Uncover head for photography
Mu' meneen
Brothers and Sisters,
As Salaam Aleikum wa
Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be
upon all of you)
One of our
brothers/sisters has asked this question:
AssalamAlaikum. Respected Brother Burhan.
May Allah Subhanah reward you and your team for your
great services for Islam . I wanted to ask if it is
permissible for a Muslim woman to leave her head uncovered for photography? like normally I keep my head covered with a
scarf but if there is some special occasion and my father or brother want to
take my pictures then would it be a sin if i take my
scarf off ? I am very much upset. I do understand that the pictures are
developed by non-mehrem males but then what could be
the alternative ? Please reply me soon.
Jazak Allah. May Allah Subhanah
be with us today and always. Ameen.
(There may be some
grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not
change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our
readers for circulation in confidentiality.)
Answer:
In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask
for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever
He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that
there is no one (no idol, no person, no
grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone,
and we bear witness that Muhammad(saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of
His Messengers.
Allah says in the Holy Quran
Chapter 24 Surah An-Noor
verse 31:And O Prophet, enjoin the
believing women to restrain their gaze and guard their private parts and not to
display their adornment except that which is displayed of itself (their face
and hands), and to draw their veils over
their bosoms and not to display their adornment except before
their husbands, their fathers,
the fathers of their husbands, their sons and the sons of their
husbands, their brothers, their brothers sons, their sisters’
sons, their female associates, and those
in their possession and male attendants incapable of sexual desire, and those boys who have not yet attained
knowledge of sexual matters. Also
forbid them to stamp their feet on the ground lest their hidden ornaments should
be displayed.
There is absolutely no harm if a woman does not cover her
hair when in the presence of her father, or her brothers, or other mehram men, or womenfolk and children. But a believing woman, who sincerely believes
in Allah and the Last Day, must try to abstain from getting her photo taken
without proper hijab, as it is very possible that
such a photo could accidentally or intentionally be seen by other non-mehram men. The
girl’s father, or brothers, or other mehrams must be
careful, as the guardians of the girl, not to take her photo until she is in
proper Islamic attire.
Your Question: but if there is some special occasion and my father
or brother want to take my pictures then would it be a sin if i take my scarf off ?
Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith
9.85 Narrated by Umar
bin Al Khattab
The Prophet (saws) said, 'O people! The
reward of deeds depends upon the intentions, and every person will get the
reward according to what he has intended.”
If the girl desires or knowingly allows herself to be photographed
without proper Islamic attire, then indeed it could be a sin. But if one incidentally takes her photo
without her knowledge, then she will not be held to account for something which
she had no knowledge or control of. It
all depends on the intentions of the person.
Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to
Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only
Source of Strength.
Your Brother in Islam,
Wister