Question :

I`m sixteen years old and I`m fond of watching football matches, but, thanks to Allah, I perform prayers on time. Is this fondness lawful or unlawful?

The Answer :

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of The Worlds, and may His peace and prayers be upon our Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions.

Dear brother, we believe that you already know the answer to your question since you must have been wondering about the use of being fond of watching football matches. You must have realized that it neither enriches your knowledge nor brings you closer to Almighty Allah. Actually, He, The Exalted, Gave us life and He Will definitely Ask us how we consumed it. Therefore, if we failed to spend it in doing what is good and beneficial, then, on the Day of Resurrection, it will be a cause of regret to us. Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (PBUH) said: "Whenever a group of people sit in a gathering in which they do not remember Allah the Exalted, nor supplicate to elevate the rank of their Prophet, such a gathering will be a cause of grief to them." {At-Tirmithi}.

Accordingly, it is disliked that you sit for hours watching matches; especially, if that negatively affects your achievements at school or develops into an obsession with sport channels. However, watching matches isn`t forbidden so long as it doesn`t contain any taboos. We recommend that you resort to moderation in that regard and spend more time in developing your skills and abilities, and be more active in doing what`s good and beneficial to society. And Allah Knows Best.