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﴿ فَاسْأَلُوا أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ إِن كُنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ ﴾

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What is the response to those who permit photographic image-making?

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Question:
This man says:

Answer:
How do we respond to those who have permitted image-making with the photographic camera? We respond to them with the generality of the hadiths of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade image-making absolutely and did not exclude the photographic camera or anything else. He forbade image-making and did not make any exception, nor did he mention the device used for it. Rather, he forbade image-making absolutely, whether by photography, drawing, or sculpting. It is a general prohibition, and general hadiths cannot be restricted except by evidence. Therefore, those who permit photographic image-making must provide evidence that restricts the hadiths of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).
Except in cases of dire necessity. If dire necessity calls for image-making, then it is done to the extent of the necessity. Allah the Exalted said:
while He has explained in detail to you what He has forbidden you, excepting that to which you are compelledوَقَدْ فَصَّلَ لَكُم مَّا حَرَّمَ عَلَيْكُمْ إِلَّا مَا اضْطُرِرْتُمْ إِلَيْهِ
[Al-An'am 6:119]
So, if dire necessity calls for image-making for a passport, an ID card, or a driver's license, it is done to the extent of the necessity. As for taking photos for hobby, memories, or the like, or for art, all of this is forbidden and not permissible. There is no necessity for this. Yes.
Source قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، ما الرد على من يجيز التصوير الفوتوغرافي؟ للشيخ الفوزان — youtube.com

The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.

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