Darul Iftaa Mahmudiyyah

Digital Photography - What is permissible & what isnt?

· 9 Shawwal 1441 AH1 min readFatwa 27100English

Question

Is animals photo taking by camera, scanning, pasting in website and keeping in computer for future use haram? I think there is a difference between digital copy and printed copy. Kindly make me clearer to the above issues.

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

Digital Photography of animate objects is an academically contested issue amongst the 'Ulama. We advise you take precaution in its leisure usage considering the severe warning in the Hadith:

It has been narrated from Ibn 'Umar (Radia Allahu 'Anhu) that the Prophet (Sallallahu 'Alaihi Wa Sallam) said: Picture Makers shall be punished at the Day of Judgment and it shall be said, "Give life to what you created" (Musnad Ahmad vol. 8 pg. 51, Muassasah Al Risalah)

However, there is scope for necessities such as visas, passports, ID cards etc. [1]

And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best

Hisham Dawood

Student Darul Iftaa
Chicago, U.S.A.

Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.

www.daruliftaa.net

References (Arabic / Urdu sources)

عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ ، أَنّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه و سلم قَالَ : إِنَّ المُصَوِّريُنَ يُعَذَّبُونَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ، وَيُقَالُ : أَحْيُوا مَا خَلَقْتُمْ (مسند أحمد ج-٨ ص-٥١، مؤسسة الرسالة)

[1] Takmilah Fath Al Mulhim vol.4 pg.155-164, Maktabah Dar Al Uloom Karachi

Answered by
Hisham Dawood
Checked & approved by
Mufti Ebrahim Desai
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Source: Darul Iftaa Mahmudiyyah — https://askimam.org/public/question_detail/27100
Fatawa SA: https://fatawa.co.za/fatwa/askimam-27100

People also ask

Are photographs and taking pictures permissible?

“This is not permissible. Through you building a social media app where users will post pictures of animate objects, you will be involved in the sin of photography as well as inviting others to commit this grave sin.”

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