Television

Question:

My question is about television: some mufti said that it is permissible; in which conditions and are they respected today? Some Mufti said it is not permissible; why?
The situation of TV in Reunion Island (which is a French department) is this: The act of buying a TV is free: you can buy or not buy. But, if you buy a TV, you must pay a tax every year (about $100) to the government. This tax concerns public TV and not private TV (for private TV, a buyer must pay a tax again).
For public channels, this tax is used to make films, news, sport and others. In each, there is music, dance, men and women which are not well dressed, life which is contrary of the life of our Beloved and the life of Sahabah.
For private channels, it is worse because some show dancing, singing, nude people, etc.
Some brother in Islam said that they will make Ihtiyat and watch only news, sport and documentaries; but there is still, in news, sport or docs, men and women without Satar-Awrah or Hijab, music, life of people who are in the disobedience of Allah. All the family is watching TV together but what about the Tarbiyat of Din to our children?
Some said that they learn Islam through this kind of media. But Islam is to learn practically the Commandment of Allah and the Sunnah of Nabi, not in image and in sound.
Some are watching TV and (in the same time) making Zikrullah! But this seems to be Shirk-khafi! Is it right or not? What happens if we die in this situation? May Allah protect us. Amin
I think that it is a waste of time because we can use our time practically in Din and in the effort of Din. But today we are in front of TV instead of being at the Masjid for the congregational Salat.
I had been 10 years in France and I am now in Reunion Island; Alhamdulillah, I don’t watch TV since 7 years and I have made sociological studies about TV (I make my PHD in sociology in Paris). My opinion is that TV is the best way to introduce permanently the Fitnah and Fassad inside the most private place for a Muslim (the home) and to excite continuously the Nafs of human being in order to make him as a rebel to the Almighty. Even if a person can make Ihtiyat (to watch only news), how many people (especially the children and the mass) can resist to this “one-eye”?
Today, TV is near Kabah (even inside), TV is inside poor home, TV is showing violence, sex and liars, TV is every where; how can it be good? I think that insha-Allah the Mahdi can liberate us from this slavery. We are so interested to get the news from the environment of this world but we forget to create the environment of our home with the news of Akhirat.
When the evil is more important than the good, then is this thing in permissible to protect Iman?
(Aslam ibn Yacub Moollan, Reunion Island)

Ans:
The correct position about TV is that the images appearing on the TV screen in live or recorded programs do not carry the status of a Taswir as prohibited by the Holy Prophet because a Taswir is something permanently printed or fixed on a page, while the images on the screen of the TV are not printed or fixed. Therefore, watching TV is not prohibited on the basis of using a picture.
However, most of the programs appearing on the TV today, especially in the western countries are a bundle of evils. You have yourself pointed out many of them in your question. It is very rare in the present circumstances that a TV is used for permissible purposes only. On this basis we do not advise people to have TV in their homes. If a person uses TV indiscriminately for watching every program being telecast it is not at all permissible for him to have a TV in his home. Even if a person intends to use it for the permissible programs only it is highly doubtful whether he will be able to do so, particularly, if a person himself avoids to watch impermissible programs it is very likely that his children or other members of the family will necessarily be involved in watching such programs. Therefore, it is not advisable to have a TV even with this intention.

October-2001