93 replies to this topic

[umAhmad]

Assalamu alaikum brother Ali and the other brothers and sisters participating in this thread.

In these hadeeth sister can you please tell me the arabic word used for every painter and for those who draw pictures?? thanks

The Ahadeeth I have quoted in my last thread were sent to me by my son, who is authorised to give Fatwas and is an expert in Arabic Language. He said that Arabic is the most rich language in the World specially the Classic Arabic. In all the ahadeeth mentioned above the person in one makes images or paints images or a sclupter who carves images of living things like humans, animals, birds is meant.
If anyone has problem with that, then they can go ahead and paint and draw or whatever, but please do not encourage others to do so. If someone can justify then it's between them and Allah, but please do not degrade those who wish to follow are trying to follow the Hadeeth according to what the Scholars have interpreted it to be.

I guess I will have to conclude my input in this thread by saying something to the effect of you practice Deen according to your understanding and I will do it according to mine.

As for going to Hell for something, Only Allah knows, what is said in the hadeeth is there, but in the end everything sdependant on Allah's Mercy and Forgiveness or Allahs Wrath.

may Allah make us from those who will be Forgiven for our sins, ameen.

Assalamu Alaikum.

[twoswordali]

Brother Twoswordali, do you or do you not have a single reliable scholar to back up your fatwa? Otherwise, it is YOUR fatwa, and you are trying to pass it off as something legit.

Its my opinion as far as it being a fatwah no it is not and it is also just a simple observation of using basic common sense. I do not disbelieve in the Hadeeth although we do check hadeeth with the Quran,

"Logic"? We should base Islam on "logic"? "Logic" is subjective and the only thing I see in your post is illogic and farfetched theories.

Islam is not only logical it also is rational and it causes the one who is reading it to become more rational and it gives logical conclusions to every situatuation. look at the meaning of subjective

1.existing in the mind; belonging to the thinking subject rather than to the object of thought (opposed to objective ).
2. pertaining to or characteristic of an individual; personal; individual: a subjective evaluation.
3. placing excessive emphasis on one's own moods, attitudes, opinions, etc.; unduly egocentric.
4. Philosophy. relating to or of the nature of an object as it is known in the mind as distinct from a thing in itself.
5. relating to properties or specific conditions of the mind as distinguished from general or universal experience.
6. pertaining to the subject or substance in which attributes inhere; essential.



Look at the first meaning in Islam we belong to the thinking of the subject, what is the subject?? It is Allah (swa) and it is the way of life that He has laid out for us Islam is the subject that exist within the mind and hearts of the believers. Number two is Prophet Muhammad most definitly. Number 3 is the Quran and some hadeeths!! And im sure that you and others are smart enough to see the rest. Is Islam subjective?? of course it is , is it objective yes it is as well. The goal of course is to bring the individual to a better way of life hence being objective as well. Islam is based on subjective evaluation if you dont think its for you then a person can leave its subjective and objective and much more. Tell me something for you to be muslim is that a rational logical choice or are you going to say no its all in my heart???

Ibrahim used rational thinking to come to know Allah, he worshipped the sun then that set the stars then that set then he came to a LOGICAL RATIONAL conclusion that God does not set and that He made the sun stars moon ect. ect. And this Logical Rational thinking destroyed the Kings thinking when Ibahim told him that his God makes the sun rise from the east can your god make it rise from the west?? This is logical and rational now if you dont believe that we should base Islam on logic or rational what do you base it on????

And Sheikh Ibn Baaz's fatwa should be discarded because it's a decade old? And that the four leaders of the schools of thought have no say in the matter because they supposedly differed with their scholars? SubhanAllah, how easily you try to discredit the scholars.

No I did not say that i said that even the 4 great Imams differed with their scholars and they differed with them when they were not even considered scholars, But what made the 4 Imams popular was their students and after their death their students kept the school of thought alive. This boosted them into being a scholar before their death and after their death but when they were students the differed with their scholars. So why the big fuss whenever another student differs with their scholar?? Why do people treat them like how the 4 great imams were treated when they started to bring new concepts and further thinking????

So in the end, the opinion of five scholars carries little to no weight but we should believe you, an ordinary Muslim who is gifted with the ability to understand things that scholars who dedicated entire lives to studying Islam failed to understand. You might not have said this directly, but in the end that is what you are implying. That you are right and the scholars are wrong.

I never said that i understand better or know something that others do not, however The Prophet told the companions to take this message to those who is not here perhaps they will understand it BETTER than those who are here. And for people to understand this religion better shows that Islam is the best way of life and that it never dies. That it is not stale it is a fresh growing religion every day. With new understanding to be understood every day. If you wish to see yourself as an ordinary muslim thats fine but i dont see myself as that just some ordinary muslim we should see our selves as Mumin and as mu mumin we should study study study, now im not saying to be arrogant and be bigheadded ignoring the great thinkers (scholars) that came before us no thats not what im saying. The same way you can look at a web site of a learned brother and learn you should be able to see that in other Muslims as well.

Quick story sis Shaton didnot respect Adam even after Allah taught him the names of things why?? Because shaton was focusing on Adams history, he said that he was made of mud and he of fire and in this it shows how one rejects someone that Allah blesses with knowledge and how jealous one gets that they are not blessed with that knowledge. The Angels kept quiet and respected Allahs decision and they learned from Adam the names, Iblis was even there boiling mad at this. Now Allah says that he gives knowledge to whoever He pleases so that means He can give knowledge to people who you may deem to be an ordinary muslim, Allah can bless them with insight into things, and if the mind set is not of a mind set like how te Angels were then you will hear something and reject it based on what you precieve that person to be. Instead of opening up your heart and try to learn something NEW. Shaton wanted the old way nothing new and he wanted to hang on to that old way.

Give your scholarly sources please. Or don't mislead people with your opinions.

Who have i mislead??? PLEASE anybody speak up, if one takes anything and does not study then they are being mislead because they do not study!!!! I do not mislead people heck that website that you gave can be very misleading, the Learned brother that you favour can mislead people with his opinions, and i have seen numerous post by you stating your opinions without scholarly sources followed behind them. Do you consider those Misleading?? Or just an opinion and if it helps one then all praise due to Allah and if it doesent then its doesent. I dont think people who read or post on this forum are stupid people they are very intelligent.

You still haven t answered the question stop avoiding it "Do you believe that the people that made the Islamic cartoons the Islamic coloring books or the Islamic pictures showing salat positions and the Islamic seaseme street cartoons and all ' DO YOU BELIEVE THAT THE MAKERS OF THESE WILL BE IN THE FIRE????? THAT THEY ARE THE IMAGE MAKERS WHO WILL BE IN THE FIRE??? Do you believe that??

[twoswordali]

Assalamu alaikum brother Ali and the other brothers and sisters participating in this thread.
The Ahadeeth I have quoted in my last thread were sent to me by my son, who is authorised to give Fatwas and is an expert in Arabic Language. He said that Arabic is the most rich language in the World specially the Classic Arabic. In all the ahadeeth mentioned above the person in one makes images or paints images or a sclupter who carves images of living things like humans, animals, birds is meant.

I agree the most rich thats why i asked what is the arabic words used in those Hadeeth What are the words sister can you ask him

[Kab]

Assalamualaikum

This topic forum reminds me of the reasons why I don't like forums in general. Please my brothers and sisters don't make personal attacks. This forum in general is beneficial in that it contains lot of information. It contains enough information for individuals to make informed choices about the topic. The words of the quran and saheeh hadeeth are true and the words of scholars may or may not be true, but their opinions should be valued for their study of the religion and obviously their views are above views like mine, of a lay person.

For what it is worth my thoughts on this, bearing in mind that have very little knowledge, is that a distinction needs to be made between photographs and pictures of living images which are hand-drawn as the way the image is captured is completely different. Also the intention is different, the one who is serious in his drawings will try his best to make it look as real as is possible and that is where I believe the problem is as he is trying to act like god, as well as the religion always wanting us to stay well away from shirk and hence even the early steps to it of drawing image in my opinion is prohibited. Now even though I make the distinction I myself do not find pictures, photos appealing and hence I don't have my own photos, keep photos etc generally but I would not go round telling people it is haram and how dare they do this or that!

Now coming back to my point of why I am put off by these forums, one main reason is people lose their focus and to try and prevent one evil they cause bigger evils. My suggestion is for people to make their suggestions and views known and let people make their minds about it. As individuals we need to be true to ourselves, do we really believe that the ayat or hadeeth mean what we want them to mean or is it wishful thinking. We as individuals will face Allah and explain our actions. Speaking negatively about another saying one is logical other is logical what is the benefit. We all know neither of you are going to change your views even if this continued for years. If you really wanted to come to a common ground you need to first agree on principles or points that you both agree on then come to the differences and address them. There are probably many even more important topics that you will disagree on, given what is written on this topic.

In my opinion I would personally close this topic as there is nothing more of benefit to come from it. People ask whether cartoon is fine, etc, please you have the hadeeth quoted to you, you yourselves think whether it applies or not, bearing in mind these are new things and did not occur at time of the messenger of Allah saws so you will never get a hadeeth refering to it specifically, this applies for photos, videos, etc. It gives you principles. Remember our aim is to convey the information as simply as possible, please don't get emotionally involved and then make accusations against each other, which is backbiting, slander which we all know how bad that is.

And lastly logic is important but it is not everything. Logic does not necessarily take you to same conclusion. I do agree it is important, and in my opinion it is logic that tells us that Islam is the truth but once we have reached that stage faith takes over, and if something does not make logic sense but Islam commands it then Islam will always rule because our knowledge is limited and All is all knowing.

And Allah knows best.

Wassalam

[jihad commando]

i trust then that if i were to draw an image of the human body in an effort to glorify the creation of Allah (swt) then i am doomed

suppose then that Allah gave me the gift of artistic ability when it comes to living and animate beings then told me that i am not to use that gift

that makes no sense and is tantamount to me giving one of you a gift when i come to your home and then telling you not to use it

its a contradiction

[Redeem]

Its my opinion as far as it being a fatwah no it is not and it is also just a simple observation of using basic common sense. I do not disbelieve in the Hadeeth although we do check hadeeth with the Quran,

Fatwas are scholarly opinions on issues. You have chosen to discard the scholarly opinions and publicly announce to the forum that the Hadith only refers to images intended for worship.

That is a fatwa. Now, where is your scholar?

Secondly, you say that you don't disbelieve in the Hadiths but didn't you say otherwise a while ago?

Islam is not only logical it also is rational

Considering that I think you're being very illogical and we are both Muslims who follow Islam, what does that say about reliance on logic alone?

So why the big fuss whenever another student differs with their scholar??

You mean why aren't you getting the same treatment as the four scholars? A few reasons.

1) You are no scholar.
2) By your own admittance, your conclusion is founded on no more than what you consider "logic".
3) Even the scholars did not invent things. They based their findings on the Hadiths. You are inserting new definitions into the Hadiths, things that are not there.

The Prophet told the companions to take this message to those who is not here perhaps they will understand it BETTER than those who are here.

Source.

PLEASE anybody speak up, if one takes anything and does not study then they are being mislead because they do not study!!!!

You do realize that people come to Gawaher (among other forums) to gain knowledge, right? If I weren't actively combating your unscholarly conclusions about the Hadith, who knows just how many people would have left here thinking that they had found the right answer.

Again, don't mislead people. We've gone over this in the past and in many other topics.

[jihad commando]

redeem

you said

You do realize that people come to Gawaher (among other forums) to gain knowledge, right? If I weren't actively combating your unscholarly conclusions about the Hadith, who knows just how many people would have left here thinking that they had found the right answer.

please excuse me if i misunderstand but it was my understanding that personal attacks were not acceptable here

please clarify your position and the seeming contradiction

[Redeem]

i trust then that if i were to draw an image of the human body in an effort to glorify the creation of Allah (swt) then i am doomed

Intentions don't justify actions. You can't do a prohibited thing for the right reasons and expect it to be okay.

suppose then that Allah gave me the gift of artistic ability when it comes to living and animate beings then told me that i am not to use that gift

You can draw beautiful landscapes, you can draw pictures that are not prohibited (for example, a sketch of a killer). It's like saying, "I have a gift for being the fastest gun in the west, why should I not use my gift on people?" Secondly, everything in life is a test, not necessarily a gift.

Anyway, this is Muslim-Muslim debates sub-forum. If you have questions about Islam or wish to engage in debates with Muslims you are free to do so in Islamic-Western Dialogue, Refuting non-Muslims, or Answering Anti-Islamic Allegations subforums.

Salam.

[Redeem]

redeem

you said
please excuse me if i misunderstand but it was my understanding that personal attacks were not acceptable here

please clarify your position and the seeming contradiction

Telling someone that I'm actively combating their unscholarly fatwa is a personal insult? No, it isn't.

Salam.

[jihad commando]

Intentions don't justify actions. You can't do a prohibited thing for the right reasons and expect it to be okay.

it is prohibited to kill

yet we all read stories on a daily basis of muslims killing and beheading non muslims for their unbelief

we hear of women being stoned to death for immodesty

on the other hand muslims preach that we are to teach

so just how are we teaching

it seems as though it is by contradiction and lies

Anyway, this is Muslim-Muslim debates sub-forum. If you have questions about Islam or wish to engage in debates with Muslims you are free to do so in Islamic-Western Dialogue, Refuting non-Muslims, or Answering Anti-Islamic Allegations subforums

who are you to say that i am not a muslim or at least on the sidelines for the moment

as i study my faith i become more confused and i am one who has lived it all my life

my eyes have seen the contradiction and i pray for clarification

[umAhmad]

Peace, Jihad commando, please do not go away from the Topic of the thread. What you are saying in your post above does not belong in this thread, you can make another thread with a different Title in the Section that Redeem has mentioned above.

As for you being a Muslim or not, We don't know, you could belong to any Religion because your profile says "Other Religion", so we take it as you are not a Muslim. Which Religion you really belong to only you and Allah knows, that's true, but on the Forum you will taken as what you have said you are by the other members.

Peace.

[Redeem]

it is prohibited to kill

yet we all read stories...

Would you like to create a new topic for this? We wouldn't want to go off-topic here but I'm sure these are things that Muslims, myself included, would like to answer. Since you are a Muslim, you can put the topic under "Islamic Discussions".

who are you to say that i am not a muslim or at least on the sidelines for the moment

I never said anything that wasn't based on your own religious status: "Other Religion".

[lightnur]

[size=3]Assalammualaikum.

I don't know whether this is the right thread to post this question, but I assume that this question is regarding images, so here goes.
As I have stopped drawing recently, I have decided to take up an old hobby which is writing stories. I am currently interested in sending one of my stories to a section dedicated to stories and writing work in one of the local newspapers. But in that particular section, after a story is accepted and published, they will illustrate an image. For example, if the story is mainly about a boy afraid of a cat, they will illustrate a picture of a boy afraid of a cat next to the story submitted.

I am unsure whether or not to submit my story there because of this reason, as images like those might be wrong. Also, it is quite difficult to find a newspaper offering a section like that here, as the many writing sections are focused on adult writing, and it's probably a little difficult to compete with their work and get mine published. So I look to sections like these dedicated to fictional writing for teens and kids.

Should I submit the story to that newspaper even though they will illustrate that image? Thanks in advance. [using large font size is not allowed]

Salam.

[evision]

Brother Twoswordali, do you or do you not have a single reliable scholar to back up your fatwa?

Though the question is directed to twoswordali, let me post the following fatwa from Islamonline(dot)net. I quote below two fatwas relevant to the issue under discussion. The highlighted and underlined parts are mine.

Is it haram to draw portraits or beings? What is the Islamic view on drawing?
Name of Questioner Arwa - Egypt
Islam Online Fatwa Editing Desk

In The Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

Dear questioner, thank you very much for having confidence in us, and we hope our efforts, which are purely for Allah's Sake, meet your expectations.

We’d like first to state that there is nothing wrong in drawing as long as the images do not depict nudity or other indecent representations. Also, the picture or image should not be revered or glorified. The detested pictures and images are only those, which are worshiped and revered.

Within these restrictions drawing humans, animals, natural scenes, etc. is permitted. What is prohibited is making a statue or a sculpture of a living being that has shade (depth or three dimensional).

Here, we’d like to cite for you the following Fatwa:

"One may draw pictures of people, animals, etc. as long as they don’t depict anything against Islamic guidelines. It is important to understand that Muslims don't replicate 'images' because they believe that on the Day of Judgment, they will be asked to put a soul in the 'images' they made, challenging Allah’s creation. Also, they don't replicate 'images' believing that the Angels will not enter their houses. This is based on several authentic Hadiths of Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him.

However, in the Arabic Language, what we call Sourah or commonly translated as 'image' can mean several things, and in the context of the prohibition, it means a statute or a sculpture of a living being that has shade (depth or three dimensional) and not a photographic picture.

Therefore, while statutes are prohibited, pictures in magazines, televisions, newspapers, books, computers, drawings, etc. are allowed. Such pictures can however be prohibited if they depict nudity or other indecent representations. But even being allowed, they should be done when necessary and not to pass time."

Is photography allowed in Islam? Bearing in mind that it is not the same as painting or recreating a being, it's rather a capture of image through light and lens.

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

Dear brother in Islam, we would like to thank you for showing keenness on knowing the teachings of Islam, and we appreciate the great confidence you have in us. We hope our efforts meet your expectations, yet we apologize for the late reply.

With regard to your question, Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and an Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, answers:

"Photography as a medium of communication or for the simple, innocent retention of memories without the taint of reverence/shirk does not fall under the category of forbidden Tasweer.

One finds a number of traditions from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, condemning people who make Tasweer, which denotes painting or carving images or statues. It was closely associated with paganism or shirk. People were in the habit of carving images and statues for the sake of worship. Islam, therefore, declared Tasweer forbidden because of its close association with shirk (association of partners with Allah). One of the stated principles of usul-u-Fiqh (Principles of Islamic Jurisprudence) is that if anything directly leads to haram, it is likewise haram. In other words, Tasweer was forbidden precisely for the reason that it was a means leading to shirk.

The function of photography today does not fall under the above category. Even some of the scholars who had been once vehemently opposed to photography under the pretext that it was a form of forbidden Tasweer have later changed their position on it - as they allow even for their own pictures to be taken and published in newspapers, for videotaping lectures and for presentations; whereas in the past, they would only allow it in exceptional cases such as passports, drivers’ licenses, etc. The change in their view of photography is based on their assessment of the role of photography.

Having said this, one must add a word of caution: To take pictures of leaders and heroes and hang them on the walls may not belong to the same category of permission. This may give rise to a feeling of reverence and hero worship, which was precisely the main thrust of the prohibition of Tasweer. Therefore, one cannot make an unqualified statement to the effect that all photography is halal. It all depends on the use and function of it. If it is for educational purpose and has not been tainted with the motive of reverence and hero worship, there is nothing in the sources to prohibit it."

Do keep in touch. If you have any other question, don't hesitate to contact us.

wassalam

[Redeem]

for the link brother Evision. The question now is whether or not that is the Ijma (or consensus) held by the majority of scholars. It is not.

Secondly, it makes no sense to interpret "Taswir" as "idols for worship" in a Hadith such as this.

`Â’ishah relates that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “The people who will be most severely punished on the Day of Resurrection will be those who aspire to create like Allah.” [Sahîh al-Bukhârî (5954) and Sahîh Muslim (2107)]

"Create like Allah". Has Allah ever created idols or pictures for worship? No. But He has created living things. It would be more arguable to say that two dimensional images are not part of the definition of aspiring to create like Allah, but that is another story.

In any case, there are three distinct positions on this issue, and the opinion of the sheikh you posted is of the minority of the three.

[evision]

I will even provide sample pics of the drawings I have drawn, if anyone is feeling curious. This isn't for showing off, just so that I can give a clear picture of what I'm talking about.

salam,

could you send me samples of those pics to my email (aabdulnice(at)gmail(dot)com)?

wassalam

[evision]

for the link brother Evision. The question now is whether or not that is the Ijma (or consensus) held by the majority of scholars. It is not.

Secondly, it makes no sense to interpret "Taswir" as "idols for worship" in a Hadith such as this.

`Â’ishah relates that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “The people who will be most severely punished on the Day of Resurrection will be those who aspire to create like Allah.” [Sahîh al-Bukhârî (5954) and Sahîh Muslim (2107)]

"Create like Allah". Has Allah ever created idols or pictures for worship? No. But He has created living things. It would be more arguable to say that two dimensional images are not part of the definition of aspiring to create like Allah, but that is another story.

In any case, there are three distinct positions on this issue, and the opinion of the sheikh you posted is of the minority of the three.

Salam sister,

I post below the qualification of the scholar who has given this fatwa which you do not agree as such. Well, it seems you are misunderstood by the term "those who aspire to create like Allah". When my kid draws a picture of a bird my kid is not aspiring to create like Allah. When a science teacher draws a picture of a human being on a board she is not aspiring to create like Allah, she is teaching her students. When an Islamic book contains picture of a man in different praying positions it is just teaching people how to pray. Because of your action one sister decided to abandon drawing which was so much for her. It is not simple thing to declare something haraam. The Quran gives definite warnings not to declare something haraam whereby making the life of people difficult. You can not have an excuse infront of Allah saying that I simply depended on the opinon of so and so scholars. Are you sure the opinoin of the scholar I have quoted not convincing? Is this scholar promoting a haraam act? In india where I live a scholar whom people respect, who dedicated his entire life in learning Islam, made a fatwa 50 years before (he is no more now) saying that it is haraam to learn English. The people had so much of reverance for this scholar and they simply obeyed this scholar. He reversed this fatwa during later part of his life and said it is ok to learn english. But the damage has been already done to the Muslim society. While other communities like Hindus marched ahead in learning, Muslim community lagged behind, especially Muslim women. So be careful while declaring something Haraam, especially in this case you have a different opinion from another scholar whose qualification I provide below. You will be on safe side if you accept the opinion of this scholar. Declaring something Haraam is a very serious offense.

Name: Ahmad Kutty
Born in Kerala State, India (1946)
Nationality: Canadian

Educational background
- 1975-1980: McGill University, Montreal: Doctoral Studies; Specialized in Shari’ah Thought.
- 1972-1973: University of Toronto: Masters in Islamic Studies.
- 1968-1972: Islamic University of Madinah, Saudi Arabia: Licentiate in Usul al-Ddeen (first rank).
- 1957-1967: Islamiyya College: Graduated in the Traditional Islamic Sciences and received the ‘Ijazah (title) of al-Faqih fi al-ddeen (first rank).

Scholarly papers/works/publications, etc.
1. Shah Waliullah’s Concept of Harmony (tatbiq) of Reason, Revelation and Intuition in the Light of Hujjat Allah al-Balighah (Under Preparation).
2. Human Rights: The Western & Islamic Perspectives (Work in progress)
3. Translation of al-‘aqeedah al-tahawiyyah (2002)
4. An analytical study of Ibn Taymiyyah’s al-‘Aqidat al-Wasitiyyah (1978)
5. Translation of al-Insaf fi bayan asbab al-ikhtilaf (1981)
6. An analytical study of Ibn Khaldun’s Shifa’ al-sa’il fi tahdhib al-masaail (1976)
7. Al-Nass wa al-ikhtiyaar fi al-khilafah: A Comparative Study of the Sunni and the Shi’ah Theories of Khilafah/Imamah (1982)
8. Kitab al-Tawhid of Abu Mansur al-Maturidi (d. 944): A report on his work with reference to his role in the development of Kalam (1978)
9. Abolition of Khilafah and the reaction of the Muslim world (1976)
10. Muhammad b. Abd al-Wahhab: His life & Reformist Ideas (1976)
11 Shah Waliullah’s Concept of Shari’ah (1979)
12. Ibn Taymiyyah’s Attitude towards Sufism (1979)
13. Ramadan: Blessings and Rules (1990)
14 Islamic Funeral Rites (1991)
15. Social Justice in Islam: A translation of Sayyid Qutb’s al-adalatul ijtima’iyyah fi al-Islam into Malayalam (4th edition, 1987)
16. Miscellaneous articles published in various newspapers/magazines

Courses taught
1. Evolution of Fiqh and the Emergence of the Schools of Jurisprudence
2. Fiqh al-Hadith: A Study of Bulugh al-Maraam
3. Readings in Sahih al-Bukhari
4. Islamic Ethics: Readings in Riyad al-Saliheen
5. Fiqh of Priorities
6. Islamic Ethics and Morals
7. Studies in Islamic Spirituality based on Imam Ghazzali’s Ihya ulum al-Ddeen
8. Islamic ‘Aqeedah Level One
9. Islamic ‘Aqeedah Level Two
10. Marriage and Family in Islam
11. Comparative Religions
12. Sects and Sectarianism in Islam
13. Fiqh al-Zzakah
14. Principles of Islamic Jurisprudence (Usul al-Fiqh)

Career/experience
1. Presently: Senior Lecturer/Imam at the Islamic Institute of Toronto & and a non-resident Imam/Khatib (orator) at the following centers/Masjids in Toronto: Islamic Center of Canada, Islamic Center of Canada, Bosnian Islamic Center, and Ansar Masjid
2. 1984-1994: Director/Imam Islamic Foundation of Toronto
3. 1979-1982: Director/Imam: Islamic Center of Toronto
4. 1973-1975: Assistant Director: Islamic Center of Toronto

Participation in Seminars/Symposia, etc.
1. Participated as a presenter in numerous seminars, conferences, and symposiums (from1975 onwards).
2. Participated on a regular basis in the ISNA conferences as a speaker & as a participant in Fiqh Sessions (1975 onwards).
3. Presentations on Islam in various churches/ inter-faith gatherings/hospitals, etc.
4. Gave numerous interviews to newspapers/ television (both local and national) on various issues affecting Islam and Muslims.

Wassalam

[evision]

Ruling on drawing animate beings

you can't post links until you reach 50 posts_you are not allowed to post links yetIslam-qa(contact admin if its a beneficial link)/en/ref/39806

What is the ruling on drawing in Islam?.[/b]

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With regard to forbidden kinds of pictures, an exception is made in cases of necessity, such as drawing pictures of criminals so that they will be known and caught, or pictures for identity cards which are essential and which cannot be obtained otherwise, and other cases of necessity. If the ruler decides that producing images of criminals is necessary, because of the seriousness of their crimes and to protect the Muslims from their evil when they are known, or for other reasons, there is nothing wrong with that. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“…He has explained to you in detail what is forbidden to you, except under compulsion of necessity …”

[al-An’aam 6:119]

Salam,

According to the above explanation, photography is permitted only for taking pictures of criminals, pictures for identity cards. etc (i.e. under essencial circumstances). I would like to ask this respected scholar the followings;

1. I have pictures taken during my school days, me with my class mates and teachers, pictures of trips with them to different plances, pictures of participating in some competitions and getting prizes, etc. I also have pictures of my family members, company colleages taken at various occasions. Is it Haraam to keep these pictures?

2. Is it Haraam to buy and read news papers having pictures?

3. I have pictures taken while performing Umrah at Mekkah and Medina, pictures of visiting various Islamic institutions, etc. Should I destroy all those pictures?

If taking pictures is haraam, one can not have an excuse saying that at so and so essencial circumstances it is allowed. The intension of the person who invented photography was not for the purpose of identifying criminals and using for identity cards. If it is Haraam, the act of inventing photography itself was a 'Haraam' act. An "islamic court" should punish the person who invented it rather than promoting what he has invented for some purposes. You have to find other ways to identify the cirminals and for identity cards.

With respect to all scholars, please please don't make the lives of ordinary people difficult. The Quran says Allah has not made no excessive burden on anyone and Islam is simple to practice. Allah says;

“And be mindful, never state any lies that comes up on your tongue unhesitatingly, that this thing is Halal and that Haraam so as to ascribe false things to Allah” - (16:116)

‘Say: who has forbidden the beautiful gifts of Allah, which he has produced for his servants and the things, clean and pure, (which he has provided) for sustenance? - (7:32)

wassalam

[Redeem]

Evision posted in another topic:

If benefits are the criteria, even drawing and photography also should be permissible. I have seen your post saying that drawing is haraam whereas you are saying now photography and filiming is permissible if there are benefits. Well, how do you explain the followings;

If you looked over the website, you would see other fatwas in which the scholars also state that drawing images of people is permissible if there are benefits to it. I.e. identification of criminals and etc.

When are pictures permissible? When personal I.D (driver's license, etc) is a requirement and etc.

When is film permissible? For security reasons and etc.

You quoted a bunch of things from the website to show that I was making a distinction in permissibility between hand drawn pictures and photographs/film, when that had never been something I had intended to do. Islamqa has a vast number of topics on the issue, and each is based on circumstance and situation. What is unlawful can become lawful under certain circumstances.

Secondly, how can we follow the fatwa of Ahmad Kutty (who generally permits drawing images) over the fatawa of at least 5 other prominent scholars (who generally prohibit drawing images)? That is where the necessity of minority vs. majority ruling comes in.

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[size=4]ASSALAMMUALAIKUM.

I have another question to ask if possible. Is it permissible to register with social networking websites like myspace, friendster or facebook? What if this is the condition? In these websites, we can make our profile private, so I will only accept friend requests from females since I am a female myself. My profile picture will be that which is not an image of an animate being, but whoever has access to my profile can see my photos(again, NOT pictures of animate beings, but myself). My intention is only to get to know new people, and not to speak to guys. Is this OK? Please reply as quick as possible. I currently have not registered on sites like this. Thanks so much in advance to anyone who replies to this post!

Thanks and

Wassalam. [using large font size is not allowed]