Disaster in Our Homes

Video Games, Blockbuster Movies and Television

Shaykh Sulayman Gani, Special to sunniforum.com

In July 1999 two teenage boys repeatedly stabbed their friend (all three boys lived in Harrogate, Yorkshire) and left him for dead at the bottom of a 30ft cliff after watching a video of a horror film, Scream- in which college students are brutally stabbed.

We have been commanded by Allah to save ourselves and our families from the fire of Hell. The Prophet peace be upon him is reported to have said that you should command your children to perform salaah when they reach the age of seven and beat them (enforce them) to perform prayers at the age of 10 years. How are we going to achieve this when a recent study conducted by scientists found that for every hour of television watched daily, toddlers faced a 10 per cent increased risk of having attention problems by the age of seven. The scientists suggest toddlers suffer brain damage from watching even small amounts..

On 16 March 2004 the Times published an article entitled Ban TV for children under 2. Research suggests that parents who put young children in front of the television are leaving them prone to concentration problems, impulsiveness and restlessness by school age,. Recent studies have revealed a worrying prominence of television in young children’s lives, alongside a boom in pre-school programmes such as Fimbles, Tweenies and Teletubbies. The latter is thought to have almost a billion viewers around the world.

According to research from the Broadcating Standards Council, children who have access to digital or satellite watch 35 minutes more on average than those with terrestrial channels alone. Watching Scooby Doo on a loop is just one of the privileges that children of a previous generation never enjoyed. More disturbing were the chilling scenes in the BBC’s Child of Our Time, in which toddlers could be seen enacting a hammer attack against a doll which they had just viewed being beaten on television.

It has long been known that television watching slows brain activity.Within 30 seconds of watching, the brain waves change from being predominantly beta waves- the alert, conscious, attentive state- to being mostly the slower alpha waves associated with an unfocussed, receptive state.
If this is the case then how are we going to achieve to inculcate in our children the quaility of a believer, those that perform there salaah in humilty and abstain from futile activities.Remember that everyone of you is a guardian and is responsible for those who are under his care.

Hamish McRae further states that TV also makes people less happy with what they have, for they see a world that exaggerates wealth.Apparently women feel less happy about their own bodies after looking at pictures of model, while men feel less good about their wives.So the more beautiful people you see on the box or in the glossy mags, the more miserable you are likely to feel about yourself and your partner. Oh dear.

Thawbaan (RA) reported that the Messenger of Allah peace be upon him said: “The people will soon summon one another to attack you as people when eating invite others to share their dish. Someone asked: Will that be because of our small numbers at that time? He replied: No, you will be numerous at that time: but you will scum and rubbish like that carried down by a torrent, and Allah will take fear of you from the hearts of your enemy and cast ‘wahn’ into your hearts. Someone asked: What is wahn. The Messenger of Allah: He replied: Love of the world and dislike of death. ” (Related by Imam Ahmad with strong chains of reporters and Abu Dawud).

So people are made to desire the wealth and riches portrayed on the TV. The more a person has the more he craves to increase in his possession. He will never remain satisfied.I wonder at that person who believes in Paradise and the eternal life of the Hereafter should hanker after this world.

In the Daily Express, 28th July 2004, a leading doctor has blamed TV shows as Big Brother for the shocking rise in sexual diseases. Their real concern is to tackle the spread of infection whereas Allah says; “ O you who believe, Do go near to zina.” Do not indulge in any activity that will case you to commit adultery or fornication.

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