Is It Haram to Make Non-Islamic Content as a Muslim YouTuber?

Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Question

I want to start a YouTube channel on gaming, technology, and entertainment, with nothing in it that promotes alcohol, gambling, or immodesty, and I want a plain answer: is it unlawful for me to make content that is not Islamic, and is the income from it lawful?

Answer

In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.

Making content that is not religious in subject matter is lawful, and so is the income from it. Nothing is forbidden merely for not being Islamic. You are not standing at the edge of a sin.

Your question assumes that content must earn its legitimacy by being Islamic. The jurists work the other way round in worldly matters, where the default is permissibility (ibaha) [al-Mawsua al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaytiyya 12:192].

The Quran places the burden on whoever forbids something [Quran 7:32]. So ask only whether anything in your channel is forbidden. By your own description, nothing is.

Your income follows the same rule: a reward for lawful work is permitted, “whether religious or worldly.” [al-Mawsua al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaytiyya 15:77]

Ibn Abidin (Allah have mercy on him) seems to pull the other way: “unqualified amusement is proscribed except in three cases.” [Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar 6:462] Read flatly, that would shut a gaming channel down.

It does not. Those three cases describe a man diverting himself; you are asking about a trade. Filming for an audience, for a fee, is work, and work is judged by the rules of hiring and earning. And the word Ibn Abidin uses is the Prophet’s own.

At a wedding among the Helpers the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) asked, “Was there no amusement with you? The Helpers are delighted by amusement.” [Mishkat al-Masabih 2:940]

Where Do You stand as a Hanafi

Here are the two things that could actually stop you. Keep instrumental music out of your videos; the game’s own sound and your voice do the job. Images on a screen are not the carved-and-hung images the prohibition was about, so film can be filmed.

What is left is what goes into the channel: on-screen immodesty, gambling mechanics in a game, the sponsors you take on, and the hours it eats up. Keep promotion apart from production.

Playing a game yourself is one thing; urging an audience to buy a game whose content is forbidden is helping others to sin.

Ibn Nujaym (Allah have mercy on him) states it: “what is unlawful to do is unlawful to ask for,” and “what is unlawful to take is unlawful to give.” [Ibn Nujaym, al-Ashbah wa al-Nazair 1:132]

What a Muslim may not do himself, he may not help others to do.

You asked for the majority position rather than one school’s, and there is nothing to choose between them here. Staying with one school will still serve you better than gathering rulings one by one.

Before You Publish

Nothing forbids you from having a technology and gaming channel. Take your first video through that list, and check again when sponsors start writing to you.

Keep the forbidden out of an ordinary trade, and what you earn is the lawful, wholesome earning Allah calls His servants to. There is nothing less about it. Write back with what your channel actually shows, and we can be more specific.

And Allah knows best.

[Shaykh] Faraz Rabbani

Related SeekersGuidance Answers

How Much Entertainment Does Islam Allow? Lawful relaxation is permitted, and blameworthy only when it crowds out obligations or carries forbidden content.

How Do I Choose a Truly Halal Career? Five checkpoints for a livelihood: the industry, your daily duties, the source of the income, distance from the forbidden, and intention.

Income from YouTube and Twitch Ads Shaykh Irshaad Sedick on ad earnings, and on filtering the ads you can control.

Is It Permissible to Review Video Games With Impermissible Content? Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat on why urging an audience to buy a game with forbidden content should stop.

Shaykh Faraz Rabbani is a recognized specialist scholar in the Islamic sciences, having studied under leading scholars from around the world. He is the Founder and Executive Director of SeekersGuidance.

Shaykh Faraz stands as a distinguished figure in Islamic scholarship. His journey in seeking knowledge is marked by dedication and depth. He spent ten years studying under some of the most revered scholars of our times. His initial studies took place in Damascus. He then continued in Amman, Jordan.

In Damascus, he was privileged to learn from the late Shaykh Adib al-Kallas. Shaykh Adib al-Kallas was renowned as the foremost theologian of his time. Shaykh Faraz also studied under Shaykh Hassan al-Hindi in Damascus. Shaykh Hassan is recognized as one of the leading Hanafi jurists of our era.

Upon completing his studies, Shaykh Faraz returned to Canada in 2007. His return marked a new chapter in his service to the community. He founded SeekersGuidance. The organization reflects his commitment to spreading Islamic knowledge. It aims to be reliable, relevant, inspiring, and accessible. This mission addresses both online and on-the-ground needs.

Shaykh Faraz is also an accomplished author. His notable work includes “Absolute Essentials of Islam: Faith, Prayer, and the Path of Salvation According to the Hanafi School.” This book, published by White Thread Press in 2004, is a significant contribution to Islamic literature.

His influence extends beyond his immediate community. Since 2011, Shaykh Faraz has been recognized as one of the 500 most influential Muslims. This recognition comes from the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Center. It underscores his impact on the global Islamic discourse.

Shaykh Faraz Rabbani’s life and work embody a profound commitment to Islamic scholarship. His teachings continue to enlighten and guide seekers of knowledge worldwide.

النصوص

[الموسوعة الفقهية الكويتية 12:192] الأَْصل فِي الأَْشْيَاءِ الإِْبَاحَةُ، فَلَوْ جُعِل الْمُبِيحُ مُتَأَخِّرًا

[الموسوعة الفقهية الكويتية 15:77] الأَْصل إِبَاحَةُ الْجَائِزَةِ عَلَى عَمَلٍ مَشْرُوعٍ سَوَاءٌ أَكَانَ دِينِيًّا أَوْ دُنْيَوِيًّا

[ابن عابدين، رد المحتار 6:462] مُطْلَقَ اللَّهْوِ مَنْهِيٌّ عَنْهُ إلَّا فِي ثَلَاثٍ كَمَا مَرَّ فِي الْحَظْرِ

[ابن نجيم، الأشباه والنظائر 1:132] الْقَاعِدَةُ الرَّابِعَةَ عَشْرَةَ: مَا حَرُمَ أَخْذُهُ حَرُمَ إعْطَاؤُهُ … تَنْبِيهٌ: وَيَقْرُبُ مِنْ هَذَا قَاعِدَةُ: مَا حَرُمَ فِعْلُهُ حَرُمَ طَلَبُهُ إلَّا فِي مَسْأَلَتَيْنِ

[مشكاة المصابيح 2:940] وَعَن عَائِشَة رضي الله عنه قَالَتْ: زُفَّتِ امْرَأَةٌ إِلَى رَجُلٍ مِنَ الْأَنْصَارِ فَقَالَ نَبِيُّ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم: «مَا كَانَ مَعَكُمْ لَهْوٌ؟ فَإِنَّ الْأَنْصَارَ يُعْجِبُهُمُ اللَّهْو» . رَوَاهُ البُخَارِيّ