Am I Sinful for Praising Animated Characters?

Answered by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat

Question

If a person praises an animated character by saying, “That person made a good animated character,” or if this type of thought comes to one’s mind and he again looks at the animation, will he be sinful? If so, what will be the kind of sin?

Answer

No, praising an animated character is not sinful in general. Usually, characters are praised for their depth, personality, actions, or looks. All of this is fine if these traits in the character are not at odds with Islamic values.

If an aspect is un-Islamic, such as inappropriate dress, then praising that aspect of them is problematic, and deriving pleasure from discussing some representation of disobedience is a major sin. [Nabulsi, Al-Hadiqa al-Nadiyya]

We should train ourselves to love and hate what Allah loves and hates. The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Whoever loves for Allah, hates for Allah, gives for Allah, and withholds for Allah, he has perfected his faith.” [Abu Dawud]

May Allah grant us perfected faith through these actions.

[Shaykh] Abdul-Rahim
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat began his studies in Arabic Grammar and Morphology in 2005. After graduating with a degree in English and History he moved to Damascus in 2007 where, for 18 months, he studied with many erudite scholars. In late 2008 he moved to Amman, Jordan, where he continued his studies for the next six years in Sacred Law (fiqh), legal theory (Usul al-fiqh), theology, hadith methodology, hadith commentary, and Logic. He was also given licenses of mastery in the science of Quranic recital and he was able to study an extensive curriculum of Quranic sciences, tafsir, Arabic grammar, and Arabic eloquence.