Admiring a Non-Muslim Actor

1-9-2022 | IslamWeb

Question:

Assalamalaikum, I would like to ask if it is haram to admire or like a non Muslim if it is for one of their worldly qualities Such as intelligence or skill and not for their Kufr.Like for e.g if one May admire a character in a movie who is not a muslim for a specific quality of his that does not involve his Kufr

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Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

It is permissible for the Muslim to love a peaceful disbeliever for a good quality he enjoys, taking into account that he has to dislike his disbelief. As for watching the disbelievers’ and even the Muslims’ movies, you are not allowed to do so, since they contain many kinds of evil that are known to everybody.

It is inconceivable that a Muslim who is keen on his religion and on knowing the Rulings of Allah, the Exalted, knows nothing about this ruling. One of the Satan’s tricks is that it lures Muslims to love an unbelieving actor under the pretext that he enjoys a good quality, meaning that they should love him for this very quality or for his movies, not for his disbelief. In truth, disbelievers must be disliked for the Sake of Allah. As for these good qualities you see in acting, they might not be true in reality.

Allah knows best.