Question Summary:
My job entails live streaming sports events and transcoding for videos on demand. Is it permissible? Question Detail:
I got a job as Technical Video Engineer in Primefocus technologies and my role will be *Live Streaming Sports Events and Transcoding for Videos on Demand. *Installing and testing new facilities and equipment based on VoIP workflows and Networking. Does shariah allow such kind of jobs ?
Answer :
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
Your sensitivity to earning a halal income is commendable. Earning a halal income invokes the mercy of Allah Ta’āla and barakah in one's wealth.
In your query, you have listed three types of work that you will be involved with. Our analysis on each is as follows:
Live Streaming Sports Events: Typical sports events may display adverts that expose underdressed women[1], promote items such as cigarettes and alcohol[2], and play music in the background[3]. The consequence all of these negativities may be lesser or worse depending on which sports you are expected to stream. Furthermore, some `Ulamā’ held a staunch view against watching sports events as it leads many Muslims to waste their time and even be negligent of their Islamic duties.[4]
Transcoding for Videos on Demand: Most VOD services include objectionable content such as movies and TV shows.[5] While sports events may not include high levels of inappropriate content, it is apparent that movies and TV shows are a prime source for immoral content[6] depicting people in varying situations that become worse depending on the intended audience of a specific movie or show.[7] This is disregarding the fact that VOD here may include even more filthy content depending on the services and packages offered by each individual company.
Installing and testing new facilities and equipment based on VoIP workflows and Networking: While this part of the job does not seem to hold any issues contradictory to Sharī`ah, we are unable to comment unless we know what this “testing” entails and how exactly is such a company intending to use VoIP for their services.
Based on the analysis above, we advise you to desist from such types of work and seek employment elsewhere.
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Bilal Mohammad
Student Darul Iftaa
New Jersey, USA
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.
www.daruliftaa.net
[1] وَأما الْمَرْأَة الْحرَّة الَّتِي لَا نِكَاح بَينه وَبَينهَا وَلَا حُرْمَة مِمَّن يحل لَهُ نِكَاحهَا فَلَيْسَ يَنْبَغِي لَهُ أَن ينظر إِلَى شَيْء مِنْهَا مكشوفا إِلَّا الْوَجْه والكف
(الأصل للإمام محمد بن الحسن الشيباني، ج ٢، ص ٢٣٥، دار ابن حزم)
وَأَمَّا النَّوْعُ السَّادِسُ وَهُوَ الْأَجْنَبِيَّاتُ الْحَرَائِرُ فَلَا يَحِلُّ النَّظَرُ لِلْأَجْنَبِيِّ مِنْ الْأَجْنَبِيَّةِ الْحُرَّةِ إلَى سَائِرِ بَدَنِهَا إلَّا الْوَجْهِ وَالْكَفَّيْنِ لِقَوْلِهِ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى { قُلْ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَغُضُّوا مِنْ أَبْصَارِهِمْ } إلَّا أَنَّ النَّظَرَ إلَى مَوَاضِعِ الزِّينَةِ الظَّاهِرَةِ وَهِيَ الْوَجْهُ وَالْكَفَّانِ
(بدائع الصنائع،ج ٦،ص ٤٩٢، دار الكتب العلمية)
(ولا ينظر من اشتهى إلى وجهها إلا الحاكم والشاهد وينظر الطبيب إلى موضع مرضها) والاصل أنه لا يجوز أن ينظر إلى وجه الاجنبية بشهوة لما روينا إلا للضرورة
(البحر الرائق،ج ٨،ص ١٩٢، ايج ايم سعيد كمبني)
[2](وَالشَّرَابُ) لُغَةً: كُلُّ مَائِعٍ يُشْرَبُ وَاصْطِلَاحًا (مَا يُسْكِرُ وَالْمُحَرَّمُ مِنْهَا أَرْبَعَةُ) أَنْوَاعٍ.
(الْأَوَّلُ: الْخَمْرُ وَهِيَ النِّيءُ) بِكَسْرِ النُّونِ فَتَشْدِيدِ الْيَاءِ (مِنْ مَاءِ الْعِنَبِ إذَا غَلَى وَاشْتَدَّ وَقَذَفَ) أَيْ رَمَى (بِالزَّبَدِ) أَيْ الرَّغْوَةِ وَلَمْ يَشْتَرِطَا قَذْفَهُ وَبِهِ قَالَتْ الثَّلَاثَةُ وَبِهِ أَخَذَ أَبُو حَفْصٍ الْكَبِيرُ، وَهُوَ الْأَظْهَرُ كَمَا فِي الشُّرُنْبُلَالِيَّة عَنْ الْمَوَاهِبِ وَيَأْتِي مَا يُفِيدُهُ وَقَدْ تُطْلَقُ الْخَمْرُ عَلَى غَيْرِ مَا ذُكِرَ مَجَازًا. ثُمَّ شَرَعَ فِي أَحْكَامِهَا الْعَشَرَةِ فَقَالَ (وَحُرِّمَ قَلِيلُهَا وَكَثِيرُهَا) بِالْإِجْمَاعِ
(الدر المختار مع حاشية ابن عابدين، ج ٤، ص ٦٦٨، ايج ايم سعيد كمبني)
[3] (قوله وكره كل لهو) أي كل لعب وعبث فالثلاثة بمعنى واحد كما في شرح التأويلات والإطلاق شامل لنفس الفعل، واستماعه كالرقص والسخرية والتصفيق وضرب الأوتار من الطنبور والبربط والرباب والقانون والمزمار والصنج والبوق، فإنها كلها مكروهة لأنها زي الكفار، واستماع ضرب الدف والمزمار وغير ذلك حرام وإن سمع بغتة يكون معذورا ويجب أن يجتهد أن لا يسمع قهستاني
(رد المحتار علي الدر المختار، ج ٦، ص ٣٩٥، ايج ايم سعيد كمبني)
[4] Fatāwā, v. 10 p. 236, Dārul Ishā`at
[5] The majority of cable- and telco-based television providers offer both VOD streaming, including pay-per-view and free content, whereby a user buys or selects a movie or television program and it begins to play on the television set almost instantaneously, or downloading to a DVR rented from the provider, or downloaded onto a PC, for viewing in the future. Internet television, using the Internet, is an increasingly popular form of video on demand.
[“Video on Demand”, WikiPedia, accessed on December 27, 2014]
[6] Fatāwā Haqqāniyyah, v. 2 p. 469, Jāmi`ah Dārul `Ulūm Haqqāniyyah
Fatāwā Mahmūdiyyah, v. 19 p. 511, Darul Iftaa Jāmi`ah Fārūqiyyah
[7] “MPAA”, IGN, accessed on December 27, 2014, http://www.ign.com/wikis/content-ratings/MPAA
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