Is it not easier to use a fingerprint on the ID instead of a photo so that we are free from what is forbidden, or not?
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The questioner : I listened to the answer of Shaykh Muhammad ibn Uthaymeen regarding the prohibition of images, in which he permitted the use or carrying of images on an ID card, for example, considering it a necessity and part of the ease of the religion. Is it not easier to use a fingerprint instead of a photo so that we have no doubt whatsoever about what is forbidden? Abu Hamd, may Allah guide you?
The Shaykh : The fingerprint is very difficult to handle.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Because only certain individuals know how to handle it, and on the condition that the fingerprint is placed with a specific amount of ink or something similar. If there is too much, the mark is not precise, and if there is too little, it is not precise either. For this reason, we see that using a fingerprint instead of a photo may be greater and more difficult, because a person might press their fingerprints on the paper several times, making it impossible to control them.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Furthermore, it is also susceptible to being rubbed off or something similar. If it changes in the slightest way, it serves no purpose. Therefore, we do not see that such a method is sufficient to replace the method of photography.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : This message is from Unayzah, from the hospital of ... Abdullah Sulayman al-Ghanim. He asks about a woman traveling without a mahram, referring to female employees. He says: Peace be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings. Noble Shaykh Muhammad Salih al-Uthaymeen (may Allah preserve him).
The Shaykh : The fingerprint is very difficult to handle.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Because only certain individuals know how to handle it, and on the condition that the fingerprint is placed with a specific amount of ink or something similar. If there is too much, the mark is not precise, and if there is too little, it is not precise either. For this reason, we see that using a fingerprint instead of a photo may be greater and more difficult, because a person might press their fingerprints on the paper several times, making it impossible to control them.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Furthermore, it is also susceptible to being rubbed off or something similar. If it changes in the slightest way, it serves no purpose. Therefore, we do not see that such a method is sufficient to replace the method of photography.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : This message is from Unayzah, from the hospital of ... Abdullah Sulayman al-Ghanim. He asks about a woman traveling without a mahram, referring to female employees. He says: Peace be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings. Noble Shaykh Muhammad Salih al-Uthaymeen (may Allah preserve him).