Ruling on committing sins openly
Fatwa No: 256084

Question

ASALAM O ALAKUM!!!! I know watching TV is prohibited. But I want yo ask that in the present day almost all people watch TV.Some people watch Indecent programmes while some watch only dramas(containing music, not the words of disbelief not much spread of indecency the dramas made in Islamic countries like Pakistan. People watch them infront of house members discuss them with friends) Is their watching infront of house members come under this hadees Which is All of my ummah will be forgiven except those who exposes those who exposes their sins. Its like the person who commit sin at night and at morning go the people and say I did so and so and such and such but his lord has concealed it for him but he has revealed what Allah has concealed it for him please this thing rightly to me.

Answer

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and messenger.

Mujaaharah (i.e. committing sins openly or boldly announcing one's evil deeds with no sense of shame) is the opposite of concealing one's sins and misdeeds. When the sinner commits a sin openly and boldly, he is considered a Mujaahir (i.e. a bold sinner who does sinful acts openly or announces them shamelessly).

A form of Mujaaharah has been highlighted in the Hadeeth in which the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, referred to the sinner who commits a sin at night and Allaah conceals it for him, but he says (to people) in the morning, ‘I committed such-and-such sin last night,' removing thereby the screen of Allaah from himself. This kind of Mujaaharah was underlined in the Hadeeth reported on the authority of Abu Hurayrah and reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim .

Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, explained the Arabic word “Mujaahir" as follows: “They are those bold sinners who commit sins and acts of disobedience openly. They can be classified into two categories: first, those who commit sinful acts openly in front of people. Undoubtedly, these sinners wrong themselves because of the destruction they incur upon themselves and upon others as well. They incur their own destruction because they wrong themselves by disobeying Allaah and His Messenger, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. Whoever disobeys Allaah, The Exalted, and His Messenger, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, wrongs himself. Allaah, The Exalted, says (what means): {…And they wronged Us not - but they were [only] wronging themselves.}[Quran 2:57]

They also cause destruction to other people who see them committing such sins boldly. Consequently, those beholders develop a sense of indifference towards wrongdoing, take it rather lightly, and (eventually) do the same. Thus, those sinners lead others to evildoing – may Allaah protect us – encouraging others to commit sinful acts and ushering them into the Hellfire. Allaah, The Exalted, says about the people of Pharaoh (what means): {And We made them leaders inviting to the Fire, and on the Day of Resurrection they will not be helped.}[Quran 28:41]

In addition, whoever introduces an evil practice into Islam which is subsequently followed (by others), he shoulders the sin of it and the sins of all those who act upon it, without diminishing their sins in any way. This is considered a form of Mujaaharah. The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, did not underline that kind of Mujaaharah because it is quite clear. He, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, underlined the other form that may not be clear enough to people. The above mentioned Hadeeth highlights that the "Mujaahir” commits sins secretly at night away from people's eyes. It would be better for such a sinner to conceal his sin and turn to Allaah in repentance. However, he exposes his sin in the morning, informing people that he has committed such-and-such sin, while Allaah had screened it for him."

For further information, please, refer to Fataawa 87330, 88790 and 89099 about the Islamic ruling on watching movies and TV series, and Fatwa 84494 on the ruling on watching television in general.

Allaah Knows best.

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