Amitabh Bachan, Shahrukh Khan, Robert De-Niro, Nicholas Cage, Wasim Akram, Shahid Afridi, Whitney Houstan, Brittany Spears, Deigo Maradonna, Gabriella Batistuta. The mentioning of such names spontaneousley brings forth many images to mind. From the ‘grease-slapped’ heroes of Bollywood movies to the ‘star studded’ Hollywood ‘extravaganzas’ and from the fast bowling cricketers to the ‘skilful’ footballers, all have gained prestigious status in the hearts of people worldwide.
Entertainment, in all its forms, whether through digital television, internet or the big screen bombards us daily with the latest news on celebrity gossip, footballers transfers, new film releases and the latest music in the pop charts. Such topics occupy the lives of many students and remain as discussion points in the Canteen and during and after lectures.
Children are encouraged from a young age to follow examples from the West, and organise bands and concerts, sporting ventures, film and music awards, and other frivolous activities. We witness mass adveritsed dancing and singing events in massive locations in arenas and coliseums in the UK, performed by Bollywood ‘Stars’ and pop ‘Stars’ before thousands, even millions of spectators in the arenas and across television screens all across the World. **Such dance and music events waste the valuable time of the energetic youth of the Muslim Ummah, destroying their manners, their dignity, wasting their money and their Islamic beliefs. **
Distractions in life are integral to Capitalism and part of its nature. The belief of secularism is a belief of distractions, distracting man from achieving the goal in life, which is the pleasure of Allah (swt). Instead man is given the goal of achieving the sensual satisfaction; similar to what is found amongst the animals. So man strives hard to entertain him-self and to seek his pleasure in life, not worry-ing about what comes after life. This Aqeeda of distractions pushes them to organise for them-selves activities by fixing times, organising dis-tractions or theatrical shows and the like.
Islams View on Distractions
Distraction is mentioned on many occasions in the Quran and Sunnah. It is mentioned in the context of entertainment, for example when the Prophet (saw) said, “You should (practice) (target) shooting, for it is the best of your entertainment (Lahwikum)”. In addition it was mentioned in the context of idle talk, when Allah (swt), the Most High, said,
**“But there are, among men, those who purchase idle talk (Lahw Al-Hadith)” [Luqman: 6]. **
**Ibn Jareer said that it is “any talk used to impede the Ayaat of Allah (swt), and the obedience to His (swt) order” and “To slander and mock the truth as Ja’far Al-Saadiq (ra) had said.” [Al-Tafseer Al-Kashif - Mughniyah]. **
“Law, entertainment and vacancy from any work, if it does not involve a forbidden matter, or occupy one from an obligated mat-ter, is Mubah (permissible).” And he adds, “But he is blameworthy, and the scholars did not agree with it (like it), rather they would hate to see a man, who was not busy with either improving his livelihood or improving his Hereafter; for he had wasted a period of time which was not used to gain any good for this world, nor for the afterlife.”
Conclusion
Organised distractions have affected the entire life of Muslim students and all alike. These distractions and enter-tainment, turn the muslim away from taking the deen as the basis of their life, in belief, worship, in their manners and actions, weakening their reverence and respect for their deen, causing them to live life without a purpose and walking without a path.
Muslims should constantly be aware about the clash of these ideas which are fundamental to their belief. We should remind each other of the pitfalls of engaging in unnessary actions like going to the cinema, playing the X-box, occupying ourselves with celebrity gossips, and being engrossed with discussion related to tactics for football games or the forthcoming World Cup Cricket 2003.
**The Messenger of Allah (saw) was most truthful when he (saw) said, “The two feet of the son of Adam will not move from near his Lord on the Day of Judgement until he is asked about five matters: about his life, how he spent it; about his youth, how he took care of it; about his wealth, how he earned it and how he spent it; and about that which he acted upon from the knowledge that he acquired” [Tirmidhi]. **
**p.s. The article is not written by me. I found it on internet a year ago, but the site is not working anymore.
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