Fatwa #57982 June 2002South Africa
Is this true, is watching sport on tv allowed? Or is it haraam??
Question
Salaam!Some people believe that watching soccer on t.v is not haraam as it is not like watching a filthy movie on tv or some hollywood movie, but it is just watching a sport. Thus they say that watching sport is permissable but watching other movies on tv and other programmes are haraam. Is this true, is watching sport on tv allowed? Or is it haraam??Please clarify for me...Jazakallah Khair
Answer
It is not permissible to watch television at all regardless of whether one
is merely watching sports or movies.
There are various factors which render watching television in general to be
prohibited. Besides being futile and a waste of time, photography, music,
men looking at strange women and vice versa, men looking at the Satar of
other men, etc. and the likes thereof are all totally prohibited in Islam
and will, therefore, render the watching of television in general as not
permissible.
and Allah Ta'ala Knows Best
Mufti Ebrahim Desai