Praise be to Allaah.
Photography (tasweer) means the taking of pictures of living, animate
moving beings, like people, animals, birds, etc. The ruling is that it
is forbidden on the basis of a number of reports,such as the
following:
'Abdullaah ibn Mas'ood (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that
the Prophet (peaceand blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Those
who will be most severely punished by Allaah on the Day of
Resurrection will be the image-makers." (Reported by al-Bukhaari, see
al-Fath, 10/382).
Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)said: "Allaah, may
He be exalted, says: 'Who does more wrong than the one who tries to
create something like My creation? Let him create a grain of wheat or
a kernel of corn.'" (Reported by al-Bukhaari, see Fath al-Baari,
10/385).
'Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: "Shall I not send you on
the same mission as the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) sent me? Do not leave any built-up tomb without
levelling it, and do not leave any picture in any house without
erasing it." (Reported by Muslim and al-Nisaa'i; this is the version
narrated by al-Nisaa'i).
Ibn 'Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him and his father)reported
that the Prophet (peaceand blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
"Every image-maker will be in the Fire, and for every image that he
made a soul will be created for him, which will be punished in the
Fire." Ibn 'Abbaas said: "If you must do that, make pictures of trees
and other inanimate objects." (Reported by Muslim, 3/1871)
These ahaadeeth indicate that pictures of animate beings are haraam,
whether they are humans or other creatures, whether they are
three-dimensional or two-dimensional,whether they are printed, drawn,
etched, engraved, carved,cast in moulds, etc. These ahaadeeth include
all of these types of pictures.
The Muslim should submit to the teachings of Islam and not argue with
them by saying, "But I am not worshipping them or prostrating to
them!" If we think about just one aspect of the evil caused by the
prevalence of photographs and pictures in our times, we will
understand something of the wisdom behind this prohibition:that aspect
is the great corruption caused by the provoking of physical desires
and subsequent spread of immorality caused by these pictures.
The Muslim should not keep any pictures of animate beings in his
house, because they will prevent the angels from entering. The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "The angels do not
enter a house in which there is a dog or pictures." (Reported by
al-Bukhaari, see al-Fath, 10/380).
But nowadays, unfortunately, one can even find in some Muslim homes
statues of gods worshipped by the kuffaar (suchas Buddha etc.) which
they keep on the basis that they are antiques or decorative pieces.
These things are more strictly prohibited than others, just as
pictures which are hung up are worse than pictures which are not hung
up, for how easily they can lead to glorification, and cause grief or
be a source of boasting! We cannot say that these pictures are kept
for memory's sake, because true memories of a Muslim relative or
friend reside in the heart, and we remember them by praying for mercy
and forgiveness for them.
Taking pictures with a camera involves human actions such as focusing,
pressing the shutter, developing, printing, and so on. We cannot call
it anything other than "picture-making" or tasweer, which is the
expression used by all Arabic-speakers to describe this action.
In the book Al-I'laam bi naqd kitaab al-halaal wa'l-haraam, the author
says: "Photography is even more of an imitation of the creation of
Allaah than pictures which are engraved or drawn, so it is even more
deserving of being prohibited… There is nothing that could exclude
photography from the general meaning of the reports." (p. 42, see also
Fataawa Islamiyyah, 4/355).
Photographs which are essential are permitted - such as those required
for identity documents,or for identifying or pursuing criminals [e.g.
"wanted" posters and the like - translator's note], or for educational
purposes which cannot be achieved otherwise. The principle in
sharee'ah is that we should not exaggerate about what is necessary.
We ask Allaah to accept our repentance and have mercy on us, and to
forgive our excesses, for He is the All-Hearing Who answers prayers.
May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhamad.
No comments:
Post a Comment