In view of unprecedented development in print and
electronic media, particularly TV, Internet and
Video phones, it is important that we understand
the issue of 'pictures' in Islam in its proper
perspective.
The opinions of Islamic scholars are divided on
this subject. We have explained below important
facts in this context in the light of Quran and
Ahadith.


AS PER QURAN
DRAWING / TAKING / HANGING OF PICTURES FOR
GOOD PURPOSES IS ALLOWED IN ISLAM.

(1) It is in Quran - ﻭَﺍﺗَّﺨَﺬَ ﻗَﻮْﻡُ ﻣُﻮﺳَﻰٰ ﻣِﻦ ﺑَﻌْﺪِﻩِ
ﻣِﻦْ ﺣُﻠِﻴِّﻬِﻢْ ﻋِﺠْﻠًﺎ ﺟَﺴَﺪًﺍ ﻟَّﻪُ ﺧُﻮَﺍﺭٌۚ ﺃَﻟَﻢْ ﻳَﺮَﻭْﺍ ﺃَﻧَّﻪُ
ﻟَﺎ ﻳُﻜَﻠِّﻤُﻬُﻢْ ﻭَﻟَﺎ ﻳَﻬْﺪِﻳﻬِﻢْ ﺳَﺒِﻴﻠًﺎۘ ﺍﺗَّﺨَﺬُﻭﻩُ ﻭَﻛَﺎﻧُﻮﺍ
ﻇَﺎﻟِﻤِﻴﻦَ (Meaning - The people of (Prophet) Musa
( ﻋﻠﯿﮫ ﺍﻟﺴﻼ ﻡ ) made in his absence, out of their
ornaments, the image of calf, (for worship): it
seemed to low: did they not see that it could
neither speak to them, nor show them the way?
They took it for worship and they did wrong. (Al-
Araf - 148).
(2) It is in Quran - ﻭَﻟَﻘَﺪْ ﺁﺗَﻴْﻨَﺎ ﺇِﺑْﺮَﺍﻫِﻴﻢَ ﺭُﺷْﺪَﻩُ ﻣِﻦ
ﻗَﺒْﻞُ ﻭَﻛُﻨَّﺎ ﺑِﻪِ ﻋَﺎﻟِﻤِﻴﻦَ - ﺇِﺫْ ﻗَﺎﻝَ ﻟِﺄَﺑِﻴﻪِ ﻭَﻗَﻮْﻣِﻪِ ﻣَﺎ
ﻫَـٰﺬِﻩِ ﺍﻟﺘَّﻤَﺎﺛِﻴﻞُ ﺍﻟَّﺘِﻲ ﺃَﻧﺘُﻢْ ﻟَﻬَﺎ ﻋَﺎﻛِﻔُﻮﻥَ - ﻗَﺎﻟُﻮﺍ
ﻭَﺟَﺪْﻧَﺎ ﺁﺑَﺎﺀَﻧَﺎ ﻟَﻬَﺎ ﻋَﺎﺑِﺪِﻳﻦَ - ﻗَﺎﻝَ ﻟَﻘَﺪْ ﻛُﻨﺘُﻢْ ﺃَﻧﺘُﻢْ
ﻭَﺁﺑَﺎﺅُﻛُﻢْ ﻓِﻲ ﺿَﻠَﺎﻝٍ ﻣُّﺒِﻴﻦٍ (Meaning - We
bestowed aforetime on Abraham ( ﻋﻠﯿﮫ ﺍﻟﺴﻼ ﻡ ) his
righteousness of conduct, and well were We (Allah
- swt) acquainted with him. Behold! He (Abraham -
ﻋﻠﯿﮫ ﺍﻟﺴﻼ ﻡ ) said to his father (the brother of his
father whom he used to call father out of affection)
and his people, "What are these images, to which
you are (so assiduously) devoted?" They said, "We
found our fathers worshiping them." He said,
"Indeed you have been in manifest error, you and
your fathers." (Al-Anbiya - 51-54).
(3) It is in Quran - ﻳَﻌْﻤَﻠُﻮﻥَ ﻟَﻪُ ﻣَﺎ ﻳَﺸَﺎﺀُ ﻣِﻦ
ﻣَّﺤَﺎﺭِﻳﺐَ ﻭَﺗَﻤَﺎﺛِﻴﻞَ ﻭَﺟِﻔَﺎﻥٍ ﻛَﺎﻟْﺠَﻮَﺍﺏِ ﻭَﻗُﺪُﻭﺭٍ ﺭَّﺍﺳِﻴَﺎﺕٍۚ
ﺍﻋْﻤَﻠُﻮﺍ ﺁﻝَ ﺩَﺍﻭُﻭﺩَ ﺷُﻜْﺮًﺍۚ ﻭَﻗَﻠِﻴﻞٌ ﻣِّﻦْ ﻋِﺒَﺎﺩِﻱَ
ﺍﻟﺸَّﻜُﻮﺭُ ( Meaning - They worked for him (Prophet
Sulaiman - ﻋﻠﯿﮫ ﺍﻟﺴﻼ ﻡ ) as he desired, (making)
arches, images, basins as large as reservoirs, and
(cooking) cauldrons fixed (in their places):"Work
O'Sons of David ( ﻋﻠﯿﮫ ﺍﻟﺴﻼ ﻡ )with thanks! but few
of My servants are grateful!". (Saba - 13) .
The first Quranic verse says that in the absence of
Prophet Musa ( ﻋﻠﯿﮫ ﺍﻟﺴﻼ ﻡ ) some people made
an image of a Calf for worship. This act on their
part was wrong.
The second Quranic verses say that some people
in Prophet Ibrahim's ( ﻋﻠﯿﮫ ﺍﻟﺴﻼ ﻡ ) time made
some images and worshiped them. This act on
their part was wrong.
The third Quranic verse says that some people
worked as per the orders of Prophet Sulaiman
( ﻋﻠﯿﮫ ﺍﻟﺴﻼ ﻡ ) and made images. This act on their
part was right. Why? Because these images were
not meant for worship.
The above Quranic verses confirm the fact that the
intention behind making images has to be
virtuous. Images made with bad intention (for
worship) are disallowed and images made out of
good intention are allowed in Islam.



AS PER AHADITH
DRAWING / TAKING PICTURES OR EVEN MAKING
DOLLS (HUMAN OR ANIMAL SHAPES) FOR GOOD
PURPOSES IS ALLOWED IN ISLAM.

1) It is in Hadith - Narrated by Ummul Momineen
Aisha ( ﺭﺿﺊ ﺍﻟﻠﮧ ﺗﻌﺎﻟﯽ ﻋﻨﮩﺎ ) - "I used to play with
dolls in the presence of the Prophet ( ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ
ﻭ ﺁﻟﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ ) and my girl friends also used to play
with me. When Allah's Apostle ( ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭ ﺁﻟﻪ
ﻭﺳﻠﻢ ) used to enter (my dwelling place) they used
to hide themselves, but the Prophet ( ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ
ﻭ ﺁﻟﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ ) would call them to join and play with
me. (Bukhari).
(2) It is in Hadith - Narrated by Ummul Momineen
Aisha ( ﺭﺿﺊ ﺍﻟﻠﮧ ﺗﻌﺎﻟﯽ ﻋﻨﮩﺎ ) "When the Apostle of
Allah ( ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭ ﺁﻟﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ ) arrived after the
expedition of Tabuk or Khaybar (the narrator is
doubtful), the drought raised an end of a curtain
which was hung in front of her store-room,
revealing some dolls which belonged to her. He
asked: What is this? She replied: My dolls. Among
them he saw a horse with wings made of rags, and
asked: What is this I see among them? She
replied: A horse. He asked: What is this that it has
on it? She replied: Two wings. He asked: A horse
with two wings? She replied: Have you not heard
that Solomon had horses with wings? She said:
Thereupon the Apostle of Allah ( ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭ ﺁﻟﻪ
ﻭﺳﻠﻢ ) laughed so heartily that I could see his
molar teeth. (Abu Dawud).
From above Ahadith, we can draw the following
conclusions.
(1) Pictures drawn, taken or even making shapes
of human beings or animals is allowed in Islam
provided they are made for some good purpose;
even as play things for children.
(2) Pictures can be drawn in text books / drawing
books / black boards, etc., to explain various
subjects to students.
(3) Pictures can be drawn / taken for scientific
and technological research and education at
Colleges, Universities and laboratories.
(4) Human / Animal models can be made for
scientific research and education.
(5) Medical fraternity can work on dead bodies of
humans and animals for their education and
research. They can record their findings by way of
pictures.
(6) Pictures can be taken and used for Passports /
I-Cards / Driver licenses / social security and a
host of other requirements.
(7) Pictures of Islamic scholars / Shuyooks can be
drawn / printed in books for identification.
( Islamic scholars / Shuyooks can appear on
TVs, Internet and Videophones to explain Islamic
issues to people.
(9) Pictures can be taken for security purposes.
Surveilance cameras can be placed at places
where there is risk of theft and/or life security of
the people.
(10) Pictures of family members can be drawn /
taken with the help of a Camera. Since these
pictures are used as a remembrance for the
following generations, these can be hanged on
walls.
(11) As we respect our elders, similarly, we must
respect their pictures. No one would like to place
picture of his father / Shaikh on the floor and walk
over it. This will be a show of utmost disrespect.
Reverence is different from worship. Some people
argue that reverence is the first step, which is
usually followed by worship. This argument does
not hold good for Muslims because they clearly
know the difference between reverence and
worship. It is in Sahih Ahadith (Bukhari, Muslim
and others) that we can kiss hands and feet of our
parents and Shaikhs as a mark of respect (Refer
many Ahadith in Adab al Mufrad written by Imam
Bukhari - ﺭﺿﺊ ﺍﻟﻠﮧ ﺗﻌﺎﻟﯽ ﻋﻨﮧ ) . This is a show of
reverence which has been allowed in Islam. While
kissing the feet, our posture becomes almost
similar to 'prostration'. However, there is a
difference between prostration and kissing of feet.
It is in Hadith - Umar ( ﺭﺿﺊ ﺍﻟﻠﮧ ﺗﻌﺎﻟﯽ ﻋﻨﮧ )
narrated : I heard Allah's Apostle ( ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭ
ﺁﻟﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ ) saying, "The reward of deeds depends
upon the intentions and every person will get the
reward according to what he has intended."
(Bukhari, Book 1, Volume 1)
Therefore when we are bowing in front of our
Shaikh to kiss his feet, our intention is 'to kiss his
feet' (not prostrate), which is allowed in Islam.
Prostration of reverence is prohibited in Islam but
kissing of feet of our elders /religious shuyooks is
sunnah which is proved from many Ahadith.
It is in Hadith - Hazrat Ali ( ﺭﺿﺊ ﺍﻟﻠﮧ ﺗﻌﺎﻟﯽ ﻋﻨﮧ )
kissed the hands and feet of Hazrat Abbas (ﺭﺿﺊ
ﺍﻟﻠﮧ ﺗﻌﺎﻟﯽ ﻋﻨﮧ ) (Bukhari - Adab Al Mufrad, Hadith
No. 976).
Similarly, we should also respect the pictures of
our parents and Shuyooks and can hang them on
the walls of homes / offices for their remembrance
and reverence.
In Saudi Arabia we see the pictures of their kings
hanging on the walls of every Government office,
Universities and importance buildings. This is
done as remembrance and a mark of respect and
reverence to their kings. We also see all Saudi/
Salafi newspapers publishing the pictures of their
Ulema/people/royal family members freely on print
media/newspapers/internet.
We also see live pictures of Masjid Al-Haram and
Masjid-e-Nabawi Shareef five times a day during
congregational prayers there. During these
telecasts, Muslims all over the world see live
pictures of Rawda-e-Rasool (Sallallahu Alaihi wa
Aalihi Wa Sallam) and Khana-e-Kab'a, and
thousands of people live video praying 5 times a
day on their televisions. Similarly Hajj is
broadcasted live on TV stations all over the world.
Muslims all over the world hang pictures of
Prophet Mohammad's ( ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭ ﺁﻟﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ )
Green Dome, Masjid-e-Nabawi, Ka'abatullah,
Dargah of Awliya Allah and Shuyooks on the walls
of their homes and office as remembrance and
mark of respect and reverence. Whenever they
look at these pictures, they get reminded of Allah
Ta'ala and Prophet Mohammad ( ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭ ﺁﻟﻪ
ﻭﺳﻠﻢ ) which helps them in strengthening their
religious bond and their commitment to do
virtuous deeds.

#COPIED

mannirkabir04@gmail.com 09037915176