In the August 2004 issue of the New Delhi–based Urdu daily Rashtriya Sahara, a report was published presenting two different legal opinions regarding television. One opinion holds that the use of television for preaching and religious outreach is permissible. The other opinion takes the opposite view: it argues that television is primarily a means of entertainment on which obscene programs are shown, and therefore its use for religious programs is not permissible (p. 1).
Conveying the message of Islam to people and removing misunderstandings about it is a duty obligatory upon Muslims. This responsibility must be discharged in every age and under all circumstances. It is evident that this work can only be done where people are present, or through a medium that reaches people. It cannot be carried out in isolation or in seclusion.
If, under such circumstances, it is made a condition that this task will be performed only in places or through media where no evil exists at all, then the task will never be accomplished. This is because people will never meet us on conditions of our own choosing.
For example, the Prophet of Islam received prophethood in Makkah in the year 610. At that time, 360 idols were placed inside the Kabah. In practical terms, the Kabah had been turned into a house of idols. At the same time, the Kabah was the central gathering place of the people of Makkah. They assembled daily in its courtyard. Therefore, the only accessible place for conveying the message of monotheism to the people of Makkah was this very Kabah, where people gathered in connection with their idols. It was not possible to reach them anywhere else.
In this matter, the Prophet of Islam e adopted a wise approach. He kept the issue of idols separate from the issue of preaching. He did not concern himself with the fact that people gathered there because of idols. Setting this aspect aside, he treated the Kabah purely as a place of public gathering. He went there to recite the Quran to those present and to convey the message of monotheism. This prophetic wisdom can be summarized in one sentence: ignore the problems and make use of the opportunities.
The same wisdom should be applied in the case of television. That is, instead of focusing on the undesirable programs shown on television, one should use it to present religious programs. Due to the widespread reach of television, the largest audience can be accessed only through this medium. No other medium offers a comparable reach.
However, there is another aspect of this issue. It concerns the programs that are currently broadcast on television in the name of Islamic programs. In practice, these programs are not very beneficial. Like other television content, many of these so-called Islamic programs have also been moulded into entertainment. As a result, they become entertainment programs under the label of Islam. It would therefore be correct to say that, in most cases, they are Islamic entertainment rather than genuine Islamic programs.
Those who watch television are aware that followers of other religions also use it to introduce their faith. According to my information, Christian programs provide the best example in this regard. In Urdu and several other languages, Christian programs are broadcast daily, and from a technical point of view, they are far superior.
It is also well known that Islamic programs are broadcast in every Muslim country. However, according to my observation, very few people watch them. The reason appears to be the poor quality of these programs. I have personally observed this on more than one occasion during visits to Muslim countries. I inquired about the viewership of Islamic television programs and found that only a small number of people watched them. In many homes, when an Islamic program appears on the screen, family members switch off the television, saying, “Turn it off; this is a government program.”
Almost all Muslims of the Indian subcontinent hold deep affection for Iqbal. Yet, strangely, Iqbal’s poetry has remained for them largely a song to recite, rather than a source of practical guidance for life. For example, Urdu poet Mohammad Iqbal said:
Aaeen-e-nau se darna, tarz-e-kuhan par arna
Manzil yahi kathin hai qaumon ki zindagi mein
Fear the new order, cling to the old way—this difficult path alone defines the life of nations.
Yet the condition of Muslims—especially of the religious class—is that they react emotionally to every new development. They show a negative response to almost every new thing. Television is one such example. Among the religious class, television is often regarded as being as evil as Satan.
The correct approach in this matter is to distinguish between television itself and its misuse. Television is a manifestation of divine power. It operates through natural laws created by God. The principle on which television functions was already embedded in the world created by God. The role of human beings was only to discover this principle and put it to use. In its reality, television technology is a gift from God, not from any enemy of Islam.
It is true that many immoral programs are shown on television. But this represents the misuse of television. It is a known fact that everything can be misused, even things that are regarded as sacred. Because of misuse, a thing is not abandoned; rather, its use is corrected.
In this matter, the responsibility of the religious class is not merely to react negatively and withdraw. There is also a positive responsibility upon them. They should understand the technical aspects of television. They should learn the details of its operation. They should discover how television can be employed for reformative work.
The further responsibility of the religious class is that, after adequate preparation, they should produce high-quality Islamic programs for television—programs that attract people, that viewers willingly watch, and that address the minds of the modern human beings.
The method of Islam is not one of negative reaction, but of discovering positive possibilities within adverse conditions. One example of this is the ancient Kabah mentioned earlier. The reality is that the present world is a world of trial, in which every man and woman has been granted freedom. Therefore, it is impossible for everything in this world to be right, or for unpleasant situations not to arise. Unfavourable conditions will always exist. Our task is to identify favourable aspects within unfavorable conditions and make use of them.
This principle has been expressed in the Quran in these words: Inna ma‘a al-‘usr yusra (94:6). That is, where there are difficulties, there are also opportunities. Ignore the problems and make use of the opportunities. This is a universal principle, and it applies to television as well as to all other matters. (Al-Risala, December 2004)
