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Posts tagged as “suwar”

The Legal Status of Pictures and Photography: Commentary on a Hadith from Sahih Muslim

By Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani

Translated by Zameelur Rahman

Yahya ibn Yahya, Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah, ‘Amr al-Naqid and Ishaq ibn Ibrahim narrated to us: Sufyan ibn ‘Uyaynah (Yahya and Ishaq said: informed us and the other two said: narrated to us): from al-Zuhri: from ‘Ubayd Allah: from ibn ‘Abbas: from Abu Talhah: from the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace): he said:

“Angels do not enter a house in which there is a dog or a picture.” (Sahih Muslim)

The Issue of Picture-Making [Taswir] in Islam

His statement “Angels do not enter a house in which there is a dog or a picture”: this hadith proves that making an image of animate objects [dhawi l-arwah] and using pictures in homes is prohibited in the Shari‘ah. The majority of the fuqaha [jurists] have agreed upon this. Since picture-making, today, has become prevalent everywhere, we will first cite the hadiths prohibiting the use of them, then we will discuss the positions of the fuqaha on this subject.