Full Lecture Transcript (Cleaned)
The Question: Are Suhoor Fests Permissible? — 26:07
A questioner asks about the criticism surrounding suhoor fests. Some people argue they promote free mixing, while similar public events with mixed crowds do not seem to receive the same level of concern. How should we think about such gatherings?
Yasir Qadhi notes he has only been to one fest in his entire life — the first one organized in Dallas, where his son was on the organizing committee. He did pop in to try to get a burger (the line was too long), and he got some pakoras or something similar. He is aware there is quite a lot of online chatter about fests.
Not Categorically Haram — 27:05
First and foremost: a public gathering in which people are appropriately dressed and has large numbers of people — technically, in and of itself, there is nothing haram about that. But we all know there is the potential to do that which you should not do. That is the reality of the world.
Large Muslim gatherings — not music concerts, but Muslims coming together for a bazaar, a festival, a fest — these types of large gatherings: realistically, those who wish to preserve their iman and dignity and go for legitimate reasons can do so. And those who want to go for incorrect reasons can also do so. This is the reality.
The Scale of Piety — 28:00
There are some gatherings where the preponderance of evil is higher. Let us be frank. People have different levels of piety. Think of a scale of one to five — one being the lowest, five being the highest.
Those at level five will not want to go to a place where there is this ambiguity. They will feel uncomfortable and sense a trepidation. For them, the verdict of avoiding it comes easily, and that is totally understandable.
Those at level one — barely praying, struggling in Ramadan, not really hanging around Muslim crowds — for them to go to a fest might actually be an iman boost. They have never seen 5,000 or 10,000 Muslims just having a legitimate time together. From their perspective, it is not haram because they are already doing blatant haram in their regular life — clubbing, whatever. For them, seeing thousands of Muslims together is: Oh wow, Muslims can have fun — and it might actually raise their iman.
The Word Haram Is a Big Word — 29:20
The word haram is a big word. I do not use it lightly. With utmost respect to those scholars who say these types of things — I know they are coming from a good place — there is no way you can use the word haram for a generic place where thousands of Muslims are coming together and food is being sold. You cannot use the word haram for that.
Some people can do haram there — no problem, you can say that. But to call the entire event haram? That is a huge stretch. But does that mean it is totally, unconditionally legitimate? I do not think that is easy to say either, because when there is a preponderance of things that are not noble, you make your own decision.
If groups of brothers or groups of sisters go and the niyyah is to have a fun time among your group and to get different varieties of food — that is not sinful or evil. It is permissible if you maintain your dignity and decorum.
On Free Mixing — 30:26
On the concern about free mixing: if you do not want to interact with the opposite gender, who is going to force you? You are just going with your group of friends. The issue would only arise if it is so crowded that you are physically touching the opposite gender constantly — that brings a separate problem, which is a logistical issue the organizers need to solve. A stadium venue should have enough space.
For sure, young men and women who want to be involved in flirtatious activities will be able to do so. But to make the whole gathering haram because of what these people are doing — they do not need the stadium. They will find each other on Instagram anyway. The niyyah of those individuals is the problem, not the venue itself.
Advice to Organizers — 31:45
Yasir Qadhi's advice to organizers: have a time for prayer, have an Islamic lecture, even have a nasheed artist — something that gives the event an Islamic ambiance. The level 1–2 Muslims need to see what a level 3 looks like so they can get an upgrade. Those at levels 4–5 should not downgrade themselves.
If you are praying tahajjud every single night in Ramadan, then yes — why would you go to a massive public field in the middle of nowhere instead? I agree. But if you are not doing that, and you want to be in the company of other Muslims, and that company is an iman boost — why would that be haram? Maintain your dignity and your pride, stick with the righteous people, and bismillah.