WAT DOES ISLAM REALLY SAY ABOUT TAKING PICTURES?

[ummita]

Salaamz brothaz 'n' sistaz.
I wanted to bring forth this discussion, probably we can share our views on this or perharps those wit an insight knowledge can help shed some light.

I have read & heard about discussions on taking pictures. Alot of ppl say its haram, some say its OK! whilst others said it is fine to take photo shots only if you do not display them where you pray. Some ulamaz, moulanah & sheiks have put up discussions concluding that taking pictures is completely haram, others said its not, whereas some sheiks remained  inconclusive meaning (Allah wa'alam).  I checked about 3 websites in relation to dis issue. However only one opposed 2 takin pics & two of d weblinks I visited provided dat it was ok to take pictures only 4 memoir purposes. From d little I know which was directly from a hadith source, & am sure alot of u know dat as well that drawing anything with a form of life is strictly haram because no human can put life in2 it xcept Allah subhana wata'ala.

Contrariwise, I got in2 a more dauting state, when I was heading out of my bedroom door & I got a glimpse of myself in the mirrow, I was like, "Hang on"........a mirrow shows a persons image & so does pictures. The only difference is u can see ur movements in mirrorz but u r still in photos. Thou ur image is in both. So if pics r haram does it equally becomes haram 2 look @ mirrors? Moreso, some Sheiks stated that wearin clothes with printed images of any form of life weda humans or animals or  cartoony characters to pray is haram. That! I had no doubt @ all.........so amongs my fave shirt of cartoon charactaz, my (winnie d pooh ) shirt was from dat day onwards neva worn unda my jibbah durin prayaz.(laffs)

Personally, I do not think taking pictures r haram though am absolutely not sure of myself but I was thinking photos are not haram cos its a reflection of reality not imitating reality!
Meanwhile I remain a lil confused & wud like those dat r interested & know bout this 2 kindly give us highlights.

Jazakallah Khair.
May Allah accept our Maafs & Grant us many more Hidayats
Ma'assalaam

[waz]

Taking pix is definately not haram though there are sum ppl who claim that lifesize portraits and statues are undesired in islam. But i've personally never heard/read anyconcrete consensus of the Ulama about such things,actually i think it's a bit absurd after all what could possibly be so bad/evil in pix?

[gogannaka]

Once at an islamic lecture someone posed the same question to the lecturer(Khalil's name sake)..........the Mallam said that he didnt believe that life pictures were haram since they are just a replica of the real being....the questioner still insisted that they are haram and wherever pictures were,the angels of mercy would not visit that place.THe Mallam then asked him,then it means that these angels do not visit anyone nowadays.because almost every one has a newspaper in his house...the man denied having a newspaper or calendar in his home...........the mallam then said amma ai kana da Naira ko?(but u have a naira note right)..the man shrugged and the discussion ended there...

Bottomline is that still pictures are replica's of Gods creation...nothing new

[Twinkle]

INTERESTING! THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN PASSING AND THERE ARE ALOT OF ARGUMENTS SURROUNDING IT. ALOT SAID TAKING PICTURES IS HARAM BUT I DONT KNOW. AM NOT REALLY A PICTURE FREAK BUT GOD KNOW I HAD SO MANY FUNNY CLOWNY PICS WITH LOADS OF FREINDS AND FAMILY.GOT PICS ALL OVER MY ALBUM BUT I HEARD THAT LOADS OF SHEIKS ARE JUST MAKING FALSE STATEMENTS ABOUT PICTURES AND THAT REALLY IT IS NOT ALLOWED.

GOGANNAKA WHAT I KNEW ABOUT ANGELS NOT VISITING, IS WHEN YOU KEEP LITTLE DOLLIES , BARBIE DOLLS OR TEDDY BEARS. BUT FOR PICTURES I HAVE TO ADMIT I DID STOP TAKING PICS TILL I HEAR THE REAL DEAL. ITS BETTER TO LEAVE & STOP SOMETHING COMPLETELY THAT PEOPLE ARE HAVING DOUBTS ON TILL YOU HEAR THE "CLEAR WORD"

[straightalkin]

if u think about it pictures are like drawings... and i have seen many drawings of living things on islamic texts- flowery designs binding the holy Quran for example...(though that is only a representation) if pictures are haram then perhaps watching TV is also haram... so for example those who watch the ramadan tarawi prayer transmitted on tv are watchin haram????

[Hafsy_Lady]

@ Straighttalking. Well if you ask me I'd say FLOWERY DESIGN IS NOT A HUMAN POTRAIT. It does not contain human figures. Flowery designs on quar'an is not a living it. Its not human thus it does not breath. Infact they are not real flowers they are just printed text formed. What? we cant just stick on fresh flowers on the Holy Qur'an. Need I say more, the only places where you might see pictures in Islamic text might probably come from children's Islamic books. My little niece has a collection of Islamic text that include stories and images of humanbeing, insects, reptiles & animals which is ok because it helps a child interlectually. Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) daugther Fatimah (RA) has a doll to play with when she was small but it is actually not right to keep dolls in the house if for no reason other than for the children because they dont not allow Angels access into your house. But I assure you that you will never find a picture of a human being or any living creature in an actual Islamic book meaning the Qur'an.  My dear if you relate positive things about Islam it does not make it haram. We have so many muslim & Arabian region that are totally agaisnt watching television because it does encourage negativity to our religion BUT if you use your tv to watch tarawi of course theres no harm in it. Though they actually contain images of people but they do not take pictures of their actual selves and keep it! Positive plus postive is double positive, so watching tawari plus tv is postive act. Watching pornography on tv that is what you can relate as being haram!  As for pictures I heard they are not right and people are encouraging other to stop taking unnecessary pictures but I know I do take pictures because I havent heard a strong proof on that aspect. I might find a little time to conduct a research on this.

[straightalkin]

thanks hafsy- it would be good if you can do that research because it looks like no one here knows the answer...

[Dante]

@ Straighttalking. Well if you ask me I'd say FLOWERY DESIGN IS NOT A HUMAN POTRAIT. It does not contain human figures. Flowery designs on quar'an is not a living it. Its not human thus it does not breath. Infact they are not real flowers they are just printed text formed. What? we cant just stick on fresh flowers on the Holy Qur'an. Need I say more, the only places where you might see pictures in Islamic text might probably come from children's Islamic books. My little niece has a collection of Islamic text that include stories and images of humanbeing, insects, reptiles & animals which is ok because it helps a child interlectually. Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) daugther Fatimah (RA) has a doll to play with when she was small but it is actually not right to keep dolls in the house if for no reason other than for the children because they dont not allow Angels access into your house. But I assure you that you will never find a picture of a human being or any living creature in an actual Islamic book meaning the Qur'an.  My dear if you relate positive things about Islam it does not make it haram. We have so many muslim & Arabian region that are totally agaisnt watching television because it does encourage negativity to our religion BUT if you use your tv to watch tarawi of course theres no harm in it. Though they actually contain images of people but they do not take pictures of their actual selves and keep it! Positive plus postive is double positive, so watching tawari plus tv is postive act. Watching pornography on tv that is what you can relate as being haram!  As for pictures I heard they are not right and people are encouraging other to stop taking unnecessary pictures but I know I do take pictures because I havent heard a strong proof on that aspect. I might find a little time to conduct a research on this.

Great post, never thought hafsy_lady would think like this.


This is true ummita and u know; most people from pakistan & down asia, don't pray in a room where pictures are hung. They say it's quite not a good idea to pray where you have such things.


GR8 post.

[EMTL]

Assalamu alaikum WarahmatulLah,
My thanks to all brothers and sisters for their contributions on this important topic.

From what we heard from our Ulama the following can be understood:
> Islam forbids Muslims from taking pictures for leisure,
> Pictures can be taken out of necessecity, e.g. for ID Card and Travel    
  Document,
> Muslims should avoid buying dress/ clothing material, furnitures, etc,    
  that have pictures on them.
>The worst form of picture is drawing of human/animals with  
 pen/paint

Late as-Sheikh Salih Utheimiyn has in fatwa gave an explicit explanation on pictures i advise our brothers and sisters to read that.

Below is an extract from a book titled ' The Appaerance and Bodycare of a Muslim':

Dresses, bedding, curtains or carpets with either human or animal designs are not suitable for Muslims to use. Muslims should also avoid buying or using clothing materials with the crucifix (cross, i.e. + sign). Brothers and Sisters in Islam subconsciously (or ignorantly) wear dresses or decorate their homes with materials that contains signs of crucifix (most handmade caps have these signs). Knowing that the Angels of Mercy do not enter houses with human or animal pictures, we therefore need to be careful of the designs on the material we buy and bring into our homes.

Aishat (RA), the wife of the Holy Prophet (SAW), said, "Once the Prophet came to see me, and I had my closet covered with a woollen curtain which had pictures of a winged horse on it. When he (SAW) saw the curtain (with horse pictures design) the colour of his face changed (he became un-happy), and he said, "Oh Aishah, those receiving the most severe punishment on the Day of Resurrection are those who compete with Allah in creating (drawing or photography of lived objects, portraits making or sculpture works). They will be punished and asked to bring to life what they have created." The Prophet went on to say, "Certainly, angels do not enter homes in which pictures and statues are present." Aishat then said, "So we cut it (the curtain) up into pieces and made out of it one or two pillows." Clothes with human or animal pictures should not be worn by a Believer or used to decorate his/her home, etc.

Abul Haiyyaj bin Hussein (RA) related that, Hazrat Ali bin Abi Talib (RA) said to him, "May I assign to you a task which the Holy Prophet (SAW) had assigned to me: Leave not a picture un-erased, and leave not a grave higher than a span unlevelled."21 Hazrat Aliyu bn Abi Talib (RA) reported that the Holy Prophet (SAW) disliked the crucifix (+) sign, " He never passed by anything with the crucifix sign (+) without dismantling it." 22 Hence we should watch out for crucifix sign and avoid them on our dresses, cars, wristwatches, buildings, etc.

Narrated by Salim's (RA) Father, "Once, the Angel (Gabriel) promised to visit the Holy Prophet (SAW) but he delayed and the Prophet (SAW) got worried about that. At last he came out and found Gabriel, and complained to him of his grief (for his delay). Gabriel said to him, "We (Angels) do not enter a place in which is a picture or a dog." (Sahih Bukhari 72 Chapter 91). The fact is that our prayers (Salat) will not be accepted if we pray in rooms with human or animal pictures. In view of the above, there is no gain in buying or/and placing a 'Teddy Bear' in Muslim's homes or cars.  The above Hadith also clearly forbids the act of decorating our homes with our family or all sorts of human/animal pictures.

The Holy Prophet (SAW) said, "Angels do not visit a house in which there is a dog or a picture." And his (SAW) saying, "Every Artist will be put in Hell. For every artist there will be a person appointed in respect of every one of his pictures, which he made in the world, who will punish him for it in the Hell." 25 Ibn Abbas (RA) said, "If it is unavoidable draw pictures of trees and (other) lifeless objects."

May Allah (SWT) forgive our short-comings-amiyn.

Knowledge belongs to Allah (SWT).

[ummita]

Jazakallah Khairrrrrrrr Brotha EMTL iz ppl like you we want to hear from more often. Mun gode diyawa

[ummita]

a research on this. [/color]

Great post, never thought hafsy_lady would think like this.
GR8 post.
[/quote]

A'a Brotha Dante, so u judge books by their covers. Maybe she rather show her funny side here & the serious side else where. Where is she sef? Her HEAD will growwwwwwww HUGEEEEEEEEE Nawhhhhhhh(she laffs)

[Eskimo]

:D  :D  :D

[Bebeji]

ALLAHU WA'ALAM. GASKIYA BAN SANIBA. AMMAN DAI ZAN DINGA BIN BAYANANKU. GASKIYA MADALLA IRIN WANNAN ABUBUWA YANA DA KYAU A DINGA SANI.