Television As An Agent Of Zina (Fornication)

Television As An Agent Of Zina (Fornication)

Allah (SWT) says in the Quran: "And come not near to the unlawful sexual intercourse…" (Al-Isra 17:32) The words, COME NOT NEAR, means: STAY AWAY FROM ALL such things and practices which LEAD TO zina - which are stepping-stones to fornication. ALL practices, things and institutions which aid and foster fornication and immodesty are FORBIDDEN by Islam. There are different categories of this abominable crime of zina. The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: "The zina of the eyes is the gaze (at that which is unlawful e.g. nudity); the zina of the ears is to listen (to talks of nudity which excites the carnal desires); the zina of the tongue is to speak (what is evil); the zina of the hand is to touch (the female which is unlawful to man e.g. anyone other than blood mother, blood sister, blood aunt, blood daughter, wife); the zina of the feet is to walk (towards immorality); the zina of the heart is to desire (what is unlawful), and it is the private parts which either commits or shuns the actual act of fornication." (Muslim) In this Hadith, The Messenger of Allah (SAW) speaks of the zina committed by the various parts of the human body. Thus, to look at the nudity and evil portrayed on the television screen constitutes the zina of the eyes. To listen to the immodest and illicit sex talks of the television is zina of the ears. Lust which is aroused by the display, discussion of nudity and lustfulness and perversion on the TV screen constitutes the zina of the heart. Television, therefore, is without any doubt a powerful agent and a stepping-stone for fornication. We find today the WHOLE family - father, mother, sons, and daughters - sitting HUDDLED TOGETHER around the TV screen. TOGETHER, in a display of STARK SHAMELESSNESS, the WHOLE family is committing ZINA of the EYES, ZINA of the EARS, and ZINA of the HEART, and Allah alone knows how many MULTITUDES of men and women indulged in the final act of fornication as a result of watching and being aroused by the evil on the TV screen… Islam lays GREAT emphasis on modesty, so much so, that our Prophet (SAW) said, "Modesty is a part of Imaan (faith)." [At-Tirmidhee. It was declared authentic by Al-Albaanee (ra) in Saheeh Sunan at-Tirmidhee) But TV with its emphasis on illicit, depraved and brutal immorality is the very negation of the Islamic concept of modesty and shame. Mother, father, and children TOGETHER viewing the zina - the fornication and vice (wickedness) on the TV screen. What is now left of humanity? May Allah (SWT) protect us and our children from the FILTH and CORRUPTION of the western world sunk in perversion and immorality. Ameen!!! Allah (SWT) says: "This Day, We shall seal up their mouths, and their hands will speak to Us, and their legs will bear witness to what they used to earn. [It is said that one’s left thigh will be the first to bear the witness. (Tafsir At-Tabari)] (Ya-Sin 26:65)



Serials, Romances, And Stories on Television

What is Islam’s attitude to fiction, novels, and romantic stories? Allah (SWT) says in the Quran: "And of mankind is he who purchases idle talks (i.e. music, singing, etc.) to mislead (men) form the Path of Allah without knowledge, and takes it (the Path of Allah, the Verses of the Quran) by way of mockery. For such there will be a humiliating torment (in the Hellfire). And when Our Verses (of the Quran) are recited to such a one, he turns away in pride, as if he heard them not, as if there were deafness in his ear. So announce to him a painful torment." (Luqman 31:6-7) These verses of the Quran were revealed to PROHIBIT, according to the Mufassireen and Jurists, MUSIC and the STORIES of romances imported from Persia. Since these things divert man’s attention from the remembrance of Allah and transport one into the realm of illusion and imagination the Quran OUTLAWS them. Islam strongly discourages fiction and encourages one to live in reality and not in illusion which has the tendency to make one negligent and forgetful of the prime purpose of man’s creation which it to gain Allah’s Pleasure by fixing the gaze on the Akhirat (Hereafter) and not on the TV screen. Islam, therefore FORBIDS the wasting of time in listening to idle talks and fiction or false stories.





Television Diverts Man's Attention From the Rememberance of Allah (SWT)

The Prophet (SAW) said: "Every sport of amusement that a Muslim occupies himself with is Baatil (baseless, null and not permissible) - except three: [the three types being] his practicing with your bow (and arrow); his training your horse and his playing with his family." [Ibn Majah. It was declared authentic by Al-Albaanee (ra) in Saheeh Sunan Ibn Majah. See also Silsilah Saheehah] Allah (SWT) says in the Quran: "The life of this world is but play and amusement, and the abode of the Hereafter is best for those who Fear (Allah)." (Al-An’am 6:32) The above stated Hadith and verse of the Quran, as well as many other verse of the Quran and Ahaadith make it quite clear that Islam DOES NOT TOLERATE futility, idle sports and amusement. This is so because amusement and entertainment divert one’s attention from the Remembrance of Allah (SWT). It also interferes with one’s worship causing neglect of Salaat (in general) and the congregational prayers (particularly for men). Amusement and entertainment which Islam describes as Lawh, la’b make a person indolent, negligent and irresponsible. Hence, we find the Messenger of Allah (SAW) condemning VERY STRONGLY even such play as chess and backgammon, etc., in the following Hadith: "Whosoever plays with chess and backgammon is like one who has dyed his hand with the flesh and blood of swine." (Muslim)



What They Say About Television

"The Church of England General Synod, in a report to a Government appointed committee deplores scenes of heavy drinking, chain smoking and casual use of obscene language and blasphemous language on TV." (Eastern Province Herald, 23rd October, 1975) The psychiatrists, Dr. William Tompkins of the George Washington School of Medicine, and Dr. Paul Fink of the East Virginia Medical School, have been engaged in intensive research into the effect of people of television advertising. They say that TV commercials "encourage belief in mysticism by making viewers believe they can get what they want almost by magic." Dr. Tompkins says: "Television advertising gets us to accept nonsense and leads us to go looking for a fantasy world." "… the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) was ticked off by the House and Senate Appropriation Committee and told to report on fresh measures to curb video violence or face ‘punitive action’." Mr. Tindall, Director of the Audio-Visual Center of Sydney Teachers’ College said: "Children were learning that violence is not only rampant but frequently justified." "For years, people had been saying the good thing about TV was that it brought news to the living room. But the survey indicated that few children, if given the option, watched the news or current affairs." "An almost unbelievable avalanche of sex, perversion, pornography, blue films, sadism, masochism, bestiality (brutality), murder, rape and brutality has flooded into the public view through the modern ‘boob tube’ of television, or the movies and lurid novels." "In British television, almost unbelievable references to lewdness, perverted sex and depravity are as open and unabashed as news reports." (Tomorrow’s World, August 1971

Music And Television

We can consider music as an integral part of television programs. No TV show is complete without music. Islam has FORBIDDEN music in NO unmistaken terms (For further details and a full discussion of the evidences concerning the prohibition of Music in Islam, refer to: The Islamic Ruling of Music and Singing, by Abu Bilal Mustafah al-Kanadi). For the purpose of the present subject it will suffice to state that Islam categorically FORBIDS ALL types of music. Music in Islam is regarded as a Kabirah (MAJOR SIN)!!! With regard to music our Prophet (SAW) said: "There will be men from among my Ummah who will consume alcohol, giving it another name (so as to deceive themselves and others). Singing girls and musical instruments will be playing to them. Allah. Ta’ala will cause the earth to swallow them. Allah will transform them into apes and swine." [Ibn Majah, Al-Bayhaqee. Al-Albaanee (ra) declared it to be authentic in Silsilat Saheehah] It is reported from Abdullah ibn Mas’ood (RA): "Music sows hypocrisy in the heart like water causes seeds to grow in soil." (Ad-Durru al-Manthoor, by As-Suyootee, explanation of verse 31:6 of the Quran) "And of mankind is he who purchases idle talks (i.e. music, singing, etc.) to mislead (men) form the Path of Allah without knowledge, and takes it (the Path of Allah, the Verses of the Quran) by way of mockery. For such there will be a humiliating torment (in the Hellfire)." (Luqman 31:6) Allah (SWT) says in the Quran: "And when they hear Al-Laghw (dirty, false, evil vain talk) they withdraw from it and say: "To us our deeds, and to you your deeds. Peace be to you. We seek not the ignorant." (Al-Qasas 28:55)



The Female Voice

The female voice, according to Islam, is also included in the category of Satar, i.e. it has to be ‘concealed’ and NOT ‘revealed’. Since the female voice is an entity NOT to be displayed or advertised, it is NOT permissible for males to listen to women singing or even reciting the Quran. When necessity demands that they have to speak to males then their speech should not be attractive, gently and alluring like the deliberate ‘lure’ put in speech by ‘trained’ women of the disbelievers. Recognizing the danger of allurement in the female voice, the Quran commands women thus: "…then be not soft in speech, lest he in whose heart is a disease (of hypocrisy or evil desire for adultery, etc.) should be moved with desire, but speak in an honorable manner." (Al-Ahzab 33:32) Van de Velde in his book Ideal Marriage, states: "The tone-color of a voice, and the intonation of single word - and it may be word of no special meaning or association in itself - may excite incredible intensity of desire. The unique and precious significance that a woman’s voice can give to ‘you’ or ‘thou’ can suffice to overwhelm man’s power of endurance and control…" Islam has, hence, FORBIDDEN its women to speak in a soft or "sexually" sweet tone. If anyone is aware of the springs of sex-psychology he will clearly see the justification for Islam’s restriction in this matter. Islam COMMANDS the concealment of the female voice and prohibits its display in public, but television demands the contrary. Great use is made of the female voice on TV to advertise, to allure, to excite lust, and female singing with the accompaniment of music is most popular. The importance of television programs, like the importance of all the mass media of the disbelievers, hinges on maximum exhibition of the female body and the female voice which have been subverted by the brutal culture of the unbelievers, to pamper the inordinate sexual desires of men who have no belief of Allah - of men who have no fear of Allah left in them.



Nudity, Immoratlity And Television

The most glaring evil propagated by the television media of the world is the crime of nudity and sexual immorality. Commercialized nudity and sexual immorality under the camouflage of "educational" PICTURES are accepted and necessary features of world television. The western world is haunted by the obsession of illicit sex, and it is this carnal obsession of illicit sex coupled with the unbeliever’s god of materialism which makes capital of the female body and TV as well as ALL other mass media. The Islamic concept of morality and modesty is the very direct opposite of the immorality and lustfulness dished out to the world via TV. Islam DEMANDS the concealment of the female body. The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said, "Woman is an object of CONCEALMENT." [At-Tirmidhee. It was declared authentic by Al-Albaanee (ra) in Saheeh Sunan at-Tirmidhee] TV is an institution which is widely used to exhibit the female body. Islam has BANNED ALL forms of immorality and immodesty, but TV exhibits immodesty and immorality in their CRUDEST forms by depicting the actual sex acts and, above all, it audaciously and shamelessly passes these off as "educational". Television as a prime agent of immorality is VERY well known. The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said, "Shamelessness (immodesty) is vice (wickedness), and vice (wickedness) will be in the fire." (Muslim)