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Watching Movies and Working in a Cinema
Question asked by Sahibzada Ali Mahmud.
Posted on: Monday, June 30, 2008 - Hits: 718

Question:
I wanted to ask a question related to movies. If a movie does not contain any obscenity, can we watch it? If the movie is clean but its sole purpose is to entertain the audience only, then is it still permissible or does it come in the category of laghw (worthless). There is a Hadith which prohibits making scriptures or paintings, then does that make watching cartoons is prohibited since cartoons are just paintings and distorted images of real life characters. I work part time in a cinema where all kinds of movies are shown (Indian, cartoons, Hollywood movies etc). Is it justified working in the cinema?

Answer:
There is no harm in watching movies which are clean and are not obscene. The primary objective of Islam is to purify our inner-self. Therefore, anything which is detrimental for this purity needs to be avoided. Things which do not harm this purity do not bear any label of prohibition.
Movies which are meant to provide healthy entertainment to people and are also free of foul content cannot be categorized under the Qur'ānic word of laghw (worthless). Like sports and other similar activities, they are perfectly allowable pastimes. However, one must not become over-indulgent in any form of entertainment, for this might make him irresponsible in discharging his duties both towards his creator and towards his fellow human beings.
As far as prohibition of pictures and sculptures is considered, it only relates to pictures and sculptures which were worshipped and deified in Arabia. It does not relate to other general forms of these arts. For details, please see: http://www.renaissance.com.pk/nodeq988.html
Working in a cinema should be judged on the basis of one's sensitivity towards good and evil. Islam wants us to be sensitive in this matter. It says that a person has to avoid evil as much as possible and adopt good as far as he can. Thus, if working in a cinema is instrumental in taking a person towards evil, he should try to look for an alternative. However, it is not appropriate to give an external edict in this regard. It is for the person involved to decide.

wassalam

Shehzad Saleem

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