Is Watching the News Permissible?
Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel
Question
Is watching the news permissible? Sometimes, they mention people’s sins or that they’re getting arrested, etc. Is this backbiting? I am talking about the general news, not gossip channels.
I have already read the articles on SeekerGuidance, but I am still trying to figure it out.
Jazak Allah
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate
I pray you are in good faith and health.
It is permissible to watch the news to know the society and world that we live in. However, as we live in a world of news overload and widespread social media, righteous scholars say one may listen to the news a) in moderation to the extent of necessity, b) that which does not lead to anxiety increasing, and c) constantly monitoring oneself to see whether the news stories bring about change in one’s overall life, spiritually, physically, emotionally and socially, gradually.
A Believer Strives to Do Things that Benefit Him.
Abu Hurayra (Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: “Strive for that which will benefit you, seek Allah’s help, and do not lose heart or determination. If anything befalls you, do not say: ‘If only I had done such-and-such’; rather, say: ‘Allah has decreed, and whatever He wills, He does.’ Saying ‘if’ opens (the door to) the deeds of the devil.” [Muslim]
As Arif al-Yamani said, “Of Allah’s turning away from a servant is to occupy him with what does not benefit him.”
May Allah Most High make us all from those who spend their given time and moments wisely and by doing things that please Him, main
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- Is It Unlawful to Watch Movies or Read Novels? – SeekersGuidance
Wassalam,
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Mawlana Ilyas Patel is a traditionally-trained scholar who has studied in the UK, India, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan, and Turkey. He started his early education in the UK. He went on to complete the hifz of the Quran in India, then enrolled in an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied the secular and ‘Aalimiyya sciences. He then traveled to Karachi, Pakistan. He has been an Imam in Rep of Ireland for several years. He has taught hifz of the Quran, Tajwid, Fiqh, and many other Islamic sciences to children and adults onsite and online extensively in the UK and Ireland. He taught at a local Islamic seminary for 12 years in the UK, where he was a librarian and a teacher of Islamic sciences. He currently resides in the UK with his wife. His interest is a love of books and gardening.
