Films To Watch During Ramadan

Ramadan began on the 11st of March (dates may vary depending on the sighting of the crescent moon in different regions), marking the commencement of a month-long period during which Muslims around the world engage in fasting, prayers, reflections, and communal gatherings.

For devout adult Muslims who are not acutely or chronically ill, elderly, breastfeeding, diabetic, pregnant, menstruating, or traveling, fasting from dawn to sunset is obligatory during Ramadan. Are Muslims allowed to watch movies during Ramadan? It depends on personal interpretation and adherence to Islamic principles. If the answer is yes, what kind of films are halal (permissible), and which are haram (forbidden)?

The answers vary hugely depending on how pious a Muslim is in their adherence to Islamic beliefs. Secularists, who are born into Muslim families, may behave as they would in any other month, and watch whatever they like. Religious individuals may choose to watch TV programs or history documentaries related to the Prophet and his good deeds. Fundamentalists may refuse any form of entertainment during Ramadan, or after fasting each day, as they consider it to be a disturbance.

In general, Muslims are encouraged to avoid films with explicit content, nudity, excessive violence, or values contrary to Islamic teachings. Halal films promote moral values and spirituality and are educational, while Haram films contain explicit content or promote immorality.

To be honest, I am not a Muslim, but I am just curious about Islamic culture, architecture, music, and films. When I ruminate on my own question about halal films, those historical-themed classic works about the Arab world or adapted stories from "One Thousand and One Nights" come to mind first.

The most direct reference would be "Aladdin," a 2019 live-action adaptation of the classic Disney animated film of the same name. It tells the story of a poor young man who finds a magic lamp and becomes a prince to win the heart of a princess. It's hard to believe that the director of this version of "Aladdin" is the British filmmaker Guy Ritchie, who got his fame from making crime films. Another film worth considering during Ramadan is "Lawrence of Arabia" by another famous British director, David Lean. Unlike Ritchie, Lean gained fame via large-scale historical movies with grand themes. "Lawrence of Arabia" offers audiences a glimpse into the modern Arab world through the personal story and perspective of the protagonist Lawrence, a British commander during the First World War.

Of course, audiences curious about the Arabic world and Islamic culture cannot rely solely on outsider perspectives or films from former colonial powers. However, due to the taboo surrounding the impersonation of the Prophet Muhammad and the relative lack of a robust film industry in many modern Muslim-majority countries, we often find documentaries or animations about the Prophet created in the Western world. Examples include the animated biography "Muhammad: The Last Prophet" and the PBS documentary "Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet." These films, though produced in the West, aim to provide insights into the life and legacy of the Prophet Muhammad from a respectful and educational standpoint, offering viewers a window into Islamic history and culture.

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The best example of creating the Prophet's image and conveying Islamic beliefs through traditional storytelling is the 1976 big-budget film "The Message." This transnational production was a collaboration among the nations of Lebanon, Libya, Kuwait, Morocco, and the United Kingdom. The film begins with scenes depicting Hamza delivering an oracle from Byzantium to Egypt and then to Persia. Around five minutes into the film, a crucial message is displayed in an intertitle over a black background on the screen, stating, "The scholars and historians of Islam, The University of Al-Azhar in Cairo, The High Islamic Congress of the Shi'at in Lebanon, have approved the accuracy and fidelity of this film." However, the endorsement from these authoritative institutions is deemed not sufficient. In the subsequent intertitle, the production company further asserts, "The makers of this film honor the Islamic tradition, which holds that the impersonation of the Prophet offends against the spirituality of his message. Therefore, the person of Mohammad will not be shown."

Despite the guarantees provided and the endorsements from respected Islamic institutions, Saudi Arabia remained staunchly opposed to supporting the Syrian director Moustapha Akkad and his film production. Ultra-conservative Wahhabi elders within Saudi Arabia were fundamentally opposed to the art of cinema, deeming any attempt to adapt the Prophet's experiences as unacceptable. Ultimately, it was the Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi who offered full financial support, allowing this ambitious project to come to fruition. "The Message" went on to become a masterpiece in film history and a must-see movie among students in major Arab universities worldwide.

Indeed, during Ramadan, Muslims are encouraged to devote more time to prayers and acts of charity and strive to improve their self-discipline. They are motivated by a line in the hadith (the corpus of sayings of the Prophet), "When Ramadan arrives, the gates of Paradise are opened and the gates of Hell are locked, and the devils are put in chains." Therefore, strictly speaking, watching any kind of film during Ramadan may conflict with spending time on worship and self-introspection. Even the most popular films may lead believers towards worldly desires like lust, potentially causing them to miss their Isha or Taraweeh prayers in the evening.

Certainly, for Muslims who may accept it, family-friendly films, especially those that feature lovely animal characters and impart valuable lessons about courage, love for family, and dedication to one's passions, are generally suitable for watching during Ramadan. Films like "The Lion King," "The Secret Life of Pets," and "Zootopia" fit this category well. They are not only entertaining but also offer positive messages that align with the spirit of Ramadan, promoting virtues such as kindness, bravery, and communal harmony.

Some believe that the TV or the movie theater is like a wine glass, claiming that "if one drinks milk from it, it's halal; if one puts alcohol inside, it's haram." The tool or media itself is not haram, it all depends on how you utilize it.

In Indonesia, the country with the largest Muslim population in the world, cinema clubs in its capital, Jakarta, provide watchlists for Ramadan, which include "The Message," of course, as well as "Children of Heaven," "Wadjda," and "Where Is the Friend’s House?" All of these are children's films produced in Middle Eastern countries.

A film professor, Sana Haq, from the University of Miami, goes even further with her Ramadan watchlist. In it, we find that most films involve fighting to defend different causes — national independence ("The Battle of Algiers"), ethnic equality ("Malcolm X"), and even transgender rights in conservative Pakistan ("Joyland").

In the end, how about Saudi Arabia? Often perceived as the world’s most conservative country by most audiences, it is the country that refused to adapt the Prophet Muhammad's story into films like "The Message." Sana Haq chose one Saudi comedy film for Ramadan, "Barakah Meets Barakah," which premiered at the Berlinale in 2016. It's a romantic comedy that focuses on a married couple and their troubled life due to a lack of biological children. The film also delves into other elements such as a theater company busy rehearsing "Hamlet," a widely seen vlog, and a pink push-up bra. At first glance, these elements may not seem suitable for Ramadan. However, our preconceived notions are challenged as "Barakah Meets Barakah" was filmed in Saudi Arabia, a modern, affluent Islamic country.