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Beware The Selfie Culture And Photoshoots—Heads/Faces On Photos Should Be Erased Or Removed: That Is The Sunnah—Hadīths Are A Proof, Not Opinions
The Messenger (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) stated: “Jibrīl (‘alaihis-salām) came to me and said: ‘I came to you last night and was prevented from entering only because there were images of men at the door—and there was a decorated curtain in the house with images on it, and there was a dog inside the house. So order the head on the image to be removed so that it resembles the form of a tree—order the curtain to be cut up and made into two cushions spread out on which people may sit and order the dog to be turned out.’” The Messenger of Allah (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) did that. The dog was a puppy belonging to Al-Hasan or Al-Husayn and was under their bench, so he ordered it to be turned out.[1]
Abul-Hayyāj Al-Asadī narrated that ‘Alī (radiyallāhu ‘anhu) said to him, “I am sending you on the same mission as Allāh’s Messenger H sent me: Not to leave an image without erasing it, or a grave raised high without levelling it.”[2]
Ibn ‘Abbās (radiyallāhu ‘anhu) narrated that Allāh’s Messenger (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) said: “The image is the head, so if the head is removed, it is no longer an image.”[3]
Shaikh Ibn ‘Uthaimīn (rahimahullāh): Whoever keeps pictures for memories, or hung up on the wall, or photos in an album or other than that, should tear them up and destroy them because their presence prevents Angels from entering the home… What is the intent of taking photos of people? If the aim is to keep them as memories—then for that purpose it is harām. And hanging them on walls is harām—and the Angels do not enter a home that has images.[4]
Abu Khadeejah ‘Abdul-Wāhid
[1] Tirmidhī no. 2806, Abu Dawūd, no. 4158, graded sahīh by Al-Albāni.
[2] Muslim no. 969, An-Nasā’ī no. 2031, Abu Dawūd no. 3218.
[3] Al-Ismā’īlī in his Mu’jam, Al-Bayhaqī no. 14580, graded sahīh by Al-Albānī.
[4] Summarised from Fatāwa ‘Ulamā al-Balad al-Harām p. 1218, 1221, 1222.
Al-Imām Al-Hāfidh Abu Abdillāh Muhammad bin Ahmad Adh-Dhahabi (d. 748H, rahimahullāh) mentioned the placing of images of living things on clothing, walls, etc, as the forty-fourth major sin in his tremendous work entitled, “The Major Sins (Al-Kabā’ir).” The following is an abridgement of the chapter: “Placing Images of Living Things on Clothing, Walls and so on.”
Sa’eed bin Abil-Hasan said:
قَالَ كُنْتُ عِنْدَ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ ـ رضى الله عنهما ـ إِذْ أَتَاهُ رَجُلٌ فَقَالَ يَا أَبَا عَبَّاسٍ إِنِّي إِنْسَانٌ، إِنَّمَا مَعِيشَتِي مِنْ صَنْعَةِ يَدِي، وَإِنِّي أَصْنَعُ هَذِهِ التَّصَاوِيرَ. فَقَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ لاَ أُحَدِّثُكَ إِلاَّ مَا سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُهُ يَقُولُ “ مَنْ صَوَّرَ صُورَةً فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ مُعَذِّبُهُ، حَتَّى يَنْفُخَ فِيهَا الرُّوحَ، وَلَيْسَ بِنَافِخٍ فِيهَا أَبَدًا ”. فَرَبَا الرَّجُلُ رَبْوَةً شَدِيدَةً وَاصْفَرَّ وَجْهُهُ. فَقَالَ وَيْحَكَ إِنْ أَبَيْتَ إِلاَّ أَنْ تَصْنَعَ، فَعَلَيْكَ بِهَذَا الشَّجَرِ، كُلِّ شَىْءٍ لَيْسَ فِيهِ رُوحٌ
While I was with Ibn Abbās (radiyallāhu ‘anhumā), a man came and said, “O Abu ‘Abbās! My sustenance is from my manual profession and I make these pictures.” Ibn ‘Abbās said, “I will tell you only what I heard from Allah’s Messenger (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam). I heard him saying, “Whoever makes an image will be punished by Allah till he puts a soul (life) into it, and he will never be able to put a soul in it.” Upon hearing this, the man heaved a sigh and his face turned pale. So, Ibn ‘Abbās said to him, “Woe to you! If you insist on making pictures, then I advise you to make pictures of trees and any other object that does not have a soul.” (Bukhāri, no. 2225, Muslim, no. 2110)
And the Prophet (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) said:
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَصْنَعُونَ هَذِهِ الصُّوَرَ يُعَذَّبُونَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ يُقَالُ لَهُمْ أَحْيُوا مَا خَلَقْتُمْ
“Those who make these pictures [of living things] will be punished on the Day of Resurrection, and it will be said to them. ‘Bring to life what you have made.’” (Bukhāri, no. 5951, Muslim, no. 2108)
Ā’ishah (radiyallāhu ‘anhā) narrated that Allah’s Messenger (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) returned from a journey and I had placed a curtain of mine that had pictures on it over a part of my living quarters. When Allah’s Messenger (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) saw it, he tore it and was angry. Then he said,
أَشَدُّ النَّاسِ عَذَابًا يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ الَّذِينَ يُضَاهُونَ بِخَلْقِ اللَّهِ
“The people who will receive the severest punishment on the Day of Resurrection will be those who try to compete with Allah’s creation [by making images].” So, we turned that torn cloth into one or two cushions. (Bukhāri, no. 5954, Muslim, no. 2107)
Abu Hurayrah (radiyallāhu ‘anhu) narrated that Allah’s Messenger (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) said:
يَخْرُجُ عُنُقٌ مِنَ النَّارِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ لَهُ عَيْنَانِ تُبْصِرَانِ وَأُذُنَانِ تَسْمَعَانِ وَلِسَانٌ يَنْطِقُ يَقُولُ إِنِّي وُكِّلْتُ بِثَلاَثَةٍ بِكُلِّ جَبَّارٍ عَنِيدٍ وَبِكُلِّ مَنْ دَعَا مَعَ اللَّهِ إِلَهًا آخَرَ وَبِالْمُصَوِّرِينَ
“Some of the Fire will come out in the form a neck on the Day of Judgment. It will have two eyes which can see, two ears which can hear, and a tongue which can speak. It will say: ‘I have been left in charge of three: Every obstinate tyrant, everyone who called upon a god besides Allah, and the makers of images [of living things].” (At-Tirmidhi, no. 2574, declared saheeh by Al-Albāni)
Abu Zur’ah said: l entered a house in Madinah with Abu Hurairah (radiyallāhu ‘anhu), and he saw a man making pictures [of living creature] at the top of the house. Abu Hurairah said: I heard Allah’s Messenger (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) saying that Allah said,
وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنْ ذَهَبَ يَخْلُقُ كَخَلْقِي، فَلْيَخْلُقُوا حَبَّةً، وَلْيَخْلُقُوا ذَرَّةً
“Who would be more unjust than the one who tries to create the like of My creatures? Let them create a grain, let them create a corn or a gnat.” (Bukhari, no. 5953, Muslim, no. 2111)
It is authentically reported from the Prophet (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) that he invoked Allah’s curse of the makers of images. (Bukhāri, no 2086)
Fatāwā and Further Explanation of the Scholars
Fatwa of Al-Lajnah Ad-Dā’imah (no. 1953): “There is no doubt that images (and making images) of anything that has a soul is harām―indeed it is from the major sins. And this is due to what has been narrated of the severe threat of punishment in the texts of the Sunnah―and because images are in imitation of Allah’s creation of living creatures. And because imagery is a pathway to fitnah (tribulations), and a path to polytheism in many cases. The sin encompasses the one who make the image, the one who has it made for him and the one who helps it to be made because they have all cooperated in the sin. And Allah has forbidden that in His saying: ‘And do not cooperate in sin and transgression.’ (Al-Mā’idah: 2)”
Fatwa of Al-Lajnah Ad-Dā’imah (no. 1978): “Photography of living beings, whether humans or animals, and storing these images is harām. Indeed, it is from the major sins due to what is recorded concerning this matter in the authentic narrations that mention the severe threat and painful punishment for the picture-makers and the one who possesses these images. And also due to the fact that picture-making seeks to imitate the living creatures of Allah. Likewise, because picture-making can be a path to polytheism such as pictures of leaders and righteous men. Or they are a gateway to fitnah (tribulations) such images of beautiful women, actors and actresses, or of scantily-clad or naked women.”
Fatwa of Al-Lajnah Ad-Dā’imah (no. 2036): “The origin concerning images and picture-making of creatures that have a soul, whether humans or the rest of the animals, is that it is harām(impermissible). This prohibition applies to statues, figures, images drawn on paper, cloth, walls, etc, and it applies to photographs. And this is due to what is established in the authentic narrations that state this prohibition and threaten the doer with severe punishment. Also, because it is gateway to worship and devotion to other than Allah, by placing it in front of people, or showing humility to it, and seeking nearness to it, and venerated the picture to a position that is not befitting except for Allah, the Most High. Picture-making (of living creatures) entails competing with the creation of Allah. Some images are a pathway to fitan (tribulations) such as images of actresses, scantily-clad and naked women, and those who are referred to as beauty queens and so on.” Then the scholars continue to say: “As for objects which do not have a soul such as trees, oceans, mountains, etc, then it is allowed to make images of them just as Ibn ‘Abbās (radiyallāhu ‘anhumā) stated―and it is not known that any of the Sahābah prohibited that. And due to what is understood from the Messenger’s (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) speech in the narrations that threaten punishment such as: ‘Bring to life what you have made.’ And his saying, ‘He will be compelled to blow a soul (life) into it (the image), and he will not be able.’”
Finally, the prohibition includes every type of image, picture, sculpture, statue whether it is made, sold, displayed, commissioned, whether made out of wood or stone, whether for decorating the home, or on a rug, or in a car, or on billboards and adverts, or mannequins for clothing upon which garments are placed―all of this is competing with the creation of Allah, is not legislated and success is with Allah.
See Al-Jawāb Al-Mufeed Fī Ahkāmit-Tasweer of Al-Imām Abdul-‘Azeez Ibn Bāz (rahimahullāh), I’lān an-Nakeer ‘alā maftūneen bit-Tasweer of Shaikh Hamūd at-Tuwaijiri, Ābāb Az-Zifāf (pp. 192-194) of Al-Imām Al-Albāni (rahimahullāh) who refuted those who allow photography of living things that have become so prevalent in these times.
I ask Allah to guide the Muslims to His obedience in this era of social media; in a time where the call of the sinners is to encourage the youth to post selfies and photographs of themselves for the world to see, in order to broadcast and display themselves. All these are traits that oppose the humble manners and behaviour of the Prophets and Messengers.
And all praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all creation; may Allah extol the mention of our noble Prophet Muhammad in the highest company of Angels and give him peace and security―and his family, his Companions and all those who follow him correctly until the establishment of the Hour.
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Jazakha lah aeran. This is a good article on picture taking. May Allah rewards you abundantly.
Abu Hameedah.
Jazakallahu Khairan for providing this article. I have a few questions.
If I were to draw a realistic picture of something which isn’t living (a skull for example) because I was instructed to as part of art at school; is that picture making, because a skull is the remains of a human?
Since picture making is a major sin, is someone who says taking pictures is halal a disbeliever (non-muslim)?
Also, could you clarify whether claiming any of the major sins permissible takes one out of Islam?
Assalmu alaykum warahmatullahi wabarakaatuhu.
As-salāmu-alaikum-wa-rahmatullāh
Picture-making of humans and animals or representations of jinn, angels, etc., is all harām and a major sin. We should not send our children to these secular or ikhwani schools where they receive corrupt anti-Islamic education. Anyone who makes halāl what is agreed-upon to harām has left Islam. If a person knows, and the proof established (and ignorance removed), he leaves Islam if he rules something harām to be halāl. As for rulings open to ijitihād and over which the Salaf differed due to the textual proofs (that can be understood in different ways), then these affairs do not lead the Muslims to splitting let alone takfeer!