I do have a question though, if it is haram for art depicting people, then why do people have that ability? Allah created everything. Even the abilities of man. People do not have wings to fly like the birds, because Allah did not make it so. So therefore is flying on an airplane haram?
Humans have the ability to also commit heinous crimes. Are they still okay? Forget the smily issue for a moment and take a second to realise why your thought process is flawed. Just because you
can do it, doesn't mean its inherently blessed and correct. Allaah may have given certain people talents, people with good voices can choose what they do with them - sing songs which have connotations of shirk, or use that voice to recite the Qur'aan beautifully as Allaah commanded us to do so; one is wrong whilst the other is permissable and recommended.
As for smileys? I try to avoid them anyway, this fatwah makes me neither annoyed nor angry.
Im surprised though, some of you need to calm down and think before you insult certain 'Ulemaa with your words. If questions are posed to them and they reply with the best of their knowledge using evidence from the Qur'aan and Sunnah as much as they know of those two sources, whats the problem? You cannot blame them for the nature of the questions they get. If you don't agree with thier conclusions and feel justified in that then fine, move on from it.
When Allaah commanded Bani Israeel to slaughter a cow (simple command!) and they questioned the command until it became difficult for them to follow it ..this reminds me of that somehow. Don't insult the 'Ulemaa for the questions people might ask them. The way I see it, the problem lies with the wider Ummah and the importance they give these non-issues in the first place. You ask don't the 'Ulemaa have anything ''better to do'' yet I ask you, doesn't the person who asked that question have anything bigger in their life than an internet forum upon which they want to post those ridiculous smily's? Lol.
Wa-salaam