Question:

We, as Muslims, want to act as priests and rabbis in a performance, and we want to wear their clothes and wear a cross and fake braids? Is that allowed?
It is an attempt to clear up misconceptions about Islam with dawah perspective. What do you have to answer about that?
Please respond soon. Thank you.

Safiah
USA

Aanswer:

Assalam-o-Alaikum and thank you for contacting JI dear Safiah!

You started from a wrong point, Dear! You have accepted "performance" per se. You only worry if you could perform like rabbis and priests, or not. You are asking the Islamic position. I recall a Hadith of the Prophet (Sall Allah o alaihe wa Sallam) that: "a person taking the form of a people, belongs to them". I know people have their opinion and would strongly contest my viewpoint. However, I insist that acting is a form of false impersonation, because the actor has to take an alien garb and character. He/she in person is not, what he is showing. Remember! the Egyptian Umar Sharif would live for weeks and months in monasteries/churches to perform all rituals so that he could "act" real priest in his films. It is therefore, more than wearing cross etc.
We see gentlemen and ladies acting as husbands and wives. At time a real life husband and wife perform the marital role. Then the man announces divorce. What is not realized is that this divorce in film, or at stage, affects their actual marital bond, as well. We also see some one acting brother and sister or father and daughter. Then they hug, hold, touch and even kiss, as if they were real kins.
You can think of or numerous other acts and positions that are simply mis-fit with Islamic conduct. So, let you please first probe this whole show-biz area and give me your considered opinion about the profession itself.

 

M. Haq

Question:

Dear M. Haq, I understand your point of view and respect it. But u see it is too late now to change our project because we have already done the school fair and won first place and will represent our Islamic school in the regional fair. So its too late to change the performance, now since performing cant be changed lets talk about what we can do in the boundaries of our religion, so we wont be making shirk (lnsha Allah). Anyway, it is for school and we only have a few people watching us so u can have an idea of how it is going to be like. We also can’t change our topic: The rights of Jews and Christians in Islam. We have our play as a TV show where the host brings a rabbi, priest and imam to clear up the misconceptions between the Muslims, Jews and Christians. Therefore we are trying to get our point across without saying to them I am the priest and i am the rabbi but with all the same look. i don't know if ! u see my point or not? Anyway, thank you very much for responding and i hope to hear from you soon about my first question: can we wear a cross for the priest, or a Jewish hat or curls to represent the person we are acting like.
I hope u didn’t say that we shouldn’t perform because we are females.
Hope to hear from u soon,

Jazak Allah u khairan,

Safiah

Aanswer:

Thank you for contacting again dear Safia!

About your question: If you are not fully convinced of the point I make, and someone of you is to act as priest or rabbi, well then you can wear anything you thought necessary. Let me make two points by way of furthering my view. One, it is NEVER too late, under normal circumstances, to change for better and avoid anything un-wanted. It however, implies that one agrees first to what was right and what was wrong. Two, even if a person has only to act "imam", "rabbi", "priest", or "pandit", in some stage drama or documentary show, the acting has to be as close to reality as possible. You are certainly not going to have and show sham rabbis and priests. That will not serve your basic purpose of the project. So, let us not deceive ourselves that it was only the question of wearing a cross or some special attire. No, the person has to be honest representative of the character he/she is projecting. If you see my point, and it is valid, you can understand my worries and concerns. Unless, one is not mindful of how Islam would look at all this, such questions will irritate the mind.

Wishing you the best.

 

 M. Haq

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