pictures forbidden?

[ventirr]

:salam2: alsalmo alaikom everyone i was hoping if somebody could please assist me to answer these questions.

but first i must describe my approach on islam and how my vision of it.i was brought up a muslim and was taught it at school but until my current adolescent years ive started to really begin to understand islam in a sort of..abstract way.that its beautiful and serene and that god isnt a tyrant that just wants to set rules and a life full of constant duty for us but rather that he is beautiful and absolute,and gave us guidelines to save our souls,and live happier and more complete lives.And in that ive come to interpert many questions on my own. for example i grew up listenin to english and arabic music and ive become to attached to it that one day when i heard from a sheikh on tv that music is forbidden i was heartbroken. but hey,wait a minute...
god created mankind..and god blessed man with creativty,the most beautiful thing,and gave him an ear for melody.so i thought something so beautiful that god originally blessed mankind with cant be forbidden..its like saying studying science is forbidden..because god made everything and gave us the brain to go forth and discover and marvel in his creation. so i think that only the kind of music that provides lust or blasphemous lyrics are the forbidden types of music (ahem ahem marilyn manson cough cough pussycat dolls and their "interesting" lyrics).ANYWAY my point is that now i have a question in my mind that all sheiks or books seem to warn against..and what concerned me more is the fact that i read a hadith about it.

here is whats troubling me: whats the issue with photographs and pictures? im just reading from an islamic book that the prophet (pbuh) has warned us against it and said "those who suffer greatly on judgement day are the ones who "picture" and they are asked to give life to which they created". and it goes on about how bad and horrible it is..including the fact that angels dont enter a house with a photo in it (a picture with a soul as said in arabic)

what i interpert and reason from this is that its forbidden to idolise somebody (a soul) and you do that by staring at a photo or drawing somebody..true ok i get that part..but i dont understand what is the harm in having a photo of me and my sister in my room in a decorative frame does.i dont idolise my sister and in no way worship her (i have problems tolerating her sometimes ) it just sits on my desk and soemtimes if my eye catches it i remember our bond and remember the love i have for her.i really dont understand the concept,and i certainly dont want to defy god if its such a sin to keep a picture.
and about drawing somebody...i mean...islam teaches us intentions are whats more important,so if somebody in art class just felt like drawing a person by a tree without setting the picture down and worshipping it...where's the harm in it?

please help

 

[virtualeye]

:salam2: alsalmo alaikom everyone i was hoping if somebody could please assist me to answer these questions.


please help

AssalaamuAlaikum,

Sister,

First of all most welcome at this site.

I can understand from all your writing where are you coming from. It gives me a glimps that you have been brought up in not a religious but Muslim family. (Pardon me if I am wrong).

So on the basis of above assumption I can understand how rediculous would the things look to you when you first time get to know about.

Please give a thought to your life. What is the purpose of your life? Can you answer?
1- To enjoy the entertainments and hang around?
2- Given that we have been granted the qualities with the freedom of choice between good and bad, we need to follow Allah's guidance, control our Nafs and get the reward from Allah SWT in our eternal next life.

Which one you choose?

Its all the game about "The Self" (Nafs). Our Nafs not only asks us to listen to music, eat delicious food, drink tasty drinks, but it is also defined by other material desires such as greed, envy, sexual desires and other things.

I am in not intension to direct this argument to you. But can any body ask if his Nafs asks for pervert activities then he should follow? Not at all. The matter is that our material desires are to be controlled and that control is the only examination which we have to pass. And that exam is given by Allah SWT to us.
Now you would ask why Allah SWT gave us this exam. Because there was no other reason to create humans if they would not be tested by giving the choice of good and bad. Otherwise angles were enough to just praise Allah And do Ibaadah. The special thing is that a man controls his desires and praises Allah SWT and Follows His Guidance even the man had the freedom to choose the bad path too. That is special.

If you are riding a horse then you will like to drive it to go where you want. You will not leave all the matter to the horse that where are it brings you in the jungle or desert or some pitfalls. So the rider in this example is your seoul and horse is your Nafs.

now after reading all the above, it might gradually make sense that sometimes you are not to use the option even you have the free choice to do so or just because you like.


If above text makes you sense then please rest assured that its all the matter of understanding, background work about Ideolgyof Islam and Strong FAITH.

God created ear, not music.

The moaning of listening to music are coming from the Nafs and your seoul is there to control, or otherwies your Nafs will control your seoul.

Now you would ask I have been addict to music so much. All the matter is just the need of a "Strong Will" power being the Allah's assistant on earth. There are something in Islam which might not seem to be logical from the personal perspective of a muslim but Allah is the creator, and Creator knows better than creation. Science could neither touch seoul nor could it see nor could it prove its existence. Should you just denouce the exstence of seoul? No, why? Because you know it from your basic instinct. But Music is forbidden? Amazing for you, why? because you had been listening to music since ages.


I hope you would be feeling light now.

May Allah help you and may forgive me in my mistakes.

Please feel free to ask any further questions.
Maybe some brother/sister will give the answer to your question about pictures too.

Wassalaam,

 

[Lihamzi]

Assalamualaikum

Music can open doors to sin ....hearing the men or women sing and make their voice nice to listen untill it become seducing .....or till one can forgets to pray , read the Al-quran or many other good things which can be done....so as to say Islam shut the door to music include Nasheed. and as i know music makes the heart weakeaned.

So in other word its Haram.so got to switch off the addictive to listen as im trying now insyallah.

and about displaying pics are haram it to be told to just keep it at the album. and can be seen only your mahram...if im not wrong.

when things are considered haram it haram untill the end of day.
whats the prophet (pbuh) says it the best for us. so we listen and we accept through faith.

and i just quote several Hadist about pics on other thread "Question on Photograph"

.....You find true peace when truth and correct Aqidah planted in your heart.

Peace

 

[Mabsoot]

Please think before writing. You said the Prophet was against photographs. That is absurd as photography and videos didnt exist then. Rather, person creating images, drawings, paintings, sculptures is Haram.

Scholars such as Shaykh Ibn Uthaymin rahimahullah, Shaykh Albani (Rahimahullah) have spoken with regards Video and Photography.

Shaykh Albani even recommended people watch TV if the program was beneficial education wise.

Painting a picture or drawing someone is different than making a Video or a photograph. The image is clearly that of a person. If someone was to show you a photo or a Video of a Monkey or a Crocodile and people were to ask you, who created these animals? You will not say the photographer or Camera man did, Rather if you believe in Allah, you will say that Allah created them. - It is clear from that, the main difference.

And Shaykh ibn Uthaymin (Rahimahullah) said that the video and photography is allowed as long as it is done for correct purpose and not for any Haram reasons.

Shaykh Hussein Al Shaykh, Imam of Masjid NAbawi in Madinah recommended Muslims in one Juma Khutbah, to make Videos and media to counter the negative Media that people in the West make about Muslims.

Wasalam.

 

[virtualeye]

Please think before writing. You said the Prophet was against photographs. That is absurd as photography and videos didnt exist then. Rather, person creating images, drawings, paintings, sculptures is Haram.

Scholars such as Shaykh Ibn Uthaymin rahimahullah, Shaykh Albani (Rahimahullah) have spoken with regards Video and Photography.

Shaykh Albani even recommended people watch TV if the program was beneficial education wise.

Painting a picture or drawing someone is different than making a Video or a photograph. The image is clearly that of a person. If someone was to show you a photo or a Video of a Monkey or a Crocodile and people were to ask you, who created these animals? You will not say the photographer or Camera man did, Rather if you believe in Allah, you will say that Allah created them. - It is clear from that, the main difference.

And Shaykh ibn Uthaymin (Rahimahullah) said that the video and photography is allowed as long as it is done for correct purpose and not for any Haram reasons.

Shaykh Hussein Al Shaykh, Imam of Masjid NAbawi in Madinah recommended Muslims in one Juma Khutbah, to make Videos and media to counter the negative Media that people in the West make about Muslims.

Wasalam.

AssalaamuAlaikum,

And ofcourse hanging the big pictures in the home is not fine, as this is the way of Hindus to hang pictures of family member do different sick activities.
Brother Mabsoot might add his opinion to this.


Wassalaam.

 

[umm hussain]

Painting a picture or drawing someone is different than making a Video or a photograph. The image is clearly that of a person. If someone was to show you a photo or a Video of a Monkey or a Crocodile and people were to ask you, who created these animals? You will not say the photographer or Camera man did, Rather if you believe in Allah, you will say that Allah created them. - It is clear from that, the main difference.
Wasalam.

I dont think even if a person draws a picture of an elephant for example and then he is asked who made this elephant, they would say the artist made that elephant but rather Allah made the elephant but the artist made a picture of it.

Just like a photograph of course the photographer didn't make the monkey rather he took a photo of the monkey.

To me photography is just a modern way of making a picture thats why I prefer to stay away from them, unless obviously it is out of necessity like maybe a passport.

And Allah knows best

 

[Mabsoot]

I dont think even if a person draws a picture of an elephant for example and then he is asked who made this elephant, they would say the artist made that elephant but rather Allah made the elephant but the artist made a picture of it.

Just like a photograph of course the photographer didn't make the monkey rather he took a photo of the monkey.

To me photography is just a modern way of making a picture thats why I prefer to stay away from them, unless obviously it is out of necessity like maybe a passport.

And Allah knows best

Assalamu alaykum,

sorry, I didnt explain that properly, it was based on what I had heard in a talk by Shaykh Ibn Uthaimeen, I dont remember the exact words, but he said something about how the painting you know was made by a person, thats constituting image making to actually copy and draw the nose, eyes, ears etc, whereas a photo is actual representation made by a process of light and through camera lens. Similarly as your reflection in water is an image.

 

[ibn azem]

:salam2:

TV and movie pictures and video pictures ​

Question:

I have a question regarding pictures -Are pictures that are manafactured through means such as video, computers etc.
(i.e. they come on and off the screen)permissable? Can you please verify this with proof and evidence?

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah. ​

The ruling on a thing depends on the way in which it is perceived. It is essential to know how the picture-making you refer to is done. The author of Risaalat Ahkaam al-Tasweer (The ruling on picture-making) said: ​

1. Movie pictures or pictures on a cinema film: ​

This is a method which transmits moving pictures with sound for a limited time span, showing all the events that happened within this time frame. The picture which is shown by the film on the screen is the shadow or reflection of that thing, not its real essence, after it has been recorded on the film. It says in al-Sharee’ah al-Islamiyyah wa’l-Funoon (Islamic sharee’ah and the Arts) that the cinema is called [in Arabic] akhyaliyyah [from khayaal, meaning shadow or dim reflection], “because it shows the shadows of things, not their real essence.” ​

2 – TV pictures ​

This is a method which transmits pictures and sounds at the same time via an electrical impulse. This is the result of the effect of light from the object whose picture is being taken being reflected on a mica sheet which is covered with a vast number of tiny particles made of photosensitive material, manufactured from silver oxide and caesium, of which the particles are separated from one another and isolated electrically. ​

This kind of image-making using machines is very similar to the image on a movie film, but in TV pictures, the images are changed to electronic signals, then to electromagnetic waves, which are then either sent via antennas to be picked up by the receiving apparatus in TV sets, within the range that the signal can reach, or they are sent to be stored in the form of magnetic changes on plastic tapes that have been plated with the appropriate magnetic substance that can store these waves. ​

In order to show what has been recorded on these tapes after these waves have been stored, it has to pass through a machine which transforms it once more into electronic signals then sends it to a screen in the form of electrical signals, so that it appears as a picture, but only after a complex operation. ​

The TV set is the equipment which receives the electrical waves and gathers them, then transmits them in a regulated manner in the form of a picture with complete features. ​

There is another kind which is considered to be similar to this kind of image-making. This is something similar to the telephone which is used in some industrially-advanced countries, which transmits both the voice and the image of the speaker, so both parties can see one another on the screen of the device on which they are talking. ​

Similarly, there are cameras which are installed at the doors of houses. This system picks up the voice and image of the person who is coming to the house and transmits it to a screen inside the house, so that whoever is inside the house can see it clearly. And similarly there is equipment which is used to watch out for criminals stealing and so on in banks, stores, etc. ​

These kinds of equipment are considered to be of one kind, but are used for a variety of purposes, whereby the camera covers the area which is to be watched over, and it transmits the images to a screen like a TV, where the image appears clearly. New things are appearing all the time, and we do not know what will appear in the future. If this indicates anything, it indicates the mind-boggling expansion of the use of machines to make images of both kinds, both still and moving, in many areas, including manufacturing, war, security, education, medicine, social, etc. ​

Ahkaam al-Tasweer by Ahmad ibn ‘Ali Waasil, p. 65-67 ​

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen said: ​

With regard to pictures made in the modern fashion, they fall into two categories: ​

The first category is those which have no tangible substance (and can only be seen by running them through a machine), as I was told is the case with pictures on video tapes. There is no ruling at all concerning these, and they do not come under the prohibition at all. Hence the scholars who forbid making pictures with cameras on paper (photographs) permitted this (video pictures), and said that there is nothing wrong with this. Then it was asked, is it permissible to film lectures which are given in the mosques? The (scholarly) view was that it is better not to do that, because it may disturb the worshippers and because they may film things that may not be appropriate, and so on. ​

The second category is fixed or still pictures on paper (photographs) … ​

But the matter needs further discussion if one wants to make these kind of permissible pictures. For they are subject to five rulings which depend on the intention. If the intention is something forbidden, then it is haraam. If he intends something waajib (obligatory), then it is waajib. Sometimes pictures may be essential, especially moving pictures. For example, if we see someone in the act of committing a crime against a person’s rights, such as an attempt to kill and so on, and we cannot prove it in any way but by taking pictures, then in this case taking pictures becomes waajib, especially in cases where pictures may decide the case. The means are subject to the rulings on the ends. If we make these pictures in order to prove the identity of a person for fear that someone else may be accused of the crime, this is also acceptable, indeed it is essential. ​

But if we take these pictures just to enjoy looking at them, this is undoubtedly haraam... And Allaah knows best.” (See Al-Sharh al-Mumti’, 2/197-199)

​

Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

 

[IslamicPearl]

Salam aleykum

SO does it mean that i have to throw away every pictures i have? Or can i keep them in a hidden place as long as they r not hanged on the walls, desk etc? can i keep those wiht sunset for eg. ?

 

[Mabsoot]

Salam aleykum

SO does it mean that i have to throw away every pictures i have? Or can i keep them in a hidden place as long as they r not hanged on the walls, desk etc? can i keep those wiht sunset for eg. ?

Wa alaykum Salam,

Allah knows best, but you shouldnt hang them up.

 

[NewMuslim]

Salam aleykum

SO does it mean that i have to throw away every pictures i have? Or can i keep them in a hidden place as long as they r not hanged on the walls, desk etc? can i keep those wiht sunset for eg. ?

As Salaamu Alaykum
Images of still life (such as apples, trees, etc.) aren't forbidden, so you can keep those up. However, images of animals and humans (and all things with souls) are forbidden.

Allah's Messenger saw said that Angels don't enter homes with dogs and pictures of things with souls. I'll have to find that Hadith that says it, Insha'Allah.

 

[Happy 2BA Muslim]

His family want a picture of his children – what should he do?​

Question:
I would like to know if it is permissable to send my family a picture of my baby since I live in Canada and they live in Saudia Arabia, I know that it is forbidden to take pictures but I will not be taking excpet this one picture for the purpose of sending it to my parents and family.
Jazakumullahu Kyran<

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

Whilst we appreciate the emotional attachment and feelings that your family has, the situation that you describe does not justify your breaking the prohibition on taking pictures, so long as these pictures are printed, drawn or engraved, as we have already stated in question # 365. Some scholars allow impermanent pictures which do not last, such as pictures stored in a computer’s memory which appear in the screen and then disappear. If the problem can be solved by storing the picture (in .jpg format, then sending it via the Internet, so the picture is not permanent), then this is permitted according to some scholars.

We would also like to point out that true memories reside in the heart, and that many generations of mankind have come and gone who felt love for one another and did good to one another, and a grandfather would love and pray for his grandchild without ever seeing him. May Allaah reward you with good for your question.

Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

 

[bashaar]

I think intention is important is islam how can a doctor learn anything without pictures also i see a picture up there with people around the kabah and i think its very nice for me personally i am leaning more towards makroh maybe . jazak alah kher brother mohamad for the useful information.