Seeking fame is halal in Islam and here is why
20/07/2019
Seeking fame is not haram in Islam because fame has many benefits. Many famous celebrities have been able to help others in need and to spread a message to a large amount of people due to their fame.
Many of you reading this article would have wondered whether it is it haram to be famous and mot of you reading this article would have come across articles and videos criticizing fame or those who are seeking fame. I have come across many websites, blogs and Youtube videos of so called famous preachers attacking fame when it was fame in the first place that got them more videos views and website visits with the help of Allah (Swt). It is quite hypocritical to attack fame when the same individuals are themselves famous.
The irony is that these same individuals who are using the power of fame to propel their agendas are at the same time telling you Muslim brothers and sisters to shun fame. My advice to all of you is, please do not allow such charlatans take advantage of your ignorance. If you are looking for the right answer on whether Islam allows fame or not, then this is the right article that will Insha Allah give you the right answer. Please keep reading and share this article and this website to your friends and family. First of all, the prophet (Sal) was himself a famous person and he utilized his fame to spread the message of Allah (Swt) to mankind. It is unimaginable to spread a good message with out considering making it famous. There is nothing wrong in being a celebrity or seeking fame because fame is a good thing and There are two sides of a celebrity like all other areas. Marketing is built on the principle of fame and it is impossible to market something or someone with out using fame.There are celebrities who are corrupted musicians,actors and there are celebrities who sing songs which could be haram and at the same time and there are also people who utilize fame in a halal manner.
Giving blanket fatwas and stating that fame is haram is wrong because in all issues like entertainment, sports, dancing,clothing,food they all have halal and haram elements. There is no authentic hadith forbidding fame. The hadiths that are used as evidence to prove that seeking fame is haram is quoted by misunderstanding the Arabic word for fame. One hadith is as follows.
Kab bin malik narrated that the prophet (Sal) said:
"Two hungry wolves sent in the midst of a flock of sheep are no more destructive to them than a man's greed for wealth and fame (Real word is vanity) is to his Deen."
(Tirmidhi who graded it as hasan sahih and also authenticated by Albani)
The Arabic text for the above hadith is “Sharaf” and is mistranslated as “fame” when it actually should be vanity. The real meaning for the word “Sharaf” in arabic is vanity. There is a huge difference between vanity and fame. The real word in Arabic for fame is “Shuhra”(شهرة.) . We should remember that the prophet (Sal) was also a famous person and fame has many benefits. There is one hadith that proves that fame is allowed.
Narrated by Abu Darr (Rali)
It was said to Allah's Messenger (Sal): What is your opinion about the person who has done good deeds and the people praise him? He said: It is glad tidings for a believer (which he has received in this mortal world).
(Sahih Muslim)
From the above hadith it is clear that a person can seek fame and praising is allowed as well. The next mistranslated and misunderstood hadith is as follows:
Narrated by Kab bin Malik (Rali),
The prophet (Sal) said,
"Two hungry wolves sent in the midst of a flock of sheep are no more destructive to them than a man's greed for wealth and fame is to his Deen."
(Tirmidhi-Graded Sahih by Albani in Sahih al Jami)
In this hadith, the real Arabic word that is used is "Sharaf" which means vanity/pride. All of these hadiths that are used as evidence to prove that fame is haram has nothing to do with fame. The prophet (Sal) did mention the real Arabic word "Shuhra" (Fame) and that is proved in the below hadith.
Nrrated by Abu Musa (Rali),
Narrated by Ibn Umar (Rali),
The prophet (Sal) as saying,
"If anyone wears a garment for gaining fame,Allah will clothe him in a similar garment on the day of resurrection"
(Abu-Dawud-Graded Hasan Sahih by Albani) and in another hadith,The next hadith that is as follows.
Narrated by Ibn Umar (Rali),
“Whoever wears a garment in fame, Allah will make him wear a garment of humiliation on the Day of Resurrection, then He will set it ablaze with fire.”
(Sunan Ibn Majah-Graded Hasan Sahih by Albani)
In both of these hadiths, the prophet (Sal) mentioned the Arabic word "Shuhra" which means fame and The meaning in this hadith "If anyone wears a garment for gaining fame" is explained in another hadith.
Abdullah ibn Umar reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Whoever trails his garment in pride, Allah will not look at him on the Day of Resurrection.” Abu Bakr said, “One of my robes slides down unless I am cautious about it.” The Prophet said, “You are not doing it in vanity.”
(Bukhari)
In this hadith in Bukhari the prophet (Sal) mentions the Arabic word "Khailaha"(خُيَلَاءَ) which means snobbery or pride. From this we can understand that the meaning for fame is to show off by wearing cloths and has nothing to do with gaining fame. These hadiths talk only on the warning of wearing clothes due to pride. The prophet (Sal) said in another hadith,
The Prophet(Sal) said,
“No one will enter Paradise who has an atom’s-weight of pride in his heart.” A man said, “What if a man likes his clothes to look good and his shoes to look good?” He said, “Allah is beautiful and loves beauty. Pride means denying the truth and looking down on people.”
(Sahih Muslim)
The above hadith explains everything and what is to be understood with the hadiths mentioning fame is to be understood as pride. There are two important hadiths which encourage fame and they are,
The prophet (Sal) said,
“Allah, the angels, the inhabitants of heaven and earth, even the ant in its hole and even the fish in the sea, send blessings upon the one who teaches the people good.”
(Tirmidhi-Graded sahih by Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami‘)
In the above hadith it is clear that a person can teach people good so that he or she can get blessings from Allah(Swt) the angels and everyone else.
Narrated by Abu Darr (Rali)
It was said to Allah's Messenger (Sal): What is your opinion about the person who has done good deeds and the people praise him? He said: It is glad tidings for a believer (which he has received in this mortal world).
(Sahih Muslim)
This hadith confirms that some kinds of praise is encouraged in Islam and fame is allowed. The prophet (Sal) said,
"Convey from me, even if it is a verse"
(Bukhari)
If fame was haram then the prophet(Sal) would not have told his companions to convey his message. The messenger (Sal)'s Sunnah is the best of examples. Allah (Swt) saysin the Quran,
"Indeed in the Messenger of Allah (Muhammad SAW) you have a good example to follow"
(Al-Quran-33:21)
It is impossible to communicate or spread a message especially a message with out the use of fame. This is how Allah has created things. stating that seeking fame is completely haram is totally wrong and counter productive. Those who give speeches titled "is being famous haram? should understand that they themselves are leveraging their fame for the better or the worst.
It is impossible to communicate or spread a message especially a message with out the use of fame. This is how Allah has created things. stating that seeking fame is completely haram is totally wrong and counter productive. It is true that some people want fame to show off and that is extremely dangerous because it could make the person getting struck with a calamity due to evil eye. People who want fame should do do for a good purpose like pleasing Allah (Swt) and should not talk about the achievements to everyone because you can even die because of some one envying you. The prophet (Sal) said,
“Most of those who die among my Ummah (followers) die because of the will and decree of Allah, and then because of the evil eye.”
(Narrated in Al Bazzar with a Sahih Isnad)
The prophet (Sal) also said,
“The evil eye is real and if anything were to overtake the divine decree, it would be the evil eye. When you are asked to take a bath (to provide a cure) from the influence of the evil eye, you should take a bath.”
(Muslim)
Abu Dhar (Rali) narrated,
The prophet (Sal) said,
"The Evil Eye sends a man to his grave and a camel into the cooking pot.”
(Abu Nu’aym, Ibn ‘Adiyy and others and graded Hasan Sahih by Sheikh Albani)
There is a hadith which is also been wrongly used to argue that seeking to become famous is haram. That is,
The people praised Abu Bakr as-Siddique (Rali) so he said:
"‘O Allaah You know me better than I know myself, and I know myself better than the people know me. O Allaah make me better than what they reckon of me, and do not take me to task with what they say about me, and forgive me with Your mercy for what they do not know.’
(Kitaab as-Zuhd’ by Ibn Mubarak p.14, ‘Shua’b al-Eemaan’ by Bayhaqi 4/228 & Saheeh al-Adab al-Mufrad no. 585 & Albaani authenticated the Isnad)
Now the question is, what has this hadith got to do with fame. It all has to do with praising.
Some Muslim brothers try to quote the quotations of Salaf and one example is when Bishr ibn al-Harith said:
‘Whoever loves fame does not fear Allah.’
(Seera Aa’laam 11/216)
What needs to be understood is that Islam is based only on two things and that is the Quran and the Sahih hadith. Blindly accepting the opinions of the Salaf is not a part of Islam. There is a lot being discussed by psychologists and doctors about the bad efects of fame in a person. This is just one side of the story. A research study done by Australian researches as in an article appeared in "Newsweek" dated 29/04/2013(Link-https://www.newsweek.com/who-lives-longest-surprising-health-benefits-fame-63055)
found out that men who are famous lived four years longer than men who are not famous. It is evident that seeking fame for a purpose is not haram and Islam does not clearly forbid fame. If someone argues with you on the issue of fame in Islam, then tell them to read this article.
Seeking fame is not haram in Islam because fame has many benefits. Many famous celebrities have been able to help others in need and to spread a message to a large amount of people due to their fame.
Many of you reading this article would have wondered whether it is it haram to be famous and mot of you reading this article would have come across articles and videos criticizing fame or those who are seeking fame. I have come across many websites, blogs and Youtube videos of so called famous preachers attacking fame when it was fame in the first place that got them more videos views and website visits with the help of Allah (Swt). It is quite hypocritical to attack fame when the same individuals are themselves famous.
The irony is that these same individuals who are using the power of fame to propel their agendas are at the same time telling you Muslim brothers and sisters to shun fame. My advice to all of you is, please do not allow such charlatans take advantage of your ignorance. If you are looking for the right answer on whether Islam allows fame or not, then this is the right article that will Insha Allah give you the right answer. Please keep reading and share this article and this website to your friends and family. First of all, the prophet (Sal) was himself a famous person and he utilized his fame to spread the message of Allah (Swt) to mankind. It is unimaginable to spread a good message with out considering making it famous. There is nothing wrong in being a celebrity or seeking fame because fame is a good thing and There are two sides of a celebrity like all other areas. Marketing is built on the principle of fame and it is impossible to market something or someone with out using fame.There are celebrities who are corrupted musicians,actors and there are celebrities who sing songs which could be haram and at the same time and there are also people who utilize fame in a halal manner.
Giving blanket fatwas and stating that fame is haram is wrong because in all issues like entertainment, sports, dancing,clothing,food they all have halal and haram elements. There is no authentic hadith forbidding fame. The hadiths that are used as evidence to prove that seeking fame is haram is quoted by misunderstanding the Arabic word for fame. One hadith is as follows.
Kab bin malik narrated that the prophet (Sal) said:
"Two hungry wolves sent in the midst of a flock of sheep are no more destructive to them than a man's greed for wealth and fame (Real word is vanity) is to his Deen."
(Tirmidhi who graded it as hasan sahih and also authenticated by Albani)
The Arabic text for the above hadith is “Sharaf” and is mistranslated as “fame” when it actually should be vanity. The real meaning for the word “Sharaf” in arabic is vanity. There is a huge difference between vanity and fame. The real word in Arabic for fame is “Shuhra”(شهرة.) . We should remember that the prophet (Sal) was also a famous person and fame has many benefits. There is one hadith that proves that fame is allowed.
Narrated by Abu Darr (Rali)
It was said to Allah's Messenger (Sal): What is your opinion about the person who has done good deeds and the people praise him? He said: It is glad tidings for a believer (which he has received in this mortal world).
(Sahih Muslim)
From the above hadith it is clear that a person can seek fame and praising is allowed as well. The next mistranslated and misunderstood hadith is as follows:
Narrated by Kab bin Malik (Rali),
The prophet (Sal) said,
"Two hungry wolves sent in the midst of a flock of sheep are no more destructive to them than a man's greed for wealth and fame is to his Deen."
(Tirmidhi-Graded Sahih by Albani in Sahih al Jami)
In this hadith, the real Arabic word that is used is "Sharaf" which means vanity/pride. All of these hadiths that are used as evidence to prove that fame is haram has nothing to do with fame. The prophet (Sal) did mention the real Arabic word "Shuhra" (Fame) and that is proved in the below hadith.
Nrrated by Abu Musa (Rali),
Narrated by Ibn Umar (Rali),
The prophet (Sal) as saying,
"If anyone wears a garment for gaining fame,Allah will clothe him in a similar garment on the day of resurrection"
(Abu-Dawud-Graded Hasan Sahih by Albani) and in another hadith,The next hadith that is as follows.
Narrated by Ibn Umar (Rali),
“Whoever wears a garment in fame, Allah will make him wear a garment of humiliation on the Day of Resurrection, then He will set it ablaze with fire.”
(Sunan Ibn Majah-Graded Hasan Sahih by Albani)
In both of these hadiths, the prophet (Sal) mentioned the Arabic word "Shuhra" which means fame and The meaning in this hadith "If anyone wears a garment for gaining fame" is explained in another hadith.
Abdullah ibn Umar reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Whoever trails his garment in pride, Allah will not look at him on the Day of Resurrection.” Abu Bakr said, “One of my robes slides down unless I am cautious about it.” The Prophet said, “You are not doing it in vanity.”
(Bukhari)
In this hadith in Bukhari the prophet (Sal) mentions the Arabic word "Khailaha"(خُيَلَاءَ) which means snobbery or pride. From this we can understand that the meaning for fame is to show off by wearing cloths and has nothing to do with gaining fame. These hadiths talk only on the warning of wearing clothes due to pride. The prophet (Sal) said in another hadith,
The Prophet(Sal) said,
“No one will enter Paradise who has an atom’s-weight of pride in his heart.” A man said, “What if a man likes his clothes to look good and his shoes to look good?” He said, “Allah is beautiful and loves beauty. Pride means denying the truth and looking down on people.”
(Sahih Muslim)
The above hadith explains everything and what is to be understood with the hadiths mentioning fame is to be understood as pride. There are two important hadiths which encourage fame and they are,
The prophet (Sal) said,
“Allah, the angels, the inhabitants of heaven and earth, even the ant in its hole and even the fish in the sea, send blessings upon the one who teaches the people good.”
(Tirmidhi-Graded sahih by Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami‘)
In the above hadith it is clear that a person can teach people good so that he or she can get blessings from Allah(Swt) the angels and everyone else.
Narrated by Abu Darr (Rali)
It was said to Allah's Messenger (Sal): What is your opinion about the person who has done good deeds and the people praise him? He said: It is glad tidings for a believer (which he has received in this mortal world).
(Sahih Muslim)
This hadith confirms that some kinds of praise is encouraged in Islam and fame is allowed. The prophet (Sal) said,
"Convey from me, even if it is a verse"
(Bukhari)
If fame was haram then the prophet(Sal) would not have told his companions to convey his message. The messenger (Sal)'s Sunnah is the best of examples. Allah (Swt) saysin the Quran,
"Indeed in the Messenger of Allah (Muhammad SAW) you have a good example to follow"
(Al-Quran-33:21)
It is impossible to communicate or spread a message especially a message with out the use of fame. This is how Allah has created things. stating that seeking fame is completely haram is totally wrong and counter productive. Those who give speeches titled "is being famous haram? should understand that they themselves are leveraging their fame for the better or the worst.
It is impossible to communicate or spread a message especially a message with out the use of fame. This is how Allah has created things. stating that seeking fame is completely haram is totally wrong and counter productive. It is true that some people want fame to show off and that is extremely dangerous because it could make the person getting struck with a calamity due to evil eye. People who want fame should do do for a good purpose like pleasing Allah (Swt) and should not talk about the achievements to everyone because you can even die because of some one envying you. The prophet (Sal) said,
“Most of those who die among my Ummah (followers) die because of the will and decree of Allah, and then because of the evil eye.”
(Narrated in Al Bazzar with a Sahih Isnad)
The prophet (Sal) also said,
“The evil eye is real and if anything were to overtake the divine decree, it would be the evil eye. When you are asked to take a bath (to provide a cure) from the influence of the evil eye, you should take a bath.”
(Muslim)
Abu Dhar (Rali) narrated,
The prophet (Sal) said,
"The Evil Eye sends a man to his grave and a camel into the cooking pot.”
(Abu Nu’aym, Ibn ‘Adiyy and others and graded Hasan Sahih by Sheikh Albani)
There is a hadith which is also been wrongly used to argue that seeking to become famous is haram. That is,
The people praised Abu Bakr as-Siddique (Rali) so he said:
"‘O Allaah You know me better than I know myself, and I know myself better than the people know me. O Allaah make me better than what they reckon of me, and do not take me to task with what they say about me, and forgive me with Your mercy for what they do not know.’
(Kitaab as-Zuhd’ by Ibn Mubarak p.14, ‘Shua’b al-Eemaan’ by Bayhaqi 4/228 & Saheeh al-Adab al-Mufrad no. 585 & Albaani authenticated the Isnad)
Now the question is, what has this hadith got to do with fame. It all has to do with praising.
Some Muslim brothers try to quote the quotations of Salaf and one example is when Bishr ibn al-Harith said:
‘Whoever loves fame does not fear Allah.’
(Seera Aa’laam 11/216)
What needs to be understood is that Islam is based only on two things and that is the Quran and the Sahih hadith. Blindly accepting the opinions of the Salaf is not a part of Islam. There is a lot being discussed by psychologists and doctors about the bad efects of fame in a person. This is just one side of the story. A research study done by Australian researches as in an article appeared in "Newsweek" dated 29/04/2013(Link-https://www.newsweek.com/who-lives-longest-surprising-health-benefits-fame-63055)
found out that men who are famous lived four years longer than men who are not famous. It is evident that seeking fame for a purpose is not haram and Islam does not clearly forbid fame. If someone argues with you on the issue of fame in Islam, then tell them to read this article.