Ruling on Writing Fictional Stories
The questioner Abū ʿAbd Allah asks: some literary authors write stories that teach moral lessons in a very attractive style, which have a great impact on readers' hearts, but it is all imaginary. What is the ḥukm (ie: ruling) on that? يقول هذا السائل أبو عبد الله بعض الأدباء يؤلفون قصصاً ذات مغزى وبأسلوبٍ جذاب مما يكون له الأثر في نفوس القراء ولكنها من نسج الخيال فما حكم ذلك؟ He may Allah have mercy on him answered: There is nothing wrong with that. فأجاب رحمه الله تعالى: لا بأس بذلك There is nothing wrong with that if it deals with spiritual or moral or social problems, because there is nothing wrong with giving likenesses by telling fictional stories. إذا كان يعالج مشكلات دينية أو خلقية أو اجتماعية لأن ضرب الأمثال بقصصٍ مفروضة غير واقعة لا بأس به In fact some of al-ʿulamāʾ (ie: the scholars) have stated that some of the likenesses given in the Noble Qurʾān did not refer to real events; rather Allah gave these as examples (to teach a lesson), such as when He, may He be exalted, said: {And Allah puts forward (another) example of two men, one of them dumb, who has no power over anything (disbeliever), and he is a burden to his master, whichever way he directs him, he brings no good. Is such a man equal to one (believer in the Islāmic Monotheism) who commands justice, and is himself on a Straight Path?} [16:76]. حتى إن بعض العلماء ذكر ذلك في بعض أمثلة القرآن الكريم أنها ليست واقعة لكن الله ضربها مثلاً مثل قوله تعالى (ضَرَبَ اللَّهُ مَثَلاً رَجُلَيْنِ أَحَدُهُمَا أَبْكَمُ لا يَقْدِرُ عَلَى شَيْءٍ وَهُوَ كَلٌّ عَلَى مَوْلاهُ أَيْنَمَا يُوَجِّههُّ لا يَأْتِ بِخَيْرٍ هَلْ يَسْتَوِي هُوَ وَمَنْ يَأْمُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَهُوَ عَلَى صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ) So I do not think that there is anything wrong with that, because the purpose is to warn others. But if it so happens that a person has knowledge of what is in the Book and Sunnah, فلا أرى في هذا بأساً لأن المقصود هو التحذير ولكن إن حصل أن يكون عند الإنسان علمٌ من الكتاب والسنة Then he quotes verses in his writings that deal with problems, and he explains them and gives likenesses for them, this is something good. ثم يعرض آيات فيها معالجة مشكلات ويشرحها ويفسرها ويضرب المثل عليها فهو خير The same applies to quoting some ḥadīths and explaining them and giving likenesses for them. وكذلك يذكر أحاديث فيفسرها ويضرب المثل عليها This is undoubtedly good. فهذا أحسن بلا شك. Muḥammad b. Ṣāliḥ al-ʿUthaymīn, Fatāwá Nūrun ʿalá ʾl-Darb 24/2 ابن عثيمين، فتاوى نور على الدرب ٢٤/٢ https://shamela.ws/book/2300/7349 @ilmtest [https://t.me/ilmtest]
