In the Name of
Allaah, the Most Merciful, the Bestowal of Mercy
From Muhammad Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen to his noble brother, Shaykh … may Allaah preserve him, make him among His righteous slaves, His believing and pious friends, and His successful party. Aameen.
To proceed: Your book, which comprises of greetings and naseehah has indeed reached me.
May peace, mercy and blessings of Allaah be upon you. May Allah reward you on
my behalf for your perfect naseehah, which I ask Allaah the Most High to
benefit me with.
Undoubtedly, the
path you have followed in your naseehah is the ideal way of giving naseehah
among brothers, because a person is bound to err and forget; and the believer
is a mirror of his brother; no one is a true believer until he loves for his
brother what he loves for himself….
With regard to
what you referred to, may Allaah preserve you, concerning my repeated response
on the permissibility of the picture that is captured with a device (camera);
my brother, I wish to inform you that I did not permit picture taking; that is,
the picture that contains the soul of human being or others except when there
is necessity or need for it like citizenship, licenses, establishment of rights
and the likes.
As for taking
pictures for veneration, remembrance, or for pleasure by looking at them, then
I do not permit that regardless of whether it is statues or pictures and irrespective
of whether it was made by hand or a device due to the generality of the Prophet’s
statement: “The Angels will not enter a house which has a picture in it.”
And I have not ceased to issue fatwa to this effect and command whoever has a
picture for remembrance in his possession to destroy it. And I would stress on
it greatly if the picture is that of a dead person.
As for making
pictures of things that have souls such as human being or other than it, then
there is no doubt concerning its prohibition and it is from the major sins because
the Messenger (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) cursed the one who does it. This is
obvious with regard to a statue or something made by the hand. But if it is
with a camera that takes a photograph, and there is no action from the picture
taker such as drawing the face or detailing the body and the like; and it is
for memory sake and other purposes similar to it for which it is not permissible
to take picture, then taking it with a camera is prohibited - a prohibition of
the means. However, there is no harm in
taking pictures for necessity or need.
This is the summary
of my view regarding this issue. So if it is correct, it is from Allaah and He
is the Bestowal of it. But if it is incorrect, then it is from my shortcomings
and deficiencies. I ask Allaah to pardon me of it and guide me to what is
correct. As-Salamu alaykum wa Rahmatullaah wa Barakaatuh.
Source: Fataawaa
al-‘Aqeedah, p. 398-399 by Shaykh Muhammad bin Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have
mercy on him)
