English. Hence I have taken this as a profession. My writings are not
always about Islam; rather I write different things about various
subjects, but I am always careful to avoid that which is haraam. Is
the money that I get for these writings halaal? I write these things
on the basis of my conviction that the Muslims should excel in all
areas of life, and so that everyone who reads my writings will know
that we are not a backward ummah as some people think.
Praise be to Allah.
There is nothing wrong with writing stories if you adhere to the
shar'i conditions that make it permissible to write them and publish
them. These conditions includethe following:
1.
They should not contain anything that is contraryto sharee'ah, or
matters that Islam came to oppose and warn against. Such things
include shirk (association of others with Allah), innovation and evil
words, deeds and behavior.
2.
They should not contain lies about historical events or real
incidents. If it is a story based on imagination, then there is
nothing wrong with that, as al-Hareeri did in hisMaqaamaat, in whichhe
made up a fictional character called al-Haarith ibn Hsmmaam.
Al-Hareeri said in the introduction to hisMaqaamaat: I hope that I am
not going to be, in what I have written, like one who is putting
himself in trouble or be like losers, those who strove in misguidance
in this life, thinking that they were doing well. However, there are
somesmart people who turn ablind eye and do not comment on my
writings, and others who like me and defend me. Yet there are ignorant
people who are not prominent at all, who criticise me and suggest that
what I write is haraam. But anyone who examines what I have written of
theseMaqaamaatwill realise that they are beneficial and that they tell
stories about animate beings and inanimate things. No one has ever
heard of anyone who rejected such stories or regarded their writers as
sinners at all. If deeds are but byintentions, then what is wrong with
one who writes stories, intending thereby to highlight some issues,
for the purpose of promoting good morals, and his intention was never
to tell lies? Isn't he, in that case, like a teacher who teaches good
manners and guides people to thestraight path?
End quote fromMaqaamaat al-Hareeri, p. 17, 18
Shaykh Muhammad Rasheed Rida (may Allah have mercy on him) commented
by noting: He says that he never heard of anyone among the scholars of
the ummah up to his time forbidding such stories which speak of
animals, such asKaleelah wa Dimnah, and so on, because the intention
behind them was to exhort and teach something good. And wehave never
heard of any of the scholars after his time saying that it is haraam
to read hisMaqaamaat. But some popular figures came up with this view
and had the audacity to declare haraam that which Allah and His
Messenger did not prohibit, and which none of the scholars of Islam
declared to be haraam.
End quote fromMajallat al-Minaar, 14/828-830, in a fatwa
entitledTamtheel al-Waqaa'i' at-Taareekhiyyah wa'l-Khayaaliyyah
li'l-I'tibaar.
3.
They should have sublime aims and great meanings.
Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-'Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him)
was asked: Some literary authors write stories that teach moral
lessons in a very attractive style, which have a great impact on
readers' hearts, but it is all imaginary. What is the ruling on that?
He (may Allah have mercy on him) replied:
There is nothing wrong with that. There is nothing wrong with thatif
it deals with spiritual or moral or social problems, because there is
nothing wrong with giving likenesses by telling fictional stories. In
fact some of the scholars have stated thatsome of the likenesses given
in the Holy Qur'an did not refer to real events; rather Allah
gavethese as examples (to teach a lesson), such as when He, may He be
exalted, said (interpretation of the meaning):
"And Allah puts forward (another) example of two men, one of them
dumb, who has no power over anything (disbeliever), and he is a burden
to his master, whichever way he directs him, he brings nogood. Is such
a man equal to one (believer inthe Islamic Monotheism) who commands
justice, and is himself on a Straight Path?"
[an-Nahl 16:76].
So I do not think that there is anything wrong with that, because the
purpose is to warn others. But if it so happens that a person has
knowledge of what is in the Qur'an and Sunnah, then he quotes verses
in his writings that deal with problems, and he explains them and
gives likenesses for them, this is something good. The same applies to
quoting some hadeeths and explainingthem and giving likenesses for
them. This is undoubtedly good.
End quote fromFataawa 'ala ad-Darb, tape no. 358
See also the answer to question no. 4505
In the answer to question no. 159960you will find a detailed fatwa
from Shaykh al-'Uthaymeen, in which it says that it is permissible to
earn an income from writing such stories, if they are worldly stories.
We do not think that it makes a difference whether the stories
fromwhich you earn an income are worldly or religious. What has
beensaid about it being permissible to write stories and earn income
from them may be said about writing articles and earning income from
that.
We ask Allah to guide your pen and to benefit the Muslims through you.
And Allah knows best.
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