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:

Dear Brother,

I will be very greatful to you if you answer my query regarding the photos in islam.

As per the hadis if a photo or picture of any leaving thing is there in a house, the angels will not enter the house. but in today`s world I find very difficult not to keep the following in my house. please suggest what I have to do. Inshallah i will do as required in islam

1. Currency in which our national heros photo is available

2. News papers / Health, technical magazines / books / advertisement etc. plenty of photos

available

3. TV - Is it ok If i see only the news & islamic lectures

4. Lap top / internet in which some advertisements will come while doing some other job.

5. Toys/ cartoons for the kids

Please reply me at the earliest.

Many Many thanks 

(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:

Photos in the house

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 none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 4.450 Narrated by Abu Salim

Once Gabriel promised the Prophet (saws) that he would visit him, but Gabriel did not come, and later on he said, "We Angels, do not enter a house which contains a (animate) picture, or a dog."

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 7.841 Narrated by Abu Talha

The Messenger of Allah (saws) said, "Angels (of Mercy) do not enter a house where there are (animate) pictures."

Allah Subhanah has singled out ‘shirk’ or associating other deities with Allah as the one single biggest sin in Islam. Many amongst mankind through the ages used to make images and portraits of the pious amongst them, and as times and generations went by, the ignorant amongst them would start worshipping these images of their deceased pious ancestors and thus involve themselves in the abomination of ‘shirk’! Thus Allah and His Messenger (saws) guided the believers to abstain from making and glorifying images and portraits, and thus eliminated the very root that might lead some amongst them to the evil path of ‘shirk’!

The scholars and jurists in Islam are of the opinion that the photos on passports, driving licenses, currencies, newspapers, magazines, books, advertisements, televisions, computers, etc. in their normal usage do not stop the Angels of mercy from entering one’s house. It is the display of animate photos or portraits in a place or position of honor which stops the Angels of Mercy from entering the house.

The evidence provided by the scholars is the following narration related by Al-Bukhari:

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 3.659 Narrated by Al Qasim

Aisha said that she hung a curtain decorated with pictures (of animals) on a cupboard. The Prophet (saws) tore that curtain and she turned it into two cushions which remained in the house for the Prophet (saws) to sit on.

What is categorically prohibited is that one decorates or places pictures of animate objects to a place of honor in their houses.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan