Concept/Boundaries Of Immersion While Reading & Watching Entertainment Media
In the scenario you described, there is no sin in this. When people watch a movie, read a novel, or play a game, the human mind naturally immerses itself in the story. This is simply how storytelling works psychologically. Our brains temporarily treat the characters as if they are real so we can feel excitement, suspense, empathy, or encouragement. Reacting by thinking something like “you can do this” is just a normal emotional response to a narrative. The important thing in Islam is belief and intention. If a person clearly understands that the story is fictional and does not actually believe in the supernatural powers or religious ideas shown in the story, then engaging with the story emotionally is not a problem. What matters is the boundary in your mind. If you know it is fiction and entertainment, then reacting to the story is simply part of human imagination. It only becomes problematic if a person starts accepting those ideas as real beliefs or becomes influenced by them in a way that changes their actual worldview. Psychologically, humans have the ability to separate imagination from belief. We cry for characters in movies, feel tense during a thriller, or cheer for heroes even though we fully know none of it is real. Islam does not hold people accountable for this natural imaginative engagement. A simple way to judge situations like this in the future is to ask yourself two questions: 1. Do I actually believe this is real or part of my faith? 2. Is this affecting my real beliefs or just part of enjoying a fictional story? If the answer is that it is just fictional entertainment and your real beliefs remain clear, then there is generally no issue. So in your example, encouraging a fictional character while watching a movie is simply a natural response to storytelling, not a statement of belief.
In this situation, Person A would not be sinful. In Islam, a person is mainly responsible for their own intention and what they deliberately try to promote. In your example, Person A was simply reacting to a fictional story while watching a movie. There was no intention to promote a belief or misguide anyone. Also, every individual is responsible for their own faith and understanding. People have their own conscience and ability to think. If someone misunderstands a casual reaction in a movie and starts forming beliefs from it, that is ultimately their own responsibility, not yours. “No soul bears the burden of another.” (Qur’an 6:164) So if you did not intend to promote something false and were simply enjoying a fictional story, then you are not accountable for how someone else might misinterpret it. If you were actively trying to convince people of something false, that would be different. But a natural reaction while watching a movie does not fall into that category.