![]()
Today - insha’Allah - we would like to speak about Television - and more specifically Television shows. It is not our intention to condemn TV but simply to give you something to think about the next time you watch your favorite show.
Referring to the Day Of Judgement, Allah Most High says:
“Verily! Hearing, Sight, and the heart, all will be questioned (by Allah).”
Quran 17:36
So rather than wait until the Day Of Judgement to be questioned about our sight - when it will be too late - today we want to question and analyses what we watch. The next time you watch TV consider the below points. How many of these points occur during your show? Please use this as a checklist to question what you and your family watch.
- Free mixing between the sexes
- Drinking alcohol
- Listening to music
- Inappropriate dressing
- Relationships outside marriage - Even when two people are “a couple” no Gheerah (protective jealousy) is shown when a partner interacts with the opposite sex. In fact, Gheerah is looked as a deficiency
- The attitude that the end justifies the means - e.g. cheat, steal, hatch plots, and lie to achieve your aims
- Inappropriate ways of dealing with problems - e.g. excessive grief, questioning Allah etc.
- Not praying 5 times a day
- Vulgarity is part of the Script - e.g. disrespectfulness to parents, swearing (”bloody”, “damn”, etc).
- Celebrations based on disbelief and innovation - e.g. Christmas, the New Year, birthday parties etc.
- TV Characters have vain goals and objectives
- Promoting superstition (e.g. sayings such as, “touch wood,” “good luck,” “break a leg” etc)
- Promoting magic and witches or treating them as normal
- Not saying dua’s or remembering Allah at the appropriate time:
- Not saying “insha Allah” when they talk about doing future events
- When surprised, they say, “Jesus” or “Wow”, instead of something like “SubhanaAllah”
- Greeting each other with “Hey”, “Hello” etc rather than “Asalam Alaykum”
- Thanking each other by saying other than “JazakaAllahu khayr”
- Dua’s before and after eating
- Glamorising Rebellion - e.g. disrespectfulness of parents and a disregard for the laws of Allah being perceived as “cool”
You may look at the above list and think, of course some of the above points occur - these are programs produced by non-Muslims. This is exactly the point. If we see any of the above points enough times, we will begin to accept it. As we are bombarded daily with sinful principles, we begin to think that what the TV teaches is normal, and slowly, we will begin to feel that what Islam teaches is strange and foreign. This is especially true for children.
Television is perhaps the most powerful tool in shaping the habits and cultures of nations. Programs are designed to very subtly reprogram your mind by breaking down your defences so you will accept anything you are being fed. The pioneers of this vehicle continuously seek ways to enhance this medium in order to promote the western lifestyle and culture as being the most desirable, successful and fulfilling way of life.
We must remember that most TV shows are not written with obedience to God in mind and if we allow the disobedience of God to be broadcasted to our children in our very home, we will be held accountable.
Allah Most High tells us in the Qur’an:
Tell the believing men to lower their gaze (from looking at forbidden things), and protect their private parts (from illegal sexual acts). That is purer for them. Verily, Allâh is All-Aware of what they do.
Qur’an 24:30
We leave you with a one final question. How do reconcile the above verses with the television that assaults our eyes with Haram almost every second that it is on? How do we reconcile it?
