Satellite Television Equipment: Is Owning or Using Satellite TV Equipment Permissible — Even If Free?

Practical Laws of Islam as per the teachings of Imam Khamenei

Satellite Television Equipment: Is Owning or Using Satellite TV Equipment Permissible — Even If Free?

English:

Question #1206:

Is it permissible to buy, keep and use satellite television equipment to receive programs? And what is the ruling if a person gets such equipment for free?

Answer #1206:

By virtue of its nature, a satellite receiver is a medium to access television programs whether the latter are ḥalāl or ḥarām. Thus, they are treated as instruments that serve a dual purpose in that it is ḥarām to buy, sell, or acquire them in order to use them for ḥarām purposes. Conversely, they are ḥalāl if they are used for ḥalāl ends.

However, since satellite equipment makes it so easy for its owner to receive ḥarām programs, and sometimes leads to other corruptive matters, it is not permissible to buy or keep them unless for a person who is absolutely sure that he is not going to use the equipment for ḥarām purposes and the availability of such equipment at home is not going to lead to any bad consequence.

-Imam Khamenei, Practical Laws of Islam, Importance and Conditions of Satellite Television Equipment