Clarification of the ruling on the widespread prevalence of these images in food containers, cartons, newspapers, and the like.
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The Shaykh : Two issues remain for us. The first is the widespread prevalence of these images in everything, with very few exceptions. Yes, images are found in food containers, are they not? They are found in food containers, they are found in the cartons that preserve food, they are found in books, they are found in newspapers, they are found in everything, except what Allah wills. Yes?
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Yes, very well. So what do we say? For some, images of edible items are also present, such as the image of a fish or the image of a rabbit. Yes. Some people have researched this issue and said, "This is fine; he answers it and eats it... the biscuit and its like are destroyed by eating them, he profits, yes?"
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Yes, very well. He said this encourages the factory, it encourages the one who makes this thing. In any case, regarding this which has become widespread, we say that if a person acquires it for the sake of the images, there is no doubt that it is forbidden. That is to say, if he finds an image in this magazine or this newspaper and he likes it, so he keeps it with him, this is forbidden, there is no doubt. Or if he buys images, or buys the magazines in which images are published for the sake of the images, this is forbidden.
As for if it is for knowledge, benefit, and looking at the news, I hope there is no harm in it, considering the difficulty and hardship. And Allah the Exalted said:[Al-Hajj 22:78] These images are not intended by the person, neither at the time of purchase nor at the time of reading, ever, and they do not concern him. Yes, if it is assumed that a person has a household and he fears that among these images there is someone handsome and beautiful whom the women would be captivated by, then at that time it is not permissible for this magazine and this newspaper to be in his house. But this is an incidental prohibition. Just as the issue of containers and the issue of cartons containing food and the like, it may be said that there is something of degradation in them, so they do not fall into the category of the forbidden.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Yes, very well. So what do we say? For some, images of edible items are also present, such as the image of a fish or the image of a rabbit. Yes. Some people have researched this issue and said, "This is fine; he answers it and eats it... the biscuit and its like are destroyed by eating them, he profits, yes?"
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Yes, very well. He said this encourages the factory, it encourages the one who makes this thing. In any case, regarding this which has become widespread, we say that if a person acquires it for the sake of the images, there is no doubt that it is forbidden. That is to say, if he finds an image in this magazine or this newspaper and he likes it, so he keeps it with him, this is forbidden, there is no doubt. Or if he buys images, or buys the magazines in which images are published for the sake of the images, this is forbidden.
As for if it is for knowledge, benefit, and looking at the news, I hope there is no harm in it, considering the difficulty and hardship. And Allah the Exalted said: