Drama, in all its forms and languages, has invaded our Arab and Islamic world, garnering much acclaim and popularity. However, it possesses many disadvantages and negative impacts that must be highlighted so that viewers can be cautious of intellectual distortion and deviation from faith. Since the majority of the audience is women, we will focus on the most prominent negative effects on women's thinking in our era, which contradict or conflict with many aspects of our Sharia and Islamic creed.
- Demanding Equality and Rejecting Guardianship:
This issue is entirely contrary to the fundamental relationship between spouses. Many wives challenge their husbands and demand equality in actions and reactions, rejecting his guardianship over her. They refuse to seek his permission in matters that require it, claiming that they are free and independent and can do as they please without complying with his requests merely out of obstinacy. Here lies another disaster: in recent years, drama has excessively portrayed stubbornness, especially in women, as a positive trait! It shows the woman in many marital relationships as the contrary partner, opposing her husband in any opinion just for the sake of opposition and stubbornness, not because of her wisdom or sound judgment, or even to have her opinion respected by her husband.
This leads to significant confusion among wives about the necessity of having their opinions respected by their husbands, and the preference for husbands to follow their advice when it is appropriate, versus stubbornness and clinging to opinions regardless of their correctness or soundness.
- Depicting Jealousy Between Spouses as Negative:
Sometimes, it is portrayed to the extent that it reflects a lack of trust between the spouses. This is a significant injustice to this distinctive and noble feeling between spouses, as long as it does not exceed reasonable limits to avoid damaging the relationship or hurting feelings. The honorable companion Sa’d bin ‘Ubada (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “If I were to see a man with my wife, I would have struck him with the sword, and not with the flat part (side) of it. When Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) heard of that, he said: Are you surprised at Sa'd's jealousy of his honour? By Allah, I am more jealous of my honour than he, and Allah is more jealous than I.” (Sahih Muslim) Jealousy over family and between spouses is commendable in our Islam as long as it does not reach a pathological level where one spouse constantly doubts the other, with or without cause. The principle is moderation: a lack of jealousy is undoubtedly condemned in our Islam and reflects an unhealthy soul, while excessive jealousy is harmful to both spouses. Both extremes are blameworthy.
- Romanticizing Infidelity as Long as It Doesn't Lead to Marriage:
In many series, the idea is promoted that it is okay for a husband to cheat on his wife or even have a child with another woman as long as he does not marry that woman and leave his wife. This idea has been extensively showcased and beautified in the eyes of the viewers, affecting the thinking of many Muslim girls and changing their perspective on the severity of adultery and the crime of infidelity, and trivializing the sanctity of marriage as a solemn covenant. As a result, some women find it easier to forgive their husband's infidelity but refuse his marriage to a second wife outright! This is due to the influence of what they watch and their ignorance of creed matters and what Sharia allows or forbids, thus prioritizing emotions over Allah’s Sharia.
- No Marriage Without a Prior Love Relationship:
The notion that a girl should have a boyfriend or relationship before marriage has become neither condemned nor unacceptable. In many cases, the father is aware of this matter and does not reject or condemn it, let alone prevent his daughter from forming an illicit relationship! On the other hand, girls have become obsessed with the idea of the necessity and importance of love before marriage, believing that marriage is unthinkable without falling in love. They do not realize that achieving such a thing contradicts the nature of the relationship between a Muslim man and woman before marriage, as they are strangers to each other even during the engagement period until the marriage contract is concluded.
Thus, most interactions and matters that ignite the flame of love between them are actually forbidden by Sharia before marriage. Therefore, there is no room for comparing matters of acquaintance, engagement, and marriage from an Islamic perspective with the stories and dramatic series that do not follow the Islamic method and Sharia in describing and portraying the reality and details of the emotional relationship between the sexes before and after marriage.
Moreover, the obsession with love does not end with relationships preceding marriage. Many series also depict the impossibility of a successful marriage unless it is built solely on love, portraying the difficulty of its continuation if love ends or runs dry after a period of marriage. This disregards all other human and moral values such as affection, mercy, kindness, gentleness, respect, and appreciation.
- Girls’ Infatuation with Actors and Idolizing Them:
This has become an undesirable phenomenon, especially among women under twenty, who allow themselves to gaze at pictures of male actors, the heroes of series in general and romantic ones in particular, and praise their handsomeness, which contradicts the modesty and piety of a Muslim woman in dealing with non-mahram men. It also reflects a lack of adherence to the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) command to lower the gaze. They do not stop at the first or second glance but go further by creating dedicated pages and groups on social media for a particular actor, posting his pictures and details of his life and habits, and praising him in poetry and prose. This is not part of our Islam and is not permissible for a Muslim woman in her interactions with non-mahram men.
Based on what has been mentioned, a Muslim woman must be cautious while watching or being exposed to any dramatic work to avoid its negative impact on her thinking and creed. Films and series should not become the reference for her decisions, actions, and thoughts. Instead, her Islamic creed and identity should be responsible for all of this. Finally, a Muslim woman should strive to understand her religion from the correct sources and references, not from series and dramatic works that rarely aim to convey noble messages, correct ideas, and high principles to their viewers.
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