tv kills

TV Kills
By: Roald Dahl

We were actually discussing this for ages previously on MS!!! Persoanlly I have read different views. Some say that tv is haram on basis of picture making- but many scholars disagree - unlike hard copy photos and paintings, tv images are intangable and its essence is a video tape, a cd or disc.

This is the view I have read from Mufti Ibn Adam al kawthari (www.darulifta.org) reporting about Mufti Taqi Usmani. Thus to watch something halal is halal. Thus if one day access to tv is without haram then it may be OK....

......................................BUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

...Mufti Taqi Usmani and LOTSSS OF SCHOLARS agree that the general notion of keeping a tv in the home invites MORE HARM THAN GOOD and so is impermisble or at least inadvisable.

The ills of tv and the destruction it causes are many and though benefit may be derived, it is shaytans ploy to trick us and the reality is that people use tv for haram acts and to destro morality and Imaan.

TV is just like alcohol - Allah سبحانه وتعالى Says in Surah Al Baqarah:

"They ask you about alcohol and gambling. Say that in them is a big evil/sin AND BENEFIT. BUT the evil/sin OUTWEIGHS the benefit..."

Allahu Akbar, that just makes it so clear ALhamdulilah.

But then one can say "what about internet? if you are talking about fitnah, then the internet is millionsssssssssssssss times worse! Every evil possible ready on demand!"

BUT, what is different here is that the benefit of internet e.g like mufti says, fatwa websites, dawah websites, email etc is very signifcant. It may also outweigh the fitnah and haram becuase today one can purchase internet blockers which are very good.

And Allah سبحانه وتعالى Knows Best!!

When our daughter was very small my wife and I came up with a trick to make TV less attractive. We decided not to have a fancy Color TV, we simply bought an old Black&White TV with a small screen and a completely shot picture tube.
This gave of course a bad picture, still it was good enough to watch something interesting or educational or the news but it did not have the hypnotic quality of a modern color TV. The result was that our daughter would watch only if something was really interesting. So she never became addicted.

Now here comes the funny part.
Later on we did get a color TV . As you can imagine soon too much TV watching was going on which annoyed me very much. One night, I must admit, I lost my temper. I opened the window and just threw the TV out into the street, bang, finished.
My wife and my daughter were completely shocked. 'Daddy, you destroyed the TV, how could you do this' etc etc.
For a few days they were quite upset. Then a friend told me this, my daughter had been going around at school telling everybody : you are stupid watching all this nonsense on TV all the time. My Daddy does not put up with this nonsense, he just opens the window and throws the silly box out. My Daddy is a hero !

I was so proud of her !

TV and Internet are of course great tools for education. There is no doubt in my mind about that.But for children only under supervision. We would never allow our daughter to have a TV or a computer in her room.
I see them as tools, just like a hammer in a toolbox. You can kill somebody with it or you can use it to build a house that gives shelter to people.
Its up to us adults to protect children and teach them proper use of these tools.

What do you think ?

To my Muslim Brothers and Sisters around the world I send my best regards.
Lets all pray for peace.

Otto

WOW!!! I have to say that what you did was very commendable!! You would defintely put alot of parents to shame!

And I absolutely agree with you - children are the most vunerable to danger when it comes to tv and internet.

In Islam, morality and modesty are some of the most important characteristics of a True Muslim. If one loses his/her modesty, then certainly they have lost a portion of their faith!

Allah سبحانه وتعالى , God the Most Glorious and Elevated has created humans as the most diginifed and special of His Creation. He سبحانه وتعالى even ordered the angels to prostrate to Adam Peace be upon him, signifying the elevated status of man! Thus Islam is a religion that aims to maintain him on this platform and perserve his sanctity and purity.

How true is the Words of the Almighty when He says in the Quran:

"Verily We created man in the best stature. Then We reduced him to the lowest of the low." [95:4-5]

i.e. When man sins and forgets his Lord, then he sinks to a level whereby even the animals are more diginifed than him! But then God continues in the next verse:

"Except those who believe and do righteous deeds. Then they shall have a reward without end! (Paradise)" [95:6]

The life of this world is short and its beauty and attractions a deception! A person may own the whole world and all its riches but after a few passing moments he shall lose everything and return to the womb of his beloved (the grave). But if he strives to please his Creator, then for him will be eternal happiness in the Hereafter!

And thus the final verse of this beautiful chapter in the Holy Quran:

"Then what (or who) causes you to deny the Recompense (Day of Judgement)?

Is not Allah the Best of Judges?" [95:7-8]

(PS - Ameen to your supplication)

Totally agreed, with the poem and your views. It's TV's hard and dangerous messages sent out which has a big effect on the young generation who then grow up to live a life like thpse shown on the TV. The TV is used by many just as a way to pass time whereas they could be doing zikr instead. If only the message could get to people that just the way they find TV fun, doing Zikr is fun too... more than that, a way to get closer to Allah.

May Allah Ta'ala guide us all. Ameen.

Wassalam