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Is it permissible to depict verses of the the Holy Qur'an concerning the horrors of the Day of Judgment, the Sirat (Bridge over Hell), Paradise, and Hellfire in a visual film with imaginative scenes for admonition and lesson, or is that considered an innovation in religion?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Contemporary scholars have differed on the ruling regarding acting that is free from Sharia violations. The matter becomes more serious if the acting involves reciting the Quran, as this may lead to disrespect or mockery of the Quran.

As for acting out Quranic verses related to the horrors and scenes of the Day of Judgment, it is prohibited due to the many pitfalls it entails. Sheikh Ibn Uthaymeen was asked about the ruling on drawing a garden representing Paradise and a fire representing Hell, and he replied with prohibition, because "we do not know how they are."

Sheikh Abdur-Rahman Al-Barrak mentioned that the realities of the unseen cannot even be conceived, let alone depicted. Sheikh Abdur-Rahman Al-Suhaim listed several concerns regarding acting out scenes of the Day of Judgment, including: 1. Depicting unseen matters as if they are observable. 2. Encouraging foolish people to act out Paradise and Hell. 3. Mocking and belittling the horrors of the Day of Judgment. 4. Diminishing the awe of that day in people's souls.

Therefore, the prevalent opinion is to prohibit acting out scenes of the Day of Judgment and other unseen matters.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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