Are TV and Movies Disallowed?

As far as the Islamic injunctions are concerned, it is very difficult to derive a conclusion as to whether they are allowed or not, primarily because both movies and tv were not existant at the time when Quran was revealed. Neither are they analogous to what Islam has clearly prohibited to Muslims.

Therefore, I believe that the acts of watching movies and tv, and reading books are not wrong by themselves. However, it is the content that one exposes oneself to through these channels that could be detrimental for one's faith. So for instance, movies that involve nudity, sexuality and the like are clearly on the wrong side of the fence (that is something that one should stay away from), whereas using the same medium for religious education, informational programs, or listening to the news makes them a very useful tool for learning and should be encouraged if they help the person. These activities should also not let one stay away from their religous duties. That would be the case for instance when watching a tv program one hears a call for prayer but does not pay any heed to it.

I also believe that watching something excessively on tv or movies should be discouraged, unless ofcourse such an activity is a source of knowledge. It is in this spirit that I think watching sports may have a time in one's life but that time should not be so overwhelming that one's heart becomes free of the thought of Allah and the Last Day. God wants our souls purified for which we must not let our time to be imbalanced towards idle activities, rather spend it in our struggle to get closer to Him and succeed in the Hereafter.

The same can be said of books and other modern media, such as the Internet.