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A Question of Criteria. RE: Reading Literature, Is it Allowed?

Answered as per Hanafi Fiqh by Qibla.com

Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

One should, of course, avoid literature that is lewd or that promotes the impermissible. How would you define “lewd” or “promoting the impermissible”? In other words, by what criteria should one judge whether Novel X should be avoided while Novel Y need not be (in terms of objectionable content, hence leaving aside the question whether it “has an acceptable worldly or religious purpose or benefit”).

Answer:
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Walaikum assalam wa rahmatullah,

The words of the scholars entail a differentiating between works containing the reprehensible, and works whose very thrust and subject-matter is reprehensible (such as a book on the struggles of a homosexual couple to gain recognition), where the latter is to be avoided, unless there are genuine secondary considerations.

And Allah knows best.

Wassalam,
Faraz Rabbani

This answer was indexed from Qibla.com, which used to have a repository of Islamic Q&A answered by various scholars. The website is no longer in existence. It has now been transformed into a learning portal with paid Islamic course offering under the brand of Kiflayn.

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