Title of the Sermon: Electronic Games... Between Enjoyment and Loss!
Elements of the Sermon:
1. The Moderation of Islam and the Guidelines for Permissible Play.
2. The Reality and Dangers of Electronic Games.
3. The Ruling on Earning Money from These Competitions.
4. You Were the Best Nation Brought Forth for Mankind.
All praise be to Allah, who created the creation for His worship, and prescribed the laws with His wisdom, and defeated falsehood with His might. I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship but Allah alone with no partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger. May Allah's peace and blessings be upon him, his family, and his companions in abundance.
To proceed:
Fear Allah, O servants of Allah, as He should be feared, and be mindful of Him in private and in public. Allah says:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ وَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنْتُمْ مُسْلِمُونَ
"O you who believe, fear Allah as He should be feared and do not die except as Muslims" (Al Imran: 102).
O servants of Allah:
Have you heard about Hanzalah Al-Usaydi (may Allah be pleased with him)? He was one of the scribes of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and he has a story that he narrates himself. He says: "Abu Bakr met me and said, 'How are you, Hanzalah?' I said, 'Hanzalah has become a hypocrite.' He said, 'SubhanAllah! What are you saying?' I said, 'We are with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and he reminds us of Hell and Paradise until it is as if we see them with our own eyes. But when we leave the presence of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, we play with our wives and children and attend to our worldly affairs, and we forget much.' Abu Bakr said, 'By Allah, we experience the same thing.' So, Abu Bakr and I went to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and I said, 'Hanzalah has become a hypocrite, O Messenger of Allah.' The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, 'What is that?' I said, 'O Messenger of Allah, we are with you and you remind us of Hell and Paradise until it is as if we see them with our own eyes. But when we leave your presence, we play with our wives and children and attend to our worldly affairs, and we forget much.' The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, 'By the One in whose hand is my soul, if you were to remain in the state that you are in when you are with me, and in the remembrance, the angels would shake hands with you in your beds and in your paths. But, O Hanzalah, there is a time (for this) and a time (for that).'” (Narrated by Muslim and Ahmad).
How great is this religion that Allah has completed, making it in harmony with sound human nature, with no monasticism or isolationism. For the servant must live with his family and society, eat and drink, laugh with his family and children, and play. However, the complete divine law has set the guidelines by which the balance of justice is maintained in everything, without excess or negligence.
Among these matters is amusement and play, for a person may need to relax and play a little to resume his earnestness in life.
Here is the Prophet ﷺ traveling with his companions, accompanied by Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her and all of them). He said to his companions, “Proceed ahead!” and they did. Then he said to Aisha, “Come, let’s race.” Aisha said, “So, I raced him on foot and I beat him.” After some time, during another journey, he said to his companions again, “Proceed ahead!” Then he said to Aisha, “Come, let’s race.” She said, “So, we raced, and he beat me. He then struck my shoulder and said, ‘This one for that one.’” (Narrated by Ahmad).
And here he is ﷺ knowing that Aisha is still young and loves to play with her friends. Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated, “I used to play with dolls in the presence of the Prophet ﷺ, and I had friends who used to play with me. When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ entered, they would hide from him, but he would call them to join me and play with me.” (Narrated by Al-Bukhari).
Such is the tolerance of Islam.
However, every permissible thing has guidelines and limits that control and restrict it so that it does not become forbidden and prohibited. One of the most important guidelines set by the Shariah in permitting games is that they should not cause harm to a person’s religion or worldly life, should not distract from obligatory duties, or lead to forbidden actions.
Servants of Allah:
Games have been a means of relaxation since ancient times, reflecting people’s real-life needs for entertainment and relaxation. However, in recent years, electronic games have replaced those traditional games, invading homes and occupying both the young and old.
We are facing a phenomenon that threatens religiosity, intellect, energy, education, health, economy, and the security of families and communities.
If you think I am exaggerating, let me tell you about a bitter reality!
Electronic games are attractive colors, three-dimensional dimensions, imaginative images, dramatic stories, and sounds that mimic reality.
Yes, there are games with very simple ideas or useful concepts such as teaching arithmetic or stimulating intelligence. Yet, there are also very complex ones, steeped in fantasy, using techniques that simulate reality. In these games, the player takes on a certain character, performing events on the stage of the game according to the story and its goals, which your child lives through.
These games are produced by giant companies with large capital, primarily aimed at cultural invasion and financial profit.
Many of these games, if not most, contain religious prohibitions. Thus, every sensible person who cares about the safety of their children and their religion should be aware of them and cautious about them.
The common denominator in electronic games that guarantees their flow of profits is that they bring our children to a level of attachment that reaches addiction for many of them. They can hardly get up from them, and many of them even neglect their prayers. In fact, adults are often preoccupied with them to the extent of neglecting their lives and duties.
Many of these games are created by people who are unaware of values and morals, thus they include many obscene, naked images that stimulate desires and open doors to pornography afterward.
There are countless games that erase the identity of a Muslim, stripping them of their religion, and even sometimes making them take on the character of a crusader fighter from the Middle Ages, carrying the cross, occupying Muslim lands, ripping open women's bellies, and spreading corruption on earth.
Other series of games portray Muslims as barbaric terrorists, reinforcing the idea of the Western soldier coming to third-world countries on a noble mission under the banner of his disbelieving nation. This soldier is invincible, with endless deadly weapons, entering Islamic countries where you see images of ruined minarets and some verses of the Quran on the walls. The Western soldier, whose character the player adopts, begins killing every Arab Muslim he encounters and burning them to successfully complete his mission.
What's worse is that they have created games that contradict the Islamic faith, where you see some games based on the denial of the existence of the Lord of the Worlds, creating gods that send the wind, bring down the rain, raise the dead, and control humans. Other games feature sorcerers and soothsayers as heroes, and even in some games, Satan is worshipped, and others where the Quran is trampled underfoot, and in some games, players prostrate to Buddha and idols.
Other games encourage violence and killing in a bloody manner, where blood is scattered, and the player enjoys tearing bodies into pieces and shreds.
Yes, it is a game, but it is not just a game; it is breaking the barrier of disapproval and normalizing these prohibitions so that people become comfortable with them in the guise of entertainment and amusement.
In some of these games, the challenges lead players to the point of killing themselves or others.
Other games instill fear with frightening shapes, terrifying sounds, and magical spells.
Another calamity is that these games have become collective on the internet, introducing our children to atheist, Jewish, Christian, pagan, and homosexual players, creating a fertile environment for interaction between the genders, leading to forbidden relationships.
It is cultural occupation and intellectual invasion through the formulation of content and lifestyles that contradict the religion of Islam, its values, and morals, under the guise of play and entertainment.
So, what is the result after all this?
Isn't it the corruption of religion and worldly life, the destruction of beliefs and morals, and the normalization of vices and evils?
Isn't it addiction and attachment for long hours without prayer, learning, or productive life? Even adults have become addicted to these games, and their lives have turned into ruins.
Isn't the result souls deformed by violence and crime at times, and by psychological diseases such as depression and autism at other times?
Isn't the fruit of this delayed education, lagging in learning, and destroying the future?
Isn't the consequence of these games the habit of triviality, low ambition, and the waste of invaluable energies?
Moreover, it is an economic occupation and draining of the wealth of nations, as the profits of these companies have exceeded one hundred and fifty (150) billion dollars, spent by addicts on purchasing and updating these games.
How did this happen in the lands of Muslims?
It is the emptiness that filled the lives of our children, with the absence of a clear purpose in life, the parents' preoccupation with the family, and the weak family and community communication, leading the children to escape to the virtual reality to create an imaginary environment of fun or victory.
Among the flaws of these games is holding competitions and offering significant prizes to the participants, making it a profession and a means of earning money.
Servants of Allah:
Not everything that is permissible to do is also permissible to dedicate rewards and money to. There is a difference between a competition in a permissible game with no prohibitions and allocating money and prizes for competing in play. The Prophet ﷺ prohibited this in general, except for horse racing, camel racing, and archery, where he said: "There is no [reward for] competition except in archery, or racing camels, or racing horses." (Narrated by Abu Dawood), because the rewards of the nation should be reserved for its strength and for fighting its enemies.
Some scholars have extended this to include beneficial competitions that achieve legitimate interests, such as competitions in Quran memorization and beneficial academic contests.
This is the wise Sharia, which if it had permitted taking money for playing in general, people would have taken it as a profession and means of earning, and would have been distracted by it from their religious and worldly interests. However, if it remains purely as play without any earnings, it will continue to be a means of relaxation and will not reach that harmful degree.
May Allah bless me and you in the Great Quran, and benefit us with its verses and wise reminders. I ask Allah for forgiveness for me and for you, so ask His forgiveness, for He is the Most Forgiving, Most Merciful.
Second Sermon
Allah praise be to Allah, and may Allah exalt and send peace to the Messenger of Allah, and upon his family and companions, and those who follow him.
Servants of Allah:
The Prophet ﷺ said: "Everything that is not of the remembrance of Allah is idle play and negligence, except for four things: A man's walking between two targets (meaning practicing archery), his training of his horse, his playing with his family, and learning to swim." (Narrated by al-Tabarani).
And the Prophet ﷺ said: "Everything with which a man amuses himself is falsehood, except his shooting of his bow, his training of his horse, and his playing with his wife, for these are from the truth." (Narrated by Ahmad).
The "falsehood" mentioned in this hadith refers to what has no benefit. Islam is a great religion that raises its followers to high moral standards and not trivialities. Therefore, the Prophet ﷺ determined that all forms of play and amusement are essentially frivolous unless there is a beneficial goal behind them that pleases Allah, aiding in the good of this world and the Hereafter.
O fathers:
Our youth are the treasure of this nation. Our nation abandoned leadership when its youth were diverted from their religion and what benefits them in this world. We have become dependent on other nations, unable to sustain ourselves in anything, be it food, medicine, clothing, or weaponry. We import everything from them at exorbitant prices. Instead of our children and youth waking up to elevate their nation and bring guidance, light, and life to the entire world, they become intoxicated by the influence of these games.
By Allah, all of us are responsible: the leader and the subjects, the father and the mother, the family and the society. Let us prepare an answer for the question we will be asked.
Watch over your children, engage them in beneficial activities, instill in them high aspirations, and raise their ambitions so they may strive for the future glory of the nation. Provide them with permissible alternatives in the real world, far from the illusions of virtual deceptions and the claws of cultural invasion.
O Allah, rectify our offspring for us and protect us from trials, both apparent and hidden.
O Allah, deal with the enemies of Islam among the Jews, Christians, and hypocrites. O Allah, nullify their plots and protect us from their evil.
O Allah, guide our leader to what You love and are pleased with, and take him by the forelock towards piety and righteousness.
Our Lord, give us in this world good and in the Hereafter good, and save us from the punishment of the Fire.
