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Can i enter a Film-making contest?

Answered as per Hanafi Fiqh by Askimam.org

2 things 1) can I enter in this filmmaking contest about sports as a one time thing? 2) there are a lot of jobs that I want to be when I grow up that are haram, what are some jobs that are halal that I can be one day as a Muslim male?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

Your desire to earn a Halaal income is commendable. It is a sign of your Iman. May Allah grant you halaal sustenance with blessings and ease.

1)     Almighty Allah commanded us to earn and eat halal and pure. Allah says:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُلُوا مِن طَيِّبَاتِ مَا رَزَقْنَاكُمْ

O you who believe! Eat from the good of what we have provided you          [Verse: 2:172] 

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَنْفِقُوا مِنْ طَيِّبَاتِ مَا كَسَبْتُمْ

O ye who believe! Spend of the good things which ye have earned     [Verse: 2:267]

Rasulullah (May peace be upon him) said:

عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ -صلى الله عليه وسلم- :« طَلَبُ كَسْبِ الْحَلاَلِ فَرِيضَةٌ بَعْدَ الْفَرِيضَةِ »[1]

“Seeking to earn a halal income is an obligation after other obligations.”

Allah will never obligate us to do something beyond our ability. Allah says:

لاَ يُكَلِّفُ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلاَّ وُسْعَهَا

Allah does not burden any soul except how much it can bear        [Verse: 2:286]

It is clear from the above that we must earn halal and it is possible to do so. There are many halaal sources of income.

2)     Film making is not permissible. There are many forbidden factors in film making such as music, exposing one’s satr, intermingling of sexes, looking at nudity, promoting violence, disobedience, crime and vanity etc.

Almighty Allah says in the Quran:

وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَن يَشْتَرِي لَهْوَ الْحَدِيثِ لِيُضِلَّ عَن سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ وَيَتَّخِذَهَا هُزُوًا أُولَئِكَ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ مُّهِينٌ

“And from among the people, there is he who buys the distracting amusement of things, so that he, being devoid of knowledge, may mislead (people) from the way of Allah and make a mockery of it. Such people are the ones for whom there is a disgraceful punishment.” [Verse: 31:6]

Imam al Bukhaari has said:

Lahw-al-hadith means playing music and things similar to it (which makes one heedless to the worship of Allah).[2]

Consider the following ahadith:

شَهِدَ أَبَا وَائِلٍ فِي وَلِيمَةٍ فَجَعَلُوا يَلْعَبُونَ يَتَلَعَّبُونَ يُغَنُّونَ فَحَلَّ أَبُو وَائِلٍ حَبْوَتَهُ وَقَالَ سَمِعْتُ عَبْدَ اللَّهِ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ ‏ “‏ الْغِنَاءُ يُنْبِتُ النِّفَاقَ فِي الْقَلْبِ ‏”‏ ‏.‏

I heard Abdullah (ibn Mas’ud) say: I heard the apostle of Allah () say: Singing produces hypocrisy in the heart.[3]

سَمِعْتُ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ ‏ “‏ إِنَّ أَشَدَّ النَّاسِ عَذَابًا عِنْدَ اللَّهِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ الْمُصَوِّرُونَ ‏”‏‏.‏

The Prophet () said, “The people who will receive the severest punishment from Allah will be the picture makers.'”[4]

In general, film making has a host of sins. To be part of film-making will be assisting in sin which is prohibited.

Allah Ta’ala mentions in the Quran:

ولا تعاونوا على الإثم والعدوان

And do not help each other in sin and aggression. [5]    [Verse: 5:2]

And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best

Aboobakr Siddeeq bin Mufti Amjad Mohammad

Student Darul Iftaa

Azaadville, JHB, South Africa

Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.

___


[1]  السنن الكبرى للبيهقي وفي ذيله الجوهر النقي – (6 / 128)

[2]  الادب المفرد – 786

حَدَّثَنَا حَفْصُ بْنُ عُمَرَ، قَالَ‏:‏ أَخْبَرَنَا خَالِدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللهِ، قَالَ‏:‏ أَخْبَرَنَا عَطَاءُ بْنُ السَّائِبِ، عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ جُبَيْرٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ‏:‏ ‏{‏وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَنْ يَشْتَرِي لَهْوَ الْحَدِيثِ‏}‏، قَالَ‏:‏ الْغِنَاءُ وَأَشْبَاهُهُ‏.‏

[3]  سنن أبي داود – 4927

[4]  صحيح البخاري – 5950

This answer was collected from Askimam.org, which is operated under the supervision of Mufti Ebrahim Desai from South Africa.

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