Shaikh Muhammad Salih al-Munajjid replied:

(The text below is a part of his answer.)

Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked about the ruling on a man divorcing his wife if his father tells him to do that. He said:

If the father tells his son to divorce his wife, one of the following two scenarios must apply:

1 – Where the father gives a legitimate reason why he should divorce her and separate from her, such as saying, Divorce your wife because her behaviour is suspicious, such as she flirts with men or goes out to gatherings that are not decent and so on. In this case the son should agree and divorce her, because he is not telling her to divorce her on the basis of a whim, rather that is to protect his son’s honour from being besmirched, so he should divorce her.

2 – Where the father tells his son to divorce his wife because the son loves her, but the father feels jealous of his son’s love for her and the mother is more jealous, because many mothers, when they see that their son loves his wife, feel very jealous, as if the son’s wife is a co-wife and rival. We ask Allaah to keep us safe and sound. In this case the son does not have to divorce his wife if his father or mother tells her to divorce her. Rather he should be tactful with them and keep his wife, and he should try to convince them with kind words until they are persuaded that she should stay with him, especially if the wife is religiously committed and has a good attitude.

Imam Ahmad (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked about this very issue. A man came and said: “My father is telling me to divorce my wife.” Imam Ahmad said to him: “Do not divorce her.” He said: “Didn’t the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) tell Ibn ‘Umar to divorce his wife when ‘Umar told him to do that?” He said: “Is your father like ‘Umar?”

If the father quotes evidence to his son and says, “O my son, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Umar to divorce his wife when his father ‘Umar told him to do that,” the response to that is: “Are you like ‘Umar?” But you should speak kindly and gently, and say that ‘Umar saw something which indicated that it was in his son’s interests to divorce his wife. This is the answer to this question which comes up frequently.

Al-Fataawa al-Jaami’ah li’l-Mar’ah al-Muslimah, 2/671.

The Standing Committee for Issuing Fatwas was asked about a mother telling her son to divorce his wife for no reason or fault in her religious commitment, rather it was because of the mother’s personal reasons. They replied as follows:

If the situation is as described, that his wife is righteous and he loves her, and she is dear to him, and she does not behave badly towards his mother, and his mother only dislikes her for personal reasons, then he should keep his wife and stay married to her. He does not have to divorce her in obedience to his mother, because it was proven that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Obedience is only with regard to that which is right and proper.” Based on this, he should honour his mother and uphold ties of kinship with her by visiting her and spending on her, and paying attention to her needs and making her happy and pleasing her in whatever ways he can, apart from divorcing his wife.

Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 2/29.

(For the entire answer see https://islamqa.info/en/47040)

Q)What is the ruling on plays and skits(Dramas) for the sake of Dawah in Islam?

The Ulama differed with regards to the permissibility of such *’Islamic Dramas’*, some of them say that it is altogether Haram and some say that it is allowed if some strict Islamic guidelines are observed.

Some of whom, from the Kibaar who totally prohibited Islamic Dramas are Shaikh Saleh ibn Fawzan Al Fawzan Hafidhahullah and Shaikh Al-Albani Rahimahullah.

*The Ruling on Comedy and Plays for Dawah (Shaikh Saleh Al-Fawzan)*

https://youtu.be/9iLPjExu2rM

*The Ruling on Plays and Skits (Shaikh Saleh Al-Fawzan)*

*حكم التمثيل- الشيخ الألباني*

(Shaikh Alalbani mentions [in summary] that: (the Dramas involve) a lot of Mukhalafaat(opposition to the Shariah) like men imitating women (and vice versa) and a pious man imitating a sinner and vice versa…)

To read the view of Shaikh Muhammad ibn Saleh Al Uthaymeen Rahimahullah, who mentioned that Islamic Dramas are permissible with certain conditions, you may refer to:

https://islamqa.info/en/10836

Finally, I would like to add that it is always better to be on the safer side and avoid them, as almost all of the *so called* ‘Islamic Dramas’ have some or the other Mukhalafaat (opposition to the Shariah) in addition to the ones mentioned by Shaikh ibn Al-Uthaymeen.

Some of them are:

1. Using false jokes:

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Woe to the one who tells lies to make people laugh, woe to him.” (Narrated by Abu Dawood).

2. Acting and plays are like teaching Muslims to lie and pretend what they’re not. These are not praiseworthy things to learn. Such ‘Islamic drama actors’ learn to lie.

Al-Bukhaari (6094) and Muslim (2607) narrated that Ibn Mas‘ood (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “I enjoin you to be truthful, for truthfulness leads to righteousness and righteousness leads to Paradise. A man may continue to tell the truth and endeavour to be truthful until he is recorded with Allah as a speaker of truth. And beware of lying, for lying leads to wickedness and wickedness leads to Hell. A man may continue to tell lies and endeavour to tell lies, until he is recorded with Allah as a liar.”

3. Such Islamic Dramas are things which are not proven from The Sunnah and The Pious Salaf, they’ve entered us because of our immitation of The Kuffar and their ways. We should rather stop at where the Salaf stopped.

Imam Al-Awza’i said: “Patiently restrict yourself upon the sunnah, stop where the people (ie the companions) stopped, say what they say and refrain from that which they refrained. Traverse upon the path of your Salaf al-Salih, for indeed what was sufficient for them is sufficient for you.” (Al-Shari’ah of al Ajurri, pg58)

4. They involve wasting of time, for practicing dialogues which are useless in and of themselves.

5. Many Muslim dramas are increasingly using Anasheeds (Islamic songs) with or without music which the major scholars have warned against.

6. Using songs and couplets from the sinful and Fahish Hollywood/Bollywood movies on the pretext that we have extracted the music from them.Remember that almost all the people to prepare to sing such *musicless songs* from sinful movies do listen to the actual musical song to rehearse it.

7. Remember what Shaikh Al-Albani said, and see the plays today.

(Shaikh Alalbani mentions [in summary] that: (the Dramas involve) a lot of Mukhalafaat(opposition to the Shariah) like men imitating women (and vice versa) and a pious man imitating a sinner and vice versa…)

With all this, again do read the conditions set by Shaikh Al-Uthaymeen, it is very difficult to avoid all the *oppositions to the sharia* warned against by the scholars.

Hence like what Shaikh Saleh ibn Fawzan Al Fawzan mentioned, because of the numerous harms and evil, we will follow the view that they are impermissible and not allowed.

Wallahu Alam.

(Compiled and points added by Mohammed Manna)

14th July 2018