The answers on Hawramani.com are based on the research of Ikram Hawramani in the Quran, hadith, scholarly works and respected fatwa sources. You can view Ikram Hawramani's credentials on the about page. Please note that we do not issue fatwas, we only compile the opinions of respected scholars (even when a fatwa is not explicitly cited) to make their opinions accessible to English-speaking Muslims. If an answer does not cite fatwas, please feel free to leave a comment asking for a fatwa citation and we will update the answer as soon as possible to include fatwas.

IslamQA: Is it haram or sinful to spend money on movies?

Salam, I heard a lecture it said going to the movies is bad because you are wasting your money and you will be accountable for such a thing. What are your thoughts? Jzk

Alaikumassalam wa rahmatullah,

Spending money on entertainment is not forbidden, so spending money on a wholesome movie is not forbidden in itself and it is wrong to call it a waste. It is similar to spending extra money on tasty food instead of keeping your money and only choosing cheap foods. Islam does not forbid you from enjoying yourself every now and then as long as this is not taken to an extreme. 

But when it comes to Hollywood movies, there is an unrelated problem with spending money on them which is the fact that you would be contributing to the profits of a corrupt and abusive system and helping it continue what it does. So it is more ethical to avoid supporting Hollywood as much as you can. The same applies to spending money on any other thing that supports corrupt corporations and systems. Going to the occasional Hollywood movie is not a big deal, but ideally we should avoid them and spend our money in more wholesome ways. 

My work is made possible by your kind donations. Donate securely via Stripe (no registration required):
And God knows best.
Asking questions is temporarily unavailable. Sorry for the inconvenience.
« Can a wife demand her owed living allowance after divorce?When life's difficulties cause you to doubt God »
Commenting rules: Politeness is the only rule. We respect your right to disagree with anything we say. But comments with profanity and insults will be deleted.
Subscribe
Notify of
guest
1 Comment
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Anonymous
Anonymous
3 years ago

salam w alaikum, i bought something i’ve wanted for 2 years but it is expensive and my dad said its wasting my money and it is haram but i’ve already ordered the item so is it haram if i really desired to buy the item itself?

1
Reply