What Do You Think?

[karenjonke]

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The question:

My question is : IS the taking of PHOTOGRAPHS ALLOWED,(I know drawing pictures of living things is not allowed -but what about taking photograph's of people etc.), can you supply me with some evidence please.

The Answer

Praise be to Allaah.

Photography (tasweer) means the taking of pictures of living, animate moving beings, like people, animals, birds, etc. The ruling is that it is forbidden on the basis of a number of reports, such as the following:

'Abdullaah ibn Mas'ood (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Those who will be most severely punished by Allaah on the Day of Resurrection will be the image-makers." (Reported by al-Bukhaari, see al-Fath, 10/382 ).

Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Allaah, may He be exalted, says: 'Who does more wrong than the one who tries to create something like My creation? Let him create a grain of wheat or a kernel of corn.'" (Reported by al-Bukhaari, see Fath al-Baari, 10/385).

'Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: "Shall I not send you on the same mission as the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) sent me? Do not leave any built-up tomb without levelling it, and do not leave any picture in any house without erasing it." (Reported by Muslim and al-Nisaa'i; this is the version narrated by al-Nisaa'i).

Ibn 'Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him and his father) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Every image-maker will be in the Fire, and for every image that he made a soul will be created for him, which will be punished in the Fire." Ibn 'Abbaas said: "If you must do that, make pictures of trees and other inanimate objects." (Reported by Muslim, 3/1871 )

These ahaadeeth indicate that pictures of animate beings are haraam, whether they are humans or other creatures, whether they are three-dimensional or two-dimensional, whether they are printed, drawn, etched, engraved, carved, cast in moulds, etc. These ahaadeeth include all of these types of pictures.

The Muslim should submit to the teachings of Islam and not argue with them by saying, "But I am not worshipping them or prostrating to them!" If we think about just one aspect of the evil caused by the prevalence of photographs and pictures in our times, we will understand something of the wisdom behind this prohibition: that aspect is the great corruption caused by the provoking of physical desires and subsequent spread of immorality caused by these pictures.

The Muslim should not keep any pictures of animate beings in his house, because they will prevent the angels from entering. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "The angels do not enter a house in which there is a dog or pictures." (Reported by al-Bukhaari, see al-Fath, 10/380 ).

But nowadays, unfortunately, one can even find in some Muslim homes statues of gods worshipped by the kuffaar (such as Buddha etc.) which they keep on the basis that they are antiques or decorative pieces. These things are more strictly prohibited than others, just as pictures which are hung up are worse than pictures which are not hung up, for how easily they can lead to glorification, and cause grief or be a source of boasting! We cannot say that these pictures are kept for memory's sake, because true memories of a Muslim relative or friend reside in the heart, and we remember them by praying for mercy and forgiveness for them.

Taking pictures with a camera involves human actions such as focusing, pressing the shutter, developing, printing, and so on. We cannot call it anything other than "picture-making" or tasweer, which is the expression used by all Arabic-speakers to describe this action.

In the book Al-I'laam bi naqd kitaab al-halaal wa'l-haraam, the author says: "Photography is even more of an imitation of the creation of Allaah than pictures which are engraved or drawn, so it is even more deserving of being prohibited… There is nothing that could exclude photography from the general meaning of the reports." (p. 42, see also Fataawa Islamiyyah, 4/355 ).

Among the scholars who have discussed the issue of photography is Shaykh Naasir al-Deen al-Albaani, who said: "Some of them differentiate between hand-drawn pictures and photographic images by claiming that the latter are not products of human effort, and that no more is involved than the mere capturing of the image. This is what they claim. The tremendous energy invested the one who invented this machine that can do in few seconds what otherwise could not be done in hours does not count as human effort, according to these people! Pointing the camera, focusing it, and taking the picture, preceded by installation of the film and followed by developing and whatever else that I may not know about… none of this is the result of human effort, according to them!

Some of them explain how this photography is done, and summarize that no less than eleven different actions are involved in the making of a picture. In spite of all this, they say that this picture is not the result of human action! Can it be permissible to hang up a picture of a man, for example, if it is produced by photography, but not if it is drawn by hand?

Those who say that photography is permitted have "frozen" the meaning of the word "tasweer," restriciting it only to the meaning known at the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and not adding the meaning of photography, which is "tasweer" or "picture-making" in every sense - linguistic, legal, and in its harmful effects, and as is clear from the definition mentioned above. Years ago, I said to one of them, By the same token, you could allow idols which have not been carved but have been made by pressing a button on some machine that turns out idols by the dozen. What do you say to that?"
(Aadaab al-Zafaaf by al-Albaani, p. 38 )

It is also worth quoting the opinion of some contemporary scholars who allow the taking of photographs but say that the pictures should not be kept: "The angels do not enter a house in which there is a dog or pictures." (See al-Sharh al-Mumti', 2/198 ).

There are many bad things involved in the making of pictures. Besides the element of imitating the creation of Allaah - which is an accusation denied by many of those who make pictures - reality bears witness to the great extent of immorality and provocation of desires caused by the prevalence of pictures and picture-making nowadays. We must remove or blot out every picture, except when it is too difficult to do so, like the pictures which are overwhelmingly prevalent in food packaging, or pictures used in encyclopaedias and reference books. We should remove what we can, and be careful about any provocative pictures that may be found.

"So keep your duty to Allaah and fear Him as much as you can…" [al-Taghaabun 64:16 - interpretation of the meaning]

Photographs which are essential are permitted - such as those required for identity documents, or for identifying or pursuing criminals [e.g. "wanted" posters and the like - translator's note], or for educational purposes which cannot be achieved otherwise. The principle in sharee'ah is that we should not exaggerate about what is necessary.

We ask Allaah to accept our repentance and have mercy on us, and to forgive our excesses, for He is the All-Hearing Who answers prayers. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad.

[karenjonke]

Then they turn around and say it is for people to have their picture taken.

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The Question:

Some of those who call people to Allah still have some reservations about images on televisions, hence they do not take part in TV programmes. What is your opinion on that?

The Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

Yes, there are undoubtedly people who have reservations about that, namely using images produced by cameras for the purpose of broadcasting on television and they have reservations about spreading knowledge via television. That varies according to what Allah has given to people of knowledge, understanding and insight, and examining end results. Those who have knowledge and feel at ease working in television and conveying the message of Allah, will have their reward with Allah. Those who are confused about the matter and whose hearts are not at ease with that, we hope that they will be blamed.

Personally, I believe that the one whose heart Allah puts at ease concerning this issue and whom Allah helps to do that, this serves a great interest -- which is spreading religion and guiding people to good -- and the harm resulting from the images produced for that purpose it is a minor harm which is insignificant when compared with the great interest that is achieved, namely conveying the message of Allah to the people, teaching the people the laws of Allah and guiding people to good, so that that the followers of falsehood will not have this field to themselves and will have all these facilities to themselves to spread their call to falsehood. We ask Allah to keep us safe and sound.

[karenjonke]

Then pictures are a bad thing again.

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The Question:

My wife is staying with me in Saudi and she wants to send a picture to her parents in Egypt in order to reassure them that she is fine. But I have heard a fatwa stating that making images with cameras is haraam. Is this a case of necessity which makes a haraam thing permissible?.


The Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

This is not a case of necessity and she should not send her picture to her mother or anyone else. This is not necessary. She can write to them and speak to them on the phone, praise be to Allah. As for sending a picture, it is not permissible.

[karenjonke]

Then it is sort of bad / maybe bad / probably bad.

copied from:
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The Question:

What is the ruling on putting pictures of people or children on chat or e-mail?


The Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

Images of animate beings that have been drawn by hand or three-dimensional images are haraam and are included in the texts which contain a warning of punishment for the image makers.

For more details on that please see the answers to questions no. 34839, 10668, 39806.

With regard to images made by machines, which are called photographic images, there is a difference of opinion among the scholars concerning them. What seems to us to be the correct ruling is that they come under the ruling on images that is mentioned above.

For more information please see the answers to questions no. 22660 and 8954.

From the above, it may be known that it is not permissible to put the image of a child or any other animate being in e-mail or on chat rooms and the like. The prohibition is even more emphatic if the picture is of a female or if the picture is of a handsome man who is aiming to put it there to attract girls and women. Such actions are not permissible even according to those who allow photographs, because this usage causes obvious evil and corruption.

And Allah knows best.

[karenjonke]

Sorry ladies . . . no pictures . . . men might see . . . pictures bad.

copied from:
http://www.islam-qa.com/en/ref/10897

The question:

I'm going to be graduating soon and it's a family tradition for the pictures of the graduands of the family to be put on a wall in our living room at home,InshaAllaah my family intend to come from overseas for my graduation and they'll probably expect me to wear make-up e.t.c and to have a potrait taken which will be added to the wall at home,the thing is,we have male family friends who sometimes sit in the sitting room so they'll see my picture.I've told my mother it's haraam to have pictures in the house,but she doesn't want to know and wether or not I put my potrait on the wall there'll still be pictures everywhere and I won't have the right to remove them.InshaAllaah they won't be able to force me to wear make-up,but my NOT doing a potrait will probably upset them and they might think they've come all the way for nothing as it will seem to them like I'm not making an effort.So InshaAllaah what do you suggest I do?


The Answer:


Praise be to Allaah.

The most correct view is that making photographic images comes under the general prohibition of making images of animate beings. The matter is more serious if the picture is of a woman (and men look at it) because of the fitnah and evil involved in that. The fact that people will be angry does not make these haraam things permissible. The anger of Allaah is that which most deserves to be feared. If Allaah knows that His slave is sincere, He will be with him. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever seeks to earn the pleasure of Allaah even though that makes people angry, Allaah will be pleased with him and will make the people pleased with him.”

[karenjonke]

video taping a wedding party bad.

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The question:

i am getting married soon and i would like to know if video taping the wedding would be haraam. I know that taking pictures via a camera is haraam but i would like to know if video taping falls under the same category as photography. There are people who would like us to video tape the wedding but my intended and i would not like to compromise with picture taking, so we were wondering if we could video tape it instead.


The Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

One of the evil actions that takes place during parties and celebrations is taking pictures of women. It is haraam whether the pictures are taken with a video camera or a regular camera, but taking pictures with a video camera is worse.

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade one woman to describe another to her husband as if he can see her – as it says in al-Saheehayn – so taking pictures – especially on video – is undoubtedly worse than simply describing, because the woman can be seen in a real sense, not just in the imagination.

This, naturally, applies if the pictures are of women only. But if the gathering is mixed then there is another sin as well as the sin of making pictures. Usually in women's gatherings on such occasions they compete in wearing short and revealing clothes. So taking such pictures and distributing them leads to the spread of immorality and sin and encourages such things, and makes people start to take the matter lightly. What should a woman do if she does not want her picture to be taken at all, then her picture is taken of her in all her finery? What should a woman do whom Allaah has guided after she went astray, and pictures of her at parties are in circulation?

Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen said:

In addition to the reservations about taking pictures at wedding parties as mentioned above, there is a very serious reservation which is:

We have heard that some women bring cameras with them to take pictures of this celebration, and I do not know what justification these women have for taking pictures at these parties which are then spread among the people, intentionally or otherwise. Do those who take the pictures think that anyone approves of their actions? I do not think that anyone approves of what they do; I do not think that anyone would like his daughter’s or wife’s picture to be taken and kept by those misguided women to show to whomever they want, whenever they want? Would any of you agree for his mahrams’ pictures to be in the hands of other people, to be a source of mockery if they are ugly and a provocation of desire if they are beautiful?

We have even heard of something that is worse than that: that some people bring a video camera to these parties to take moving pictures, and they watch it themselves or show it to others every time they want to enjoy looking at these scenes.

We have also heard that some those who go to these parties and videotape them are young men, who mix with women at these parties or they sit alone with them, and no wise person who has any knowledge of the sources of sharee’ah will doubt that this is evil and is haraam, and that it is stooping to the lowest level of imitating the kuffaar.

Friday Khutbah in the Jami’ Mosque of ‘Unayzah, entitled Munkaraat al-Afraah Mahaadhir Laylat al-Zafaaf.

And the Shaykh also said:

With regard to taking pictures of events, no wise person will doubt that this is reprehensible, and no wise person – let alone a believer – would agree to let his mahrams’ pictures be taken – mothers, daughters, sisters, wives – to be a product to be shown to everyone or be viewed for the enjoyment of any immoral person.

Even worse than that is videotaping events, because this is like a living picture with sound. This is something that will be denounced by every person of sound mind and proper religious commitment, and we cannot imagine that anyone who has a sense of modesty and faith would allow it.

Fataawa ‘Ulama’ al-Balad al-Haraam, p. 439.

And Allaah knows best.

[karenjonke]

Pictures bad even to help identify someone.

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The Question:

Some people say taking pictures and keeping them at home is haraam, is this true?. Because in N. America and Europe for example we heard every day a missing children and with out their recent picture it is difficult to trace them, so could you explain to me what kind of pictures is haraam and what kind is not haraam, because I like to take pictures from my children just for memory and I keep them at home, am I commiting a sin, please specify for me and give me some daliil.


The Answer

Praise be to Allaah.

The basic principle concerning making pictures of any animate being, whether it is a human or any animal, is that it is haraam, whether the pictures are three-dimensional or are drawn on paper, cloth or walls, etc., or are photographs (taken with a camera), because of the reports in the saheeh ahaadeeth which state that that is not allowed, and threaten the one who does that with a painful torment, and because they may lead to shirk in the form of standing respectfully before them, humbling oneself before them, drawing close to them and venerating them in a manner that is only befitting for Allaah. They are also forbidden because this is a kind of trying to match the creation of Allaah, and because of the temptation inherent in some of them, such as pictures of actresses and naked women, and so-called beauty queens.

Among the ahaadeeth which state that this is haraam and that it is a major sin is the hadeeth of Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him), who said, “I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: ‘Whoever makes an image in this world will be told to breathe the soul into it on the Day of Resurrection, and he will never be able to do that.’” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari and Muslim). He [Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him)] also narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Every image-maker will be in the Fire, and every image that he made will be made to appear to him and will torment him in Hell.” Ibn ‘Abbaas said: “If you must do that, then make trees and things that have no soul.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari and Muslim). The general meaning of the ahaadeeth is that it is absolutely forbidden to make images of anything that has a soul.

Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 1/456-457

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen said, when he was asked about pictures: making pictures for this purpose is haraam and is not permitted. That is because making pictures for memories is haraam, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “The angels do not enter any house in which there is an image,” (narrated by al-Bukhaari, Bid’ al-Khalq, 2986), and whatever the angels do not enter had no goodness in it.

Fataawa Manaar al-Islam, 3/759

[karenjonke]

copied from:
http://www.islam-qa.com/en/ref/22660

The question:
Is it haraam to take a picture of a man with his friends?.


The answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

Undoubtedly making images of everything that has a soul is haraam, indeed it is a major sin, because of the stern warning against that narrated in the texts of the Sunnah; and because it is imitating Allaah in His creation of living things; and because it is a means that leads to temptation (fitnah) and that often leads to shirk. The one who takes the picture, the one who tells him to do it and those who help him to do it are all guilty of sin, because they are cooperating in sin, which Allaah has forbidden when He said:

“but do not help one another in sin and transgression”

[al-Maa’idah 5:2]

And Allaah is the Source of strength.

Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah (Fatwas of the Standing Committee), 1/454
According to another fatwa issued by the Standing Committee (1/458):

It is not permissible to make pictures of animate beings using cameras or any other kind of image-making equipment, or to keep pictures of animate beings except in cases of necessity, such as pictures in identity documents or passports; it is permissible to take and keep such pictures because there is a need for that.

[karenjonke]

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The Question:


One of the shop keepers is offering a job which is: printing pictures of children on clothes etc., so that he can display them and sell them to people. What is the ruling on this?


The Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

This work is not permissible because it involves printing pictures of animate beings on shirts that children will wear, so the pictures will be openly displayed on the chest of the person wearing the clothes. The Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah has cursed the makers of images” and “Every maker of images will be in the Fire.” It was reported that ‘Aa’ishah, the wife of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told him that she had bought a saddle-cushion on which there were images. When the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) saw it, he stood at the door and did not enter. [‘Aa’ishah said:] “I could see in his face that he was displeased and I said ‘O Messenger of Allaah, I repent to Allaah and His Messenger. What is my s in?’ The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘What is this saddle-cushion for?’ I said, ‘I bought it for you so that you could sit on it and use it as a pillow.’ The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘The makers of these images will be punished on the Day of Resurrection and it will be said to them, Bring to life that which you have created.’ And he said, ‘The angels do not enter a house in which there are images.’” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5181)

This includes all images, whether they are carved, engraved, printed, drawn or taken with a camera, because all kinds of image-making are included in the general meaning of the hadeeth. There are no exceptions, apart from cases of necessity or need such as photos for personal identity documents, which are essential. But the case which you have mentioned in your question is not included in this exception. So look for another kind of work which is halaal. We ask Allaah to make what He has permitted sufficient for us so that we will not need to look to what is haraam, and to make us independent by His grace.

May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad and his family and companions, and grant them peace.

For more information on the rulings concerning image-making, please see Questions # 3243, 365, 1747