I sit with my children and we watch stories within visual series, and discuss during them the accuracy of what's presen…

I sit with my children and we watch stories within visual series, and discuss during them the accuracy of what's presented, trying to develop critical sense in them.

Truly there are a good number of these series, and they have great benefit. But at the same time they have major errors that prevent me from recommending them. And I hope my words reach those running them: The effort invested in these series is massive. I wish you would include in your team Sharia and educational reviewers, lest these errors occur. This is all while I don't adopt drawing animate beings. But you drew anyway (with a fatwa you consider valid or without a fatwa-regardless) so our advice continues.

The first episode of one series for example was built on a false story with no chain of transmission at all. And more dangerously it contains corrupt meanings. Its summary is that a man's camel ate from another man's crops so the crop owner got angry and they fought, and during the fight the crop owner threw the camel owner to the ground so the camel owner grabbed a rock and struck the crop owner's head and he died. The camel owner hadn't intended to kill him, but was defending himself. So the dead man's brothers brought the killer to the judge who ruled for execution. He asked to be given time to bid farewell to his wife and children but the judge and the dead man's brothers refused fearing he would flee, so Abu Dharr Al-Ghifari may Allah be pleased with him vouched for him.

The man left and was delayed so they thought he wouldn't return, so they brought Abu Dharr forward to be killed in place of the man. And at the last moment the camel owner came so they said to him: What made you come? He said: I feared people would say faithfulness to one's word has gone from people, so the dead man's brothers were moved and pardoned him saying: We feared people would say pardon has gone from people.

This story has corrupt meaning. If the issue were merely lack of authenticity regarding the chain of transmission, that would be easier. But it contains corrupt meanings that confuse the image of Sharia in viewers' minds. First: The mentioned case is semi-intentional killing. Where the killer was defending himself and hadn't intended to kill the crop owner. Such a case involves aggravated blood money and doesn't involve retaliation. So it's important for children to know that killing has circumstances and details and it's not just that easily any killer whether intentional or accidental or semi-intentional gets killed!

Second: If someone vouched for the killer as in this unauthentic story that Abu Dharr vouched for the killer, and the killer didn't come, the guarantor is never killed under any circumstances!! Rather he must pay the blood money to the victim's heirs. And truly it disturbed me during the episode when the judge said to Abu Dharr: (By Allah O Abu Dharr, if it were up to me I wouldn't kill you, but I'm implementing Allah's law)!! This isn't Allah's law! Rather it seeps into children's souls a kind of disregard for human life.

In conclusion: Though the series producers intended in this episode to highlight the values of chivalry, faithfulness and pardon, it has major errors that overshadow its benefit. And truly there are other episodes with similar observations despite the great benefit in this series.

So the advice is to present episodes to Sharia and educational reviewers before producing them.

And I advise my brothers and sisters to discuss this criticism of the episode with their children to develop critical sense.