Ruling on spreading a program that enables the user to receive hundreds of channels
Question I am a supervisor in a forum. The forum contains many subjects, religious, cultural, lingual, and programs, etc. one of the forum members has put a program that enables who downloads it to view more than 1500 different channels from all over the world. Another member objected to this and asked to remove this…
Question
Praise be to Allah.
If what this program is
mostly used for is watching haraam things on those channels, then it is not
permissible to spread it or tell others of it, because that is helping in
sin and transgression, and Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“… but do not help one
another in sin and transgression. And fear Allaah. Verily, Allaah is Severe
in punishment”
[al-Maa’idah 5:2]
The basic principle with
regard to this is that if a thing may be used for good or evil purposes, for
permissible or sinful things, it is permissible to sell it or give it to one
who it is known or thought most likely that he will use it for permissible
purposes, and it is haraam to sell it or give it to one who it is known or
thought most likely that he will use if for haraam purposes.
If it is usually the case
that it is used for haraam purposes, it is not permissible to sell it or
give it to one whose state is unknown. Rather it should only be given to the
first category of people who one thinks most likely will use it for
permissible purposes.
The above is what we stated
with regard to selling televisions, video equipment and Play Stations, and
selling women’s clothes to those who will use them for the purpose of
tabarruj (wanton display). See the answer to question no.
39744 and
75007, in which we have quoted the
views of scholars on these issues.
An example of that is what
it says in Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah (13/109): Everything that
will be used in haraam ways or that one thinks are most likely to be used in
such ways, it is haraam to make it, import it, sell it and distribute it
among the Muslims. End quote.
What is known is that most
of these channels are used for haraam things, both audio and video. Hence it
is not permissible to give this equipment and programs to anyone except one
who it is thought most likely will use it for permissible purposes.
The one who advised you to
remove these programs did well, and you have to remove them. The sin in that
case is borne by the one who watches it and by the one who told him of it or
helped him.
And Allaah knows best.
