Al-Azhar prohibits watching the series "Muawiyah."

Media reports on Friday, February 28, 2025, stated that "Al-Azhar Al-Sharif issued a fatwa prohibiting the viewing of the historical drama series 'Muawiyah'."

The historical drama series, described as the largest Arab television production, was supposed to be aired about two years ago but was postponed due to objections from Shia authorities in several countries, most notably objections from the Iraqi religious figure Moqtada al-Sadr.

Controversy still surrounds the series "Muawiyah," expected to be aired during the current Ramadan on the Saudi network "MBC."

Although Al-Azhar has not officially published any fatwa regarding the series on its website yet, "Al-Masry Al-Youm" website reported that "Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, represented by the Senior Scholars Authority, affirmed its clear and consistent stance on the portrayal of the Companions for years."

According to Al-Masry Al-Youm, "Al-Azhar Al-Sharif has previously rejected previous works that depicted Islamic historical figures such as the series 'Umar ibn Al-Khattab'."

The newspaper "Al-Wafd" quoted the Egyptian Fatwa House, which is not affiliated with Al-Azhar, as saying that "portraying historical figures in drama is permissible, provided that they are presented in a manner befitting their status, without distorting their character or depicting them in a manner that diminishes their value."

The Fatwa House stated: "However, when it comes to the Companions, the Fatwa House has set several guidelines governing their portrayal, most notably not depicting the ten Companions promised paradise, the Mothers of the Believers (the Prophet's wives), the honorable family of the Prophet, and the Prophet's daughters, due to their great status in Islam."

Characters such as the Caliph Uthman ibn Affan and the fourth Caliph Ali ibn Abi Talib, who are promised paradise, appear in the series.

According to "Egypt Times" website, lawyer Haitham Al-Maghribi announced his intention to file a lawsuit to prevent the series from being aired in Egypt, citing "the portrayal by the Jordanian actor Eyad Nassar of the character of Ali ibn Abi Talib."

Al-Maghribi wrote on his official Facebook page: "I will file a lawsuit against the series 'Muawiyah,' MBC channel, and the production company for releasing a promo in which one of the actors portrays the character of the Commander of the Faithful Ali ibn Abi Talib, with a religious fatwa from Al-Azhar Al-Sharif prohibiting the portrayal of the Prophet's family in a dramatic work."

The series depicts the story of the companion Muawiyah ibn Abi Sufyan, who transformed from a scribe of revelation to the founder of the Umayyad Caliphate, the first king in Islam, narrating the events following the assassination of the third Caliph Uthman ibn Affan, the appointment of Ali ibn Abi Talib as Caliph, leading to the establishment of the Umayyad state.

Actor Wael Sharaf appears as Amr ibn al-As, while actress Soheir Ben Amara portrays Hind bint Utbah, Muawiyah's mother, and actress Asmaa Jalal embodies the character of Muawiyah's wife.

Reports indicate that the production cost of the series exceeded $100 million, written by the Egyptian journalist Khaled Salah and directed by T