The harm of photos

Muslimahj

Member
I was searching for information regarding keeping photos and paintings and the rules regarding this when I thought I will try to write my first thread here to discuss something I have been tinking about alot (Im a convert since 2 yrs so I have much to think about and learn)...Anyway...

I read this
Question:
Is it permissible for me to keep pictures and photos at home and on my computer?
Answer:
There is no problem with keeping pictures or photos either in your house or online/computer. The only problem is with having statues of humans or animal faces in your house for worshipping purposes, if one does this, then angels will not enter their house.

In the days of the Holy Prophet (pbuh), the main purpose of drawing pictures or making statues was for people to worship them. Today the usage of pictures is different (identification and similar permissible purposes), hence there is no problem in it."

I would like to add another dimension to the answer inshallah.
We in the western culture very rarely have statues or images that we worship but instead we as a society has begun to use pictures as a means to show other people how happy,good, beautiful we are, what things we own and what trips we took.
We are also filling our computers and phones with "ego" pictures in a scary way that is reminding me of self worship.
It has come to the point where I feel like this is something very harmful...

The big issues with this is that we build some kind of perfect life via our pictures which we never can come close to in our real life and this can make us depressed, also we show these pictures to everyone and thus the wiewers also start feeling that their own life is not good enough....
I mean what is the purpose in for example a woman to post so many pictures of her baby, just to rub it in the face of woman who wants a child but cant have one, or a picture of your new house when some people are struggeling to eat? This is just feeding our ungreatfulness to Allah swt which without these things already is a problem!

And for our self we totally miss so many beautiful moments in life just because we frantically start to look for our camera phone when something cool,funny or beautiful is facing us.

Another sidetrack of this is that I have noticed many muslim girls are not using their own picture in social media but instead uses a model or celebrity as profilepicture, often ofcaurse without proper covering.
Arent we responsible for the gazes we attract even if we are doing it via a model we posted?
And who benefits from this? You are exploiting a already confused girl by spreading her picture so that more people can get arroused or insecure by her appearance.

Anyway I feel like as usual Islam is a religion for all times and in my point of view we should not disregard all these pictures even if they are not worshipped directly that they can still bring harm and lead us astry from the straight path.

What do you guys think about my thoughts on this?

I must also add that If i hurt anyone by my opinions Im truly sorry and I am not trying to put myself above anyone else the only reason I know about these problems is because I have been doing this before!
Im not judging anyone I'm passionate about the subject but mostly interested in having a discussion and maybe se the subject from different points of view!


May Allah swt forgive us , give us wisdom and grant us knowledge!
May he make us thankful for what we have and give us deeper understanding so that we can see beyond the pictures and not get enchanted by the dunya.
Ameen
 

zaman-gm

Junior Member
Assalamu Alikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh.
I think most of us are not think in this way. And i also think You have a good knowledge and action on this subject matter as you express your opinions.

It's true that we are the Muslim now a day do a lot's of unnecessary thing which we should not do or could avoid easily. We should more careful and aware about the harm of using technology. We also need to be careful about the guide line as Islam give us.

A little things make me think about the photo or picture, that Allah swt not preserve any copy/paint/picture of our beloved Prophet Muhammad saw!!!! How amazing it is!! isn't it!!! there is not a single copy of our Prophet the greatest man, the greatest creation of Allah swt have no copy or picture. Really amazing and wander and there must be some secret in there as well!!

If we wish to write the benefit or good what ever it is about picture/photo we can do it plenty. Im not going that way that benefit or harm of picture or photo but simply wants to say what is Islam say. If Islam say use picture i will do it or if Islam say not i won't. and this is called ilam or Knowledge(knowledge= to know what is the order of my lord in this moment to do anything).

May Allah let us follow the Sira't a Mustaqim. Ameen.
 

Muslimahj

Member
Wa 'alaikum salam wa rahmatullahi wabarakatuh!

Thank you for your reply!

There is surely a big miracle in the fact that there is no images made of Muhammad (pbuh) and we should take lessons from this. If the blessed prophet (pbuh) the best of creation do not admire his own image why are so many of us doing it? Surely many has become mesmerized by their own pictures...especially after they have applied a beautifying filter on it!
 

sister herb

Official TTI Chef
Salam alaykum

I don´t think that harm in those cases are the photos themselves but our greed. We should try to get rid off the greed and learn to enjoy the simple things of the life, remembering that all this and that we have got only by the mercy of Allah. But this is easy to say but very difficult to do.
 

cabdixakim

Junior Member
wacaleykumas'salaam waraxmatul'Lahi wabarakatuh...

may Allah reward you immensely...aamiin

could you elaborate for us the two pictures: Hand-drawn pictures and photographic pictures.
Which one is deemed halaal for beneficial purposes and which is not?or both are halaal?

Jazakil'Lah
 

sister herb

Official TTI Chef
Is there difference between matters like: pictures itself or meaning of use the pictures? I think that is the basic matter in this thread, not the form (photo or drawn) of the picture. I don´t see a lot of difference between them.
 

cabdixakim

Junior Member
I appreciate the work of the Sister but I only asked her for further information about a related issue...

There is a matter on the type of image whether drawn/painted or photographed.For scholars before there was the camera every Sura was haraam if not for special cases now the contemporary scholars differenciated between the camera-taken images and those drawn by hand. And such I don't see any different opinions on the impermissiblity of hand drawn images of beings that have soul like humans and animals.

Take a look at these Ahadith:

Narrated Ibn Mascuud(radhial'Lahu canhu),the prophet(salal'Lahu caleyhi was''lam)said: The people who'll receive the severest punishment on the day of Resurrection will be the Mussawirs.

Narrated Ibn Cabbas(radial''Lahu canhuma),the prophet(salal'Lahu caleyhi wasal'Lam)said:Whoever makes Sura(a picture,an image,a statue,a sculpture etc) in the world will be asked to breathe soul into it (on the day of Resurrection) but they will not be able to breathe soul into it.

Narrated from Ibn Cumar(radhial''Lahu canhuma),the prophet(salal'Lahu caleyhi wasal'Lam)said: Those who make Siwar(pictures,images,statues etc) will be punished on the day of Resurrection and it will be said to them: Breathe soul into what you have created.

Narrated Abu Hureyra(radhial'Lahu canhu),the prophet(salal'Lahu caleyhi wasal'lam)said:Allah says, "who is more unjust than one who tries to create a creation like Mine,let them create an atom,a grain of wheat or a grain barley."

... Since the camera- taken photo doesn't change the shape or the appearance and is just the reflection of the object then it is regarded same as the Video...The same cannot be said though for sketched or hand- drawn/ painted images since the artist draws apparently a new creation.

I apologize for my inconvenience and the barge into approach...

May Allah forgive our sins and the sins of all Muslims...aamiin
 

Tabassum07

Smile for Allah
:salam2:

The selfie craze has been getting a bit out of hand lately. Whereever you look, people are obsessed in taking pictures of themselves.
 
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