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Are Videogames Permissible in Islam? by Ebrahim Saifuddin With new technologies came video game consoles like
Microsoft Xbox, Sony Play Station and Nintendo Wii. When Sony PS3 was launched
in Japan on November 11, 2006, 81,639 (Media
Create) systems were sold within 24 hours. On August 3, 2009, a report
quoting Sony’s earning figures stated Sony had sold 24 million units globally (AfterDawn) since the
launch of the product. Today, one can buy a PS3 80GB edition for about $400.
Despite its price, many children as well as adults own either of the most
famous video game consoles. Muslims now face a question whether the video games
available to play on these consoles are halal or haram. As a Muslim, this
question must be asked because we are to assess the permissibility of some
thing before we can sell, purchase and utilize it. Generally video games are without a doubt haram. There
are many aspects to this issue which lead to it being forbidden. Music in Videogames The first element which cannot be missed by anyone is the
presence of music in these games. Any videogame has plentiful usage of musical
instruments which are haram in Islam. Some people wish to argue that it is not
haram but this objection of theirs is baseless. Is Music Halal or Haram? In not less than four places in the
Qur’an, music has been declared haram. One such verse is found in Surah Luqman: وَمِنَ
النَّاسِ مَن
يَشْتَرِي
لَهْوَ الْحَدِيثِ
لِيُضِلَّ
عَن سَبِيلِ
اللَّهِ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ
وَيَتَّخِذَهَا
هُزُوًا
أُولَئِكَ
لَهُمْ
عَذَابٌ
مُّهِينٌ Wamina alnnasi man yashtaree lahwa alhadeethi liyudilla
AAan sabeeli Allahi bighayri AAilmin wayattakhithaha huzuwan olaika lahum
AAathabun muheenun There is a man among the people who buys discourses of
distracting amusements, so that he may mislead (people) from the Way of Allah,
and make a mockery of it. For such people there is a disgraceful punishment.
[31:06] The phrase ‘lahwa alhadeeth’ is of importance as this
refers to music. ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ud (ra), while replying to a question
regarding “lahwa alhadeeth” said: “I take an oath by Allah, this means
music.” (al-Sunan al-Kubra lil Baihaqi, v.1 p.223) Imam Shawkani (rh) quotes this hadith and says: “Ibn Shayba (rh) has quoted this hadith
with sahih sanad. This has also been quoted by Hakim (rh) and Baihaqi (rh).
Both of them classified it as sahih.” Ibn ‘Abbas (ra) stated regarding “lahwa alhadeeth”: “This means singing and things like
it.”(Adab al-Mufrad v.2 p.662) Hasan Basri (rh) said regarding the same: “This means music other things like
story-telling the whole night, jokes, nonsensical talks etc. In fact, it includes
all such things which would make one negligent of Allah’s (swt) worship and
remembrance.”(Tafsir Ruh al-Ma’ani, v.21 p.67) Another narration from Hasan Basri (rh) is reported where
he has said: “This verse was revealed with regard to
music.”(Tafsir Ibn Kathir, v.3 p.442) There are many such statements of the companions where
they have explained the meaning of “lahwa alhadeeth” to mean music. The above
are just a few mentioned to clarify the matter. Apart from the Qur’an, there are many ahadith that leave
no doubt that music is haram in Islam. Umaamah Baahilee (ra) has narrated that the Messenger
(saw) said: “Verily, I have been sent by Allah
(swt) as a guidance and mercy for the Muslims and He (swt) has commanded me to
destroy the flute, drum, cross and objects of the days of ignorance
(jahiliyah).”(Abu Dawood) Ibn ‘Abbas (ra) has narrated that the Messenger (saw)
said: “I have been commanded to destroy the
drum and the flute.”(Jamul Jawaami’) Abu Hurairah (ra) has narrated that the Messenger (saw)
said: “Close to Qiyaamah, the forms of some
people of my Ummah will be transformed and changed into that of monkeys and
swines.” ‘Abdullah ibn Dinar said: “I went out with ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar to
the market. He passed by a small slave-girl who was singing and remarked,
‘Shaytan. If he had left anyone, he would have left this girl.’” ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Abbas (ra) narrated that the Messenger
(saw) said: “Allah (swt) has forbidden wine,
gambling, drum and saarangee (stringed instrument like violin).” He added,
“Everything that intoxicates is haram.” As this article does not pertain to the topic of music
being halal or haram in Islam, hence, many authentic narrations, juristic
rulings etc are omitted. The basic evidence has been given to establish that
music which we have today is not permissible in Islam and as a result the music
component of video games makes them haram beyond a doubt. Animate Objects in Videogames Another component of videogames is the animate objects
i.e. humans, animals. Many a times the female characters in video games are
highly inappropriately dressed. All such things render the games impermissible.
There are many ahadith which render making the picture of an animate object,
impermissible. Narrated Said bin Abu Al-Hasan: While I was with Ibn ‘Abbas a man came
and said, “O father of ‘Abbas! My sustenance is from my manual profession and I
make these pictures.” Ibn ‘Abbas said, “I will tell you only what I heard from
Allah’s Apostle. I heard him saying, ‘Whoever makes a picture will be punished
by Allah till he puts life in it, and he will never be able to put life in it.’”
Hearing this, that man heaved a sigh and his face turned pale. Ibn ‘Abbas said
to him, “What a pity! If you insist on making pictures I advise you to make
pictures of trees and any other unanimated objects.”(Sahih Bukhari, v.34 b.3
n.428) Narrated Ali ibn AbuTalib: The Prophet (saw) said: “The
angels do not enter a house which contains a picture, a dog, or a man who is
impure by sexual defilement.” Similar ahadith are found throughout the hadith
collections. They stress on the grave punishments one will face if they make
pictures. The making of pictures includes sculptures as well. There are hardly
any videogames available that do not have any animate objects in them. This
again renders them to be impermissible. There is an objection raised by some after quoting the
following hadith: Narrated ‘Ayesha, Ummul Mu’minin: “When the Apostle of Allah (saw)
arrived after the expedition to Tabuk or Khaybar (the narrator is doubtful),
the draught raised an end of a curtain which was hung in front of her
store-room, revealing some dolls which belonged to her. He asked: What is this?
She replied: My dolls. Among them he saw a horse with wings made of rags, and
asked: What is this I see among them? She replied: A horse. He asked: What is
this that it has on it? She replied: Two wings. He asked: A horse with two
wings? She replied: Have you not heard that Solomon had horses with wings? She
said: Thereupon the Apostle of Allah (saw) laughed so heartily that I could see
his molar teeth.”(Abu Dawood) Similar ahadith related to dolls are also present in
Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim. They state that ‘Ayesha (ra) was allowed to
keep dolls. Many scholars have explained the doll issue in this hadith. Firstly
the doll was without features and made out of rags. This is nothing like the
dolls today. Today dolls have prominent features like eyes, nose, ears etc.
Moreover, some scholars have stated these events were before picture-making was
declared impermissible. Maulana Manzoor Ahmed in Fadhl al-Ma’bud fi Sharh Sunan
Abu Dawood writes: “Imam Munzari has said the word
‘banaat’ in the hadith refers to dolls with which girls play. If they had
facial features then this event was before the prohibition of picture-making.
Otherwise, many times things which do not have such features are also referred
by the same name.” Commenting on a hadith in Sahih Bukhari (Kitab al-Adab),
related to dolls, Maulana Salimullah Khan in Kashf al-Bari ‘amma fi Sahih
Bukhari, has stated: “From this hadith, majority of the scholars have said
that children can play with dolls but to make facial features like eyes, nose,
and mouth, and to give it the proper human shape should be avoided.” As a result, if any object made by man for example a
doll, has distinct features etc, then it is impermissible. In many videogames,
the characters have distinct features which render them impermissible, even for
children. Use of such objects is only deemed permissible when
needed strictly for an academic reason. For example, in a medical college,
students require the use of 3D plastic models to study anatomy. Due to this,
scholars have permitted to use of such objects. Analyzing famous games Many of the famous videogames, at times have a lot of
inappropriate content in them. Grand Theft Auto The main theme in all the games in this series is based
on car theft. One has to steal cars and carry out missions which require one to
break the law. Gang mentality is promoted and crime is marketed as something
“cool”. What was the outcome of such a game? Two boys aged 14 and
16 shot and killed a man after being inspired by this game. “His (the deceased) parents have sued
Sony for $246 million in compensatory and punitive damages. Sony makes the
video game “Grand Theft Auto,” which the two boys accused in the death said
inspired them to shoot into traffic.” In fact, many online websites now present a “dating
guide” for a videogame in this series where the lead character can date various
women in the game. Such acts of violence and mingling with people of the
opposite sex are highly unislamic and one should neither allow one’s children
to play these games nor should one purchase these for oneself. Metal Gear Solid The British
Board of Film Classification has rated this videogame 15 despite noting
extreme violence, implied child rape and references to suicide: “According to the BBFC, MGS4 includes
‘references to suicide and an implied child rape,’ broadly speaking, the
violence on show isn’t overly graphic, however. Similarly, there are many popular videogames with
inappropriate content especially for children and they should not be allowed to
play these. As Muslims, our duty is to raise our children with Islamic morals
and not corrupt their mind with unnecessary violence or other things of
provocative nature. Such content is simply impermissible by Islamic standards. Psychological Impact of Videogames In a report titled “The Influence of Media Violence on
Youth” by a team of 8 members (Craig A. Anderson, Leonard Berkovitz, Edward
Donnerstein, L. Rowell Huesmann, James D. Johnson, Daniel Linz, Neil M.
Malamuth and Ellen Wartella), it is stated: “Violent video games have recently surpassed violent
music videos and even violent TV as a matter of concern to parents and
policymakers. There are several reasons for this. First, children are spending
an increasingly large amount of time playing video games. Second, a large
portion of these games contain violence. Third, because the children playing
these games are active participants rather than observers, they may be at
increased risk of becoming aggressive themselves. The impact of exposure to
violent video games has not been studied as extensively as the impact of
exposure to TV or movie violence; however, on the whole, the results reported
for video games to date are very similar to those obtained in the
investigations of TV and movie violence (Anderson & Bushman, 2001; Anderson
et al., in press).” Craig A. Anderson, a PhD in psychology, writes a detailed
article on the psychological effects of videogames. Some of his arguments are
reproduced hereunder: “Myth 1: Violent video game
research has yielded very mixed results. Facts: Some
studies have yielded nonsignificant video game effects, just as some smoking
studies failed to find a significant link to lung cancer. But when one combines
all relevant empirical studies using meta-analytic techniques, five separate
effects emerge with considerable consistency. Violent video games are
significantly associated with: increased aggressive behavior, thoughts, and
affect; increased physiological arousal; and decreased prosocial (helping)
behavior. Average effect sizes for experimental studies (which help establish
causality) and correlational studies (which allow examination of serious
violent behavior) appear comparable (Anderson & Bushman, 2001). Myth 2: The
studies that find significant effects are the weakest methodologically. Facts:
Methodologically stronger studies have yielded the largest effects (Anderson,
in press). Thus, earlier effect size estimates – based on all video game
studies – probably underestimate the actual effect sizes. Myth 8:
Unrealistic video game violence is completely safe for adolescents and older
youths. Facts:
Cartoonish and fantasy violence is often perceived (incorrectly) by parents and
public policy makers as safe even for children. However, experimental studies
with college students have consistently found increased aggression after
exposure to clearly unrealistic and fantasy violent video games. Indeed, at
least one recent study found significant increases in aggression by college
students after playing E-rated (suitable for everyone) violent video games. Myth 11: If
violent video games cause increases in aggression, violent crime rates in the
U.S. would be increasing instead of decreasing. Facts: Three
assumptions must all be true for this myth to be valid: (a) exposure to violent
media (including video games) is increasing; (b) youth violent crime rates are
decreasing; (c) video game violence is the only (or the primary) factor
contributing to societal violence. The first assumption is probably true. The
second is not true, as reported by the 2001 Report of the Surgeon General on
Youth Violence (Figure 2-7, p. 25). The third is clearly untrue. Media violence
is only one of many factors that contribute to societal violence and is
certainly not the most important one. Media violence researchers have
repeatedly noted this.” (http://www.apa.org/science/psa/sb-anderson.html) The above are only some of the common objections raised
by those who state videogames have no psychological effects. In the source link
given above, other objections and their answers can also be read. Another report titled “The Effects of Violent Video Game
Habits on Adolescent Aggressive Attitudes and Behaviors” by Paul J. Lynch,
Douglas A. Gentile, Abbie A. Olson and Tara M. van Brederode, points out the
following: “Students were also asked whether they
had been involved in a physical fight within the past year. Students who spend
more time playing video games, have played for more years, or buy or rent video
games more frequently are more likely to have been involved in physical
fights……We asked students whether they play video games when they are angry as
a way to release their anger. Thirty-nine percent of students overall (45% of
boys, 31% of girls) say they play video games with the intention to release
their anger. This usage pattern is related systematically with each of the
aggression variables. Students who play video games as a way to release anger
see the world as a more hostile place, get into arguments with teachers more
frequently, tend to be more hostile, and are more likely to have been involved
in physical fights. They also perform more poorly in school. ” For a detailed study these reports can be read in full in
the links given. Impact on Physical Health While people spend time on videogames, they miss out on
healthy activities. A person may sit for 2 hours playing tennis or boxing but
they hardly burn any calories. If one would play only one hour of tennis, they
would burn a whole lot more calories than 2 hours of tennis on video console
games. Exercise outside makes both the mind and body healthy. Sitting in a room
playing videogames does neither. There are some who claim Nintendo Wii solves this problem
because playing games on Wii requires physical movements and hence it is just
like playing the actual sport. The reality of the matter is that Wii sports
burns about only 60 calories per hour more than regular console games: “A new study shows that kids playing
the active computer game Wii Sports burn 60 more calories per hour than while
playing Xbox 360, a sedentary computer game. Another problem related to Nintendo Wii, as stated by
some, is that its overuse injures soft tissues, muscle and tendons: “Prolonged use can lead to injuries The
Courier Journal in Louisville, Kentucky reports warnings of overuse from a
local PT Siri Njos, who has gotten reports about pain and soreness among both
adults and children who got Wii Sports for Christmas. The gist of the matter is that it is far better to go out
and play a particular sport in real life than spend hours playing it on video
game consoles. Such forms of activities are a waste of time and have no
benefit in them. As Muslims, it is prohibited to get into idle activities that
simply wastes time. Islam does not prohibit one to indulge in healthy
activities and in fact encourages people to do so. In Imam Suyuti’s al-Jami’ al-Sagir, v.1 p.62, it is
reported: Prophet Muhammad (saw) said: In Maraasil Abu Dawood, it is recorded: Prophet Muhammad (saw) said:“Refresh
your hearts from time to time.” These narrations make it clear that Islam does not expect
one to be in ‘ibadah 24 hours a day. However, enjoyment and play should be
those that are beneficial to our body and mind. That which has no benefit
should not be practiced by us. In Mustadrak Kitab al-Jihad, v.2 p.95 it is reported: The prophet Muhammad (saw) said: In a similar narration recorded in al-Jami’ al-Sagir,
swimming is also mentioned. Further, a hadith reported in Abu Dawood: Narrated ‘Ayesha (ra): The focus of indulging in these sports is to acquire
skill and also train the mind and body for time when one has to defend his deen
or himself and his family. Sitting at home playing video game consoles prepares us
for neither. This is purely a useless activity and one should abstain from it
at all cost. In Sahih Bukhari it has been recorded: Narrated Ibn ‘Abbas: The Prophet Muhammad (saw) said: Distraction from Obedience to Allah (swt) Another issue related to videogames is that it distracts
people from their religious duties. It often happens that people playing
videogames would hear the adhan but do not get up to offer the salah because
they are so much engrossed in the game. Allah (swt) says in the Qur’an in Surah
al-Munafiqun: يَا
أَيُّهَا
الَّذِينَ
آمَنُوا لَا
تُلْهِكُمْ
أَمْوَالُكُمْ
وَلَا
أَوْلَادُكُمْ عَن ذِكْرِ
اللَّهِ
وَمَن
يَفْعَلْ
ذَلِكَ فَأُوْلَئِكَ
هُمُ
الْخَاسِرُونَ Ya ayyuha allatheena amanoo la tulhikum amwalukum wala
awladukum AAan thikri Allahi waman yafAAal thalika faolaika humu alkhasiroona O you who believe, your riches and your children must not
divert you from the remembrance of Allah. And those who do that are the losers.
[63:09] Although the apparent objects in the verse are riches and
children, the verse refers to all forms of entertainment. Mufti Sahfi’ Uthmani,
in Ma’ariful Qur’an explains: “There are two major objects in this
world that divert a person from the remembrance of Allah (swt): [1] wealth; and
[2] children. Therefore, these two things have been named in particular.
Otherwise, it refers to all the means of enjoyments in the world.” Videogames are addictive and many people have suffered
from it. According to the data cited in American Psychiatrist Association
council’s report: “Up to 90 percent of American
youngsters play video games and as many as 15 percent of them – more than 5
million kids – may be addicted.” In the same news item, it is further noted: “Joyce Protopapas of Frisco, Texas,
said her 17-year-old son, Michael, was a video addict. Over nearly two years,
video and Internet games transformed him from an outgoing, academically gifted
teen into a reclusive manipulator who flunked two 10th grade classes and spent
several hours day and night playing a popular online video game called World of
Warcraft.” (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19354827/) In a news report from Australia, the following is stated: “The father of a 15-year-old Perth
computer-game addict has described the family’s extraordinary nightmare –
comparing it to heroin addiction. One of the leading newspapers in United Kingdom published
a report on the same issue. They mentioned psychologists to have said “one in
30 videogame players have symptoms similar to those of gambling and drug
addicts.” The report further mentioned: “Gaming formed such a large part in the
lives of three per cent of gamers in a study that they missed meals and went
without sleep to spend more time playing. Realizing such harmful effects of videogames, China
imposed online gaming curbs. The player was expelled from any game which he was
playing, after 3 hours. However, later in 2006, due to unknown reasons China
relaxed this ban and the restriction was applicable only to those under 18: “A watershed online gaming announcement
from China’s General Administration of Press and Publications, or GAPP, last
Friday means that its proposed “fatigue system,” which is designed to restrict
online game playing in an effort to combat addiction among youth, will only
apply to gamers under the age of 18.” Could it be that the gaming industry was losing a lot of
money due to the initial ban and hence pressured the government to relax it?
This question will probably remain unanswered but we should consider all
possibilities. Keep in mind that professionals have compared video
gaming to drugs and gambling. Both these are strictly forbidden in Islam. How
then can we say something similar to both drugs and gambling can be freely
used? Wasting Money As noted earlier, a PS3 80GB edition costs about $400,
while games like Metal Gear Solid 4 and Grand Theft Auto 4 costs almost $39 and
$30 respectively on a known online shop. To spend so much on something which,
in principle is useless, is wasting money. It is far better to simply take a
membership of a gym or jog around the park which would virtually cost nothing. In a hadith in Sahih Bukhari, the prophet Muhammad (saw)
has said that one of the things for which Allah (swt) has hated us is “wasting
of wealth.” Do we really wish to earn the hatred of Allah (swt) or
should we yearn to earn His love? Many Muslims in third-world nations earn a fraction of
the cost of PS3 in a month. There are yet many who do not even earn that much
in a year. Our brothers and sisters all over the world are simply dying of
hunger. How can we then sit and spend all this money on something which is futile.
With the same money we can purchase books that would
enable us to be better Muslims. There are so many of us who have been offering
salah for a long time but all that has been invalid because they were not
executing the fardh aspects of salah properly. The reason for this is that we
do not wish to learn fiqh of even the basic pillars of Islam. However, when it
comes to videogames, we are always informed about the new ones that are about
to be released and have read reviews of multitude of others. Conclusion Keeping everything in mind, videogames should be avoided
and the money spent on them should, instead, be channeled in a useful way which
would be beneficial to us and others. A Muslim household should have members
who have a healthy mind, body and soul. Video game consoles, if used for educational purposes
would then be permissible. Some videogames can simulate learning in children
and thus can be used for these purposes strictly. However, there are other ways
to simulate learning in children but if it is so necessary to use videogames
then they can be used for such purposes. Apart from this, videogames should be avoided and not
deemed permissible for the many reasons stated above. And Allah (swt) knows best. August 19, 2009 -
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