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:

Respected brother, I am forwarding a question which I have received from my friend could you please answer this question as soon as possible.
(Ikram Khan, Hyderabad)

Q. Angels do not enter the house that bears images of human and/or animal figures.

What happens when tv is played with life-like images
in action. Or watch a recorded video tape which shows people moving and speaking; people those who are no longer alive.

Jazak Allah Khair

(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:

Television tv images and angels home

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.

Allah says in the Quran: Chapter 4 Surah An-Nisa Verse 48

Shirk (associating other deities with Allah) is the only sin that Allah does not forgive, and He forgives, whomsoever He pleases, sins other than this, for whosoever associates any other partner with Allah, does indeed forge a big lie and commits the most heinous sin.

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, sculptures 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’!

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 7.834 Narrated by Muslim

We were with Masruq at the house of Yasar bin Numair. Masruq saw pictures on his terrace and said, "I heard 'Abdullah saying that he heard the Prophet (saws) saying, "The people who will receive the severest punishment from Allah will be the (animate) picture makers.' "

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."

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 7.845 Narrated by Abu Juhaifa

that he had bought a slave whose profession was cupping. The Prophet forbade taking the price of blood, and the price of a dog, and the earnings of a prostitute, and cursed the one who took or gave (Riba') usury, and the lady who tattooed others or got herself tattooed, and the (animate) picture-maker.

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 4.448 Narrated by Abu Talha

I heard the Messenger of Allah (saws) saying; "Angels (of Mercy) do not enter a house wherein there is a dog or a picture of a living creature (a human being or an animal)."

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 3.428 Narrated by Said bin Abu Al Hasan

While I was with Ibn 'Abbas a man came and said, "O father of 'Abbas! My sustenance is from my manual profession and I make these pictures." Ibn 'Abbas said, "I will tell you only what I heard from Allah's Messenger (saws). I heard him (saws) saying, 'Whoever makes a (animate) picture will be punished by Allah till he puts life in it, and he will never be able to put life in it.' " Hearing this, that man heaved a sigh and his face turned pale. Ibn 'Abbas said to him, "What a pity! If you insist on making pictures, I advise you to make pictures of trees and any other unanimated objects."

Because the concept of cameras, photography, videos, television, etc. are a technological development of man after the establishment of the Quran and the Sunnah, it is upto the scholars and jurists in Islam to come up with an opinion regarding whether the same law which applies to portraits, sculptures and images made by man would apply to the images which result from the modern camera. The majority of the scholars of Islam are of the opinion that photography or video images in its itself is not forbidden in Islam, nor do the images displayed on television (provided those images do not violate any of the tenets of Shariah) prevent the Angels from entering one’s homes…… because these images provides nothing but an exact reflection and mirror image of the creation of the Supreme Creator as opposed to paintings, or images, or the sculptures of an animate objects, where there is a possibility that man can makes an imaginary addition/subtraction to the original creation of the Creator, and is thus strictly forbidden in Islam.

More than the issue of preventing the Noble Angels of Mercy entering one’s home, the real issue with modern-day television and videos is the open and manifest display of ‘fahisha’ and indecency, something which is absolutely and categorically forbidden and declared as ‘haraam’ by the Lord Most High!

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 7 Surah Aaraaf verse 33:

33 Say: The things that my Lord hath indeed forbidden are: ‘fahisha’ (shameful or indecent deeds) whether open or secret; sins and trespasses against truth or reason; assigning of partners to Allah for which he hath given no authority; and saying things about Allah of which ye have no knowledge.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 6 Surah Anaam verse 151:

151 Say: "Come I will rehearse what Allah hath (really) prohibited you from": join not anything as equal with Him; be good to your parents: kill not your children on a plea of want; We provide sustenance for you and for them; come not (even) nigh to ‘fahisha’ (shameful or indecent deeds) whether open or secret; take not life which Allah hath made sacred except by way of justice and law: thus doth He command you that ye may learn wisdom.

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