Is it Permissible to Read Manga Which Contains Love Same Sex Love Stories?

Question Summary

Is it permissible to read manga that contains love same-sex love stories and some sex scenes which I skip over?

Question Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate

It is not permissible to read the manga if the focal point of the content is sexual in nature, between same sexes, or otherwise. If the homosexuality is merely incidental and not the focal point of the content, this is allowed.

As for the manga containing sexual scenes, this is prohibited. Even if you skip over those sections, it is still disliked as the possibility of you being enticed to look at sinful material is now a real threat. Just as we should distance ourselves from the prohibited things, we should also distance ourselves from things that could lead to falling into the prohibited.

Consider the following Prophetic narration:

The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Indeed, the permissible is clear, and the prohibited is clear, and between the two are ambiguous matters which many do not have knowledge regarding. So whoever abstains from the ambiguous matters has preserved their religion and their honor. Whoever falls into the ambiguous matters falls into the prohibited; (they are just) like the shepherd who grazes his sheep near the king’s private grazing fields – it is likely his sheep will end up grazing therein. Indeed, every king has private property (for which trespassing is punished). Indeed, Allah’s private property is His prohibitions.” [Bukhari; Muslim]

The Value of Time: Wholesome Entertainment

Allah Most High says, “He is the One˺ Who created death and life in order to test which of you is best in deeds. And He is the Almighty, All-Forgiving.” [Qur’an; 67:2]

From this verse, we can see that our entire lives, from birth till death, are a test of who is best in deeds.

The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “When a human dies their deeds cease except for three: ongoing charity, knowledge that continues to be benefitted from, and a righteous child that prays for them.” [Tirmidhi]

Our time in this world is all the time we get to prepare for our Hereafter. It is important to use one’s time in a way that benefits them after death. This does not mean that the Muslim only spends their time in worship. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and give him peace) encouraged people to rest their hearts time to time. Having rest, hobbies, and entertainment are encouraged; however, one should seek out permissible and wholesome entertainment.

Hope this helps
Allah knows best
[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Yusuf Weltch is a teacher of Arabic, Islamic law, and spirituality. After accepting Islam in 2008, he then completed four years at the Darul Uloom seminary in New York, where he studied Arabic and the traditional sciences. He then traveled to Tarim, Yemen, where he stayed for three years studying in Dar Al-Mustafa under some of the greatest scholars of our time, including Habib Umar Bin Hafiz, Habib Kadhim al-Saqqaf, and Shaykh Umar al-Khatib. In Tarim, Shaykh Yusuf completed the memorization of the Qur’an and studied beliefs, legal methodology, hadith methodology, Qur’anic exegesis, Islamic history, and a number of texts on spirituality. He joined the SeekersGuidance faculty in the summer of 2019.