Islamic Rulings as Movie Plots

Did you ever get the feeling that some of the Islamic rulings in Ahkām are oddly specific to some particularly contrived scenarios? I mean, sure, they might occur in real life, but it seems to me that they might actually work well as major plot points in feature films. Here are some of the rulings I came across that, in my opinion, could make great movie plots. (Now with images generated by ChatGPT!)

Note: Most of these rulings are taken from the English translation of Sayyid Sistani’s rulings published as Islamic Laws (“IL”), although I also sourced from the four-volume Persian language Tawḍih al-Masāil Jāmi’ (“TMJ”) and used provide an unofficial translation here.

Adventure

IL: Ruling 664. If apart from having pure water for wuḍūʾ or ghusl a person also has impure water that is sufficient only for drinking, he must keep the pure water for drinking and perform prayers with tayammum. However, in the event that one wants the pure water for those who are dependent on him, he can perform wuḍūʾ or ghusl with the pure water even if his dependants are compelled to quench their thirst with the impure water. In fact, if they are unaware of the water being impure, or they do not refrain from drinking impure water, it is necessary for him to use the pure water for wuḍūʾ or ghusl. Similarly, if one wants water for his animal or for a child who is not bāligh, he must give them the impure water and perform wuḍūʾ or ghusl with the pure water.

Romantic Comedy

IL: Ruling 2389. A marriage contract must fulfil the following conditions [for it to be valid]: … 5. The man and the woman must consent to the marriage. However, if they appear to disapprove but it is known that in their hearts they consent, the marriage contract is valid.

Thriller

TMJv1: Issue 2070. If a person receives money to pray the Laylat al-Dafn prayer and forgets to pray the prayer on the night prescribed for it, in this case it is not permissible for him to dispose of [the money] without consulting the owner of the property. In the above case, if he does not know its owner, the said property is considered to be of unknown owner, and he must examine and search for its owner. If he despairs of finding its owner, he must give it as charity on his behalf to a poor person who meets the conditions for it, and as an obligatory precaution, he must obtain permission from the Shariah ruler or his representative to give charity. Of course, if a person knows from evidence that the owner is happy to dispose of that property by performing two rak’ahs of prayer or reciting the Qur’an and donating its reward to the deceased or performing another deed, he can dispose of the property by doing this.

Horror

IL: Issue 663. If the husband refuses to pay his wife’s maintenance despite having the financial means or is unable to pay his wife’s maintenance, but deliberately hides himself from the Shariah judge so that the Shari’ah judge cannot take the necessary measures to notify him, warn him, and take the necessary actions, as stated in issues (658 and 659), and it is not possible for the Shari’ah judge to reach him, even through an intermediary, and on the other hand, it is not possible to spend the husband’s money on his wife’s maintenance, the Shari’ah judge can divorce her after the wife’s request.
It is worth noting that the divorce in this case is irrevocable and the husband has no right to appeal during the waiting period.

Kid’s Movie

IL: Ruling 2031. If a person gives fiṭrah to someone thinking that he is poor but later realises that he was not poor, in the event that the item he gave him has not perished, he must take it back and give it to someone who is entitled to receive it; and if he is unable to take it back, he must replace the fiṭrah from his own property. If the item has perished, in the event that the beneficiary knew the item was given as fiṭrah, the beneficiary must replace it; however, if the beneficiary did not know, then replacing it is not obligatory for him and the benefactor must replace it.