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He won two movie tickets; is it permissible for him to give them to a non-Muslim?

28-05-2012

Question 176836

My husband gets gifted with Movie Tickets from his Office on the basis of work performance. Alhamdullilah we do not watch Movies. Is it permissible for him to give it to his non-muslim collegues at work or should we just throw them away.

Answer

Praise be to Allah.

We praise Allah for having enabled you to adhere to His laws and for having guided you to that which is in your best interests. As for movies, if they include haraam things such as showing women with adornments, music and alcohol, it is not permissible to watch them. That has been discussed previously in the answer to question no. 125535, 114707 and 85232 

Just as it is not permissible for a Muslim to watch movies that include haraam things, it is not permissible for him to help other people to do so, even if the other person is a non-Muslim, because the minor issues of sharee‘ah are also addressed to the disbelievers, as we have explained in the answer to question no. 140550. So what is forbidden to the Muslim is also forbidden to the disbeliever, and he will be punished for that in addition to the punishment for disbelief (kufr). 

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: It is not permissible for a man to help anyone else in disobeying Allah, even if that person does not believe that it is a sin, such as helping the disbelievers to acquire alcohol and pork.

End quote from al-Fataawa al-Kubra, 6/282 

What your husband should do is destroy the tickets or try to return to the company and take something else instead. This ruling of destroying the item applies to every reprehensible thing that comes into the possession of a Muslim, if he cannot make use of it in a permissible manner, as in the case of musical instruments, books of witchcraft and innovation (bid‘ah), cigarettes and haraam images. See the answer to questions no. 152192 and 13634 

Your husband should seek reward with his Lord for what he is going to do, and he will find compensation for his action in this world, in the form of the sweetness of faith in his heart – in sha Allah – then he will find great reward for his action when he meets his Lord, as we should think positively of our Lord, may He be exalted, and believe that He will honour the one who gives up something for His sake. 

And Allah knows best.

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