Reading Harry Potter books Fatwa No: 87235
- Fatwa Date:7-3-2004
Can one read Harry Potter books just for fun if it does not have any impact on our Ibadah or other activities?
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds; and may His blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his Family and Companions.
What we know of Harry Potter is that it is a story taken from a series of tales (novels). It is about two magician parents who had a son who was excellent in magic.
One person killed his parents and was trying to kill their son as well because he thought that this son could control the world with the magic secrets he obtained.
There is no benefit in reading these imaginary stories. Moreover, reading such stories could cause a lot of harm to the reader, either on long or short term.
Therefore, it is more appropriate for a Muslim to avoid such stories, and entertain himself by reading something that does not include any expected danger or harm.
The Qur'an and its stories and the Sunnah of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) and its lessons are far better than the story of Harry Potter.
We ask Allah to enable us and you to perform actions that Allah likes.
Allah knows best.