Fatwaa ID: 105

Question:
Assalamu Alaykum,

1. Can you please tell me if it’s ok to write an Islamic book called ‘Fifty Shades of Islam’ talking about 50 hadeeths that are beneficial for a person to follow. The name is similar to ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ which seems to be a haram book about horrible acts non-muslims do in the book. It is popular and the ‘Fifty Shades of’ part is now well-known so people take the opportunity to change the ‘Grey’ to whatever they want. Another example is ‘Fifty Shades of Trains’ so just changing the last word. 

Jazakallah

Answer:

In the Name of Allaah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

Rasulullaah (Sallallaahu ‘alaihi wasallam) said,

يا أيها الناس إن الله طيب.[i]

Translation: “O people, indeed Allaah is pure.” (Muslim 1015)

Fifty Shades of Grey is an erotic romance novel filled with immorality. The connotation linked with such a title would render it abhorrent and reprehensive to use for the title of an Islamic book. Hence, it is inappropriate to name a book on Islam or Hadith by borrowing parts of a title from an obscene book. It is unsuitable to use such a title for the pristine and immaculate teachings of Islam.

And Allaah Ta’aala Knows Best.

Muajul I. Chowdhury
Student, Darul Iftaa
New York, USA

Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.

وصل اللهم وسلم وبارك على سيدنا محمد وعلى ءاله وصحبه أجمعين

[i] صحيح مسلم (2/ 703)

65 – (1015) وحدثني أبو كريب محمد بن العلاء، حدثنا أبو أسامة، حدثنا فضيل بن مرزوق، حدثني عدي بن ثابت، عن أبي حازم، عن أبي هريرة، قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: ” أيها الناس، إن الله طيب لا يقبل إلا طيبا، وإن الله أمر المؤمنين بما أمر به المرسلين، فقال: {يا أيها الرسل كلوا من الطيبات واعملوا صالحا، إني بما تعملون عليم} [المؤمنون: 51] وقال: {يا أيها الذين آمنوا كلوا من طيبات ما رزقناكم} [البقرة: 172] ثم ذكر الرجل يطيل السفر أشعث أغبر، يمد يديه إلى السماء، يا رب، يا رب، ومطعمه حرام، ومشربه حرام، وملبسه حرام، وغذي بالحرام، فأنى يستجاب لذلك؟ “

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