more feeling of shame or guilt.
Now a days in most houses the whole family( father , mother, son, and daughter) watch obscene scenes and films which was unimaginable 30-40 years ago. Barriers are falling down and today’s generation don’t know what “ Haya” and “ Modesty” means. Thanks to the invention of these screens, even children as old as 4 or 5 know a lot more than an adults knew about opposite sex few decades ago.
Of course there are lot of Islamic ,scientific and educational program from which one could greatly benefit to acquire knowledge. However only a fraction of people put it to that beneficial use, most use for pleasure and films. Romance and sex is one of the most powerful driving force to draw and attract people.
If you go near obscenity it will definitely lead one day to act of obscenity no matter how pious is the person. So Islam has prohibited all those things or action and closed all the doors which might ultimately lead one to evil deeds.
Islam does not reject any invention but it certainly does not allow to go on the path that can lead to vulgarity or obscenity.
I agree that the age of Jahiliyat has not come to and end after the advent of Islam. We are now in the modern sophisticated age of Jahiliyah
I accept that in today’s world, TV is regarded as essential as bread and butter but only for seeking pleasure and gratification of “Nafs”.
I must admit that I have a TV in my house but two of my grown up children born and brought up in England decided in consultation with their spouses after getting married to discard TV for the sake of children and because of their own reservation. There are times it is difficult to watch news without seeing nudity in the adverts and in the news itself. Young children as young as 4 or 5 turn their face away or close their eyes when unexpectedly flash of such scenes appear during news or adverts.
It has its great benefit but saddly the program makers , the film industry and Video makers have used them to destroy the family and social mores in the socities and countries all over the world. Moral values are disapearing or have disappeared specially in the modern high socities because we are no longer taught to lower our gaze but to watch the unwatchable.
Imteyaz Khan. UK
If a man adopts juristic
If a man adopts juristic approach, Islam appreciates that even if one is erred will be rewarded. Where he reaches at right conclusion he will get double reward from Allah the Almighty. But basic conceptual knowledge is must. Once Prophet PBUH asked his companion to attend the teachings of Torah, the religious book of Jews and said that will strengthen his faith in Islam and Prophet Muhammad PBUH. While he forbidden another companion . Because (i say) firstly he should learn Islamic concept and afterwards make jural postulates. Ashraf Ali Thanvi one of the leading Alims (ulema) of his time wrote that if any knowledge is taken at the cost of basic conceptual knowledge that is to be avoided. Here also if some persons without having the basic knowledge opposing the use of modern media it is like those people who, due to their err, following the order of their leader ready to jump into the fire, but any way that was averted. When this matter was referred to the Prophet he said that if they had chosen to fire they would have been in the fire till the day of Qayamat. while at another place the delaying in performing Salat was appreciated by Prophet. So one is to see what are the benefits and losses in using modern media in the light of Islam. There is some material on this topic at www.irf.net which is worth reading/watching and some channels like PEACE TV which is serving Islam which shows that moder media is beneficial because one may propagate the right thing in easy manner.
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