Is It Permissible to Review Video Games With Impermissible Content?

Answered by Shaykh Abdul Rashim Reasat

Question

I run a YouTube channel reviewing video games. Some games contain haram elements, though I do not believe those aspects are permissible and do not endorse them. I enjoy the gameplay, story, art, and positive themes. Is praising or recommending such games kufr?

I suffer from severe waswasa and fear that reviewing these games could take me out of the fold of Islam, even though I do not condone their sinful content in real life.

Answer

In the name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Ever-Merciful.

All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of all beings, and may peace and blessings be upon our master Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace).

I pray you are well.

Reviewing such games is not kufr, but anything that promotes sins is sinful, so you should stop reviewing them. Games that have nudity and other impermissible elements should be avoided.

Review generally entails praising or promoting a game or criticizing certain elements of it.

If the game has impermissible elements and you’ve encouraged people to purchase it, according to some scholars, you will be assisting them in committing sins, so it is best to avoid it. [Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]

Ask for stories that entail some element of Shirk. If it is like any other story that depicts the religious beliefs of other religions. They are permissible to read/engage with; however, one must hate the Kufr within his heart.

In many situations, the stories themselves, due to the way they depict these false deities, are proof of the truth of the fact that there can be no god other than Allah.

Do what will enhance your iman, and choose to review games that won’t harm you or anyone else.

May Allah bless you with the best of both worlds.

And Allah knows best.

[Shaykh] Abdul-Rahim Reasat
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat began studying Arabic Grammar and Morphology whilst studying for a degree in English and History. After graduating, He traveled to Damascus and studied Arabic, Hanafi Fiqh, Usul al-Fiqh, Theology, and Logic with Shaykh Adnan Darwish, Shaykh ‘Abd al-Rahman Arjan al-Binsawi, Shaykh Husayn Darwish, Shaykh Muhammad Darwish, the late Shaykh Rashad Shams, and others. He then moved to Amman to continue his studies in those fields, as well as in Tafsir, Quranic Sciences, Hadith Methodology and Commentary, Prophetic Biography, Prophetic Perfections and Traits, Rhetoric, Arabic Literature, and Tajwid. His teachers include Shaykh Ali Hani, Dr. Hamza al-Bakri, Dr Salah Abu al-Hajj, Dr Mansur Abu Zina, Shaykh Ahmad Hasanat, Shaykh Ahmad Jammal, and others.