QUESTION:
What do the scholars of the Dīn and muftīs of the Sacred Law state regarding the following issue: What is the ruling of sharing such videos which puts Muslims at great unease & restlessness, such as the tragic event which occurred in New Zealand in this very month, where a Christian terrorist martyred 50 Muslims in an extremely brutal & savage manner after Jum’ah Salāh?
Questioner: A sister from Bolton, England
ANSWER:
بسم الله الرحمن الرحیم
الجواب بعون الملک الوھاب اللھم ھدایة الحق والصواب
Sharing these types of videos depends upon a person’s intention, because if the one sharing intends to cause restlessness, unease & discomfort among Muslims, or stop them from worshiping God by scaring them, then there is the Harām [unlawfulness] of harming & causing pain to another Muslim, and also a great wrong and Harām act of striving to stop worship in mosques. There are many proofs in Qur’ān & Hadīth of harming another Muslim as being Harām.
Just as Allāh, the Only One, the Dominant, states,
{اِنَّ الَّذِیۡنَ فَتَنُوا الْمُؤْمِنِیۡنَ وَ الْمُؤْمِنٰتِ ثُمَّ لَمْ یَتُوۡبُوۡا فَلَہُمْ عَذَابُ جَہَنَّمَ وَ لَہُمْ عَذَابُ الْحَرِیۡقِ ﴿ؕ۱۰﴾}
{Indeed, those who tortured Muslim men and women (throwing them in fire), and then did not repent, for them is the punishment of Hell, and for them is the punishment of Fire}
[Sūrah al-Burūj, 10]
Furthermore, the Noble Prophet ﷺ has stated,
“مَنْ آذَى مُسْلِمًا فَقَدْ آذَانِي , وَمَنْ آذَانِي فَقَدْ آذَى اللَّهَعَزَّ وَجَلَّ“
“Whoever harms a Muslim has indeed harmed me, and whoever harms me has indeed attempted to harm & cause pain [i.e. deeply upset] Allāh.”
[al-Jāmi’ al-Safīr ma’ Fayd al-Qadīr – in reference to – Tabarānī Awsat, vol 6, pg 9]
[Kanz al-‘Ummāl, vol 16, pg 10, Hadīth no 4370]
[Majma’ al-Zawā’id, vol 2, pg 179]
In addition, attempting & striving to stop worship in mosques is great injustice and a major sin, just as Allāh Almighty Himself states,
{وَمَنْ اَظْلَمُ مِمَّنۡ مَّنَعَ مَسٰجِدَ اللہِ اَنۡ یُّذْکَرَ فِیۡہَا اسْمُہٗ وَسَعٰی فِیۡ خَرَابِہَاؕ اُولٰٓئِکَ مَا کَانَ لَہُمْ اَنۡ یَّدْخُلُوۡہَاۤ اِلَّا خَآئِفِیۡنَ۬ؕ لَہُمْ فِی الدُّنْیَا خِزْیٌ وَّلَہُمْ فِی الۡاٰخِرَۃِ عَذَابٌ عَظِیۡمٌ﴿۱۱۴﴾}
{Who is more unjust than he who prevents the name of Allāh [ﷻ] from being mentioned in the Masjids (mosques) of Allāh [ﷻ], and strives to ruin them? It was not befitting for them to enter the mosques, but in fear (of Allāh ﷻ). For them is disgrace in this world, and for them is a great torment in the Hereafter}
[Sūrah al-Baqarah, 114]
Though, if the one sharing has the intention to bring this in front of the media in order to raise awareness & let one’s voice be heard against such a vile & cruel person, then without doubt doing so is permissible. In fact, the one sharing is deserving of reward, because siding with & helping those were wronged & treated cruelly in retaliation to the one who did wrong is indeed righteousness (a good deed), and the enactment of assisting & aiding in righteousness is mentioned in the Qur’ān itself,
{وَتَعَاوَنُوۡا عَلَی الْبِرِّ وَالتَّقْوٰی۔}
{And help one another in righteousness and piety}
[Sūrah al-Mā’idah, 2]
والله تعالی أعلم ورسوله أعلم صلی الله علیه وآله وسلم
کتبه أبو الحسن محمد قاسم ضیاء القادري
Answered by Mufti Qasim Zia al-Qadri
Translated by Haider Ali Madani
Read the original Urdu answer here: [Q-ID0856] How is it to share videos of tragic events?
