Source: Fatāwā ʿIlmiyyah (Tawḍīḥ al-Aḥkām), Vol. 2, p. 506
What is the Sharʿī status of watching a match or any game on television?
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu was-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ammā baʿd!
Watching a match or any sport on television is not permissible in Sharīʿah. The main reasons for this ruling are as follows:
➊ Presence of Immodesty and Indecency:
◈ Such programs usually involve immodesty and indecent elements.
◈ Men and women look at each other without any Sharʿī justification.
◈ In many cases, nudity is observed, which goes against Islamic teachings.
➋ Presence of Music (Maʿāzif):
◈ Music and other prohibited acts are often present during these games, which are considered impermissible in Sharīʿah.
➌ Wastage of Time:
◈ People become so absorbed in these games that they neglect Ṣalāh, religion, and morals.
◈ Obligatory religious duties are ignored.
➍ Element of Gambling:
◈ Many sports involve gambling (qimār), which is explicitly ḥarām.
➎ Counted as Laghw and Lahu wa Laʿib:
◈ These amusements fall under frivolous pastimes, which are not allowed in Islamic law.
➏ Taking Victory or Defeat as a Life-and-Death Matter:
◈ Some individuals take their favorite team’s win or loss so seriously that, in case of defeat, they fall into severe despair — and in extreme situations, even commit suicide, which is a major sin.
The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said:
«وكل ما يلهوبه المرء المسلم باطل، إلا رميه بقوسه وتأديبه فرسه وملاعبته امرأته فإنهن من الحق»
“Every pastime by which a Muslim becomes distracted (from the obedience of Allāh) is void, except for his shooting with his bow, training his horse, and playing with his wife — for these are from the truth.”
(Sunan Ibn Mājah: 2811, Sunan al-Tirmidhī: 1637, and al-Tirmidhī graded it ḥasan ṣaḥīḥ.)
◈ This narration is ḥasan li-dhātih.
◈ Yaḥyā ibn Abī Kathīr explicitly stated hearing it in Musnad Aḥmad (Vol. 4, p. 144).
◈ The narrator al-Azraq has been declared thiqah and ṣadūq by:
For further detail, see Nayl al-Maqṣūd (2513). There are also other supporting narrations for this ḥadīth.
ھذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
Question:
What is the Sharʿī status of watching a match or any game on television?
Answer:
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu was-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ammā baʿd!
Watching a match or any sport on television is not permissible in Sharīʿah. The main reasons for this ruling are as follows:
Reasons for the Prohibition of Watching Games:
➊ Presence of Immodesty and Indecency:
◈ Such programs usually involve immodesty and indecent elements.
◈ Men and women look at each other without any Sharʿī justification.
◈ In many cases, nudity is observed, which goes against Islamic teachings.
➋ Presence of Music (Maʿāzif):
◈ Music and other prohibited acts are often present during these games, which are considered impermissible in Sharīʿah.
➌ Wastage of Time:
◈ People become so absorbed in these games that they neglect Ṣalāh, religion, and morals.
◈ Obligatory religious duties are ignored.
➍ Element of Gambling:
◈ Many sports involve gambling (qimār), which is explicitly ḥarām.
➎ Counted as Laghw and Lahu wa Laʿib:
◈ These amusements fall under frivolous pastimes, which are not allowed in Islamic law.
➏ Taking Victory or Defeat as a Life-and-Death Matter:
◈ Some individuals take their favorite team’s win or loss so seriously that, in case of defeat, they fall into severe despair — and in extreme situations, even commit suicide, which is a major sin.
Ḥadīth of the Prophet ﷺ:
The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said:
«وكل ما يلهوبه المرء المسلم باطل، إلا رميه بقوسه وتأديبه فرسه وملاعبته امرأته فإنهن من الحق»
“Every pastime by which a Muslim becomes distracted (from the obedience of Allāh) is void, except for his shooting with his bow, training his horse, and playing with his wife — for these are from the truth.”
(Sunan Ibn Mājah: 2811, Sunan al-Tirmidhī: 1637, and al-Tirmidhī graded it ḥasan ṣaḥīḥ.)
Grading and Chain Details:
◈ This narration is ḥasan li-dhātih.
◈ Yaḥyā ibn Abī Kathīr explicitly stated hearing it in Musnad Aḥmad (Vol. 4, p. 144).
◈ The narrator al-Azraq has been declared thiqah and ṣadūq by:
- Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥibbān
- al-Ḥākim (2/95)
- al-Dhahabī
- al-Haythamī (Majmaʿ al-Zawāʾid, 4/329)
For further detail, see Nayl al-Maqṣūd (2513). There are also other supporting narrations for this ḥadīth.
ھذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
