Am I Sinful If Someone Acts on UnIslamic Content from My Psychology Book?
Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel
Question
Am I sinful if someone reads or acts upon content in a psychology book I was reading, which may go against Islamic teachings after they asked to take a photo of it? I was reading it to help with clinical depression and trauma.
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.
I pray you are in good faith and health. Thank you for your question.
No, you are not responsible if the person acted upon the content, as that was their own wilful action. Your intention and purpose were to share an opinion about depression and trauma after they asked for it and not to instruct the person to act upon it.
This returns to the discussion relating to assisting in sin. In the Hanafi school, the degrees of assisting another in sin are:
- Direct assistance in sin
- Indirect assistance in sin
- A possible cause for sin.
It is impermissible (haram) to do something that directly assists in sin, slightly disliked (makruh tanzihan) to do that which indirectly assists in sin, and better to avoid something that may be a possible cause for sin. Your sharing of the excerpt does not come under any of the three. [Nahlawi, Durar al-Mubaha]
I would like you to go through the valuable answers and links below. In sha Allah, you will receive guidance and direction.
Related
- Are We Accountable For the Sins of Others if We Had an Indirect Role?
- Assistance in Sin Archives – SeekersGuidance
Why not begin your search for knowledge by signing up for a course on SeekersGuidance? You can choose from the Islamic Studies Curriculum or the Youth Islamic Studies Curriculum and progress through each course step by step.
I pray this helps with your question.
Wassalam,
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat
Mawlana Ilyas Patel has received traditional education in various countries. He started his schooling in the UK and completed his hifz of the Quran in India. After that, he joined an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied secular and Aalimiyya sciences. Later, he traveled to Karachi, Pakistan, and other Middle Eastern countries to further his education. Mawlana has served as an Imam in the Republic of Ireland for several years and taught the Quran and other Islamic sciences to both children and adults. He also worked as a teacher and librarian at a local Islamic seminary in the UK for 12 years. Presently, he lives in the UK with his wife and is interested in books and gardening.
