Discussion on the ruling regarding photography.

The Shaykh : We used to think that the Zahiri school had been eliminated, that it had been put to an end, because it is now open-minded, possessing clear and pure thought. But here we are, regressing because of the desires that control people's hearts now, as we mentioned. There are many hadiths regarding the prohibition of images. Now, some writers, some of whom have permitted musical instruments, say...

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : I take paper, I take your picture, I draw you with a pen. This is forbidden, forbidden. I remember when I was in elementary school in Damascus, they would take the students out to the recess. The art teacher, due to his precision, would place the blackboard on one side of the courtyard. He would see a boy running and playing and say, "Come here, boy." He would place the board in front of him and take... and if the image is the image of the boy, in moments it is imprinted on the board with his hand. Now, these writers say: The images about which the hadith came regarding their prohibition are hand-drawn images. So if I draw you now like this, it is forbidden, but if I take a photograph of you, it is permissible. What is the difference between the two images? It is like the difference between two vessels. Do you understand me? This is an image and that is an image. What is the difference between them? There is no difference between them, neither linguistically nor by custom. For example, if I draw a naked woman, I draw it, it is forbidden. Good. If I photograph her, it is forbidden. Good. A Muslim with a beard, with dignity, with majesty, drawn by hand, this is forbidden. But by the machine that the disbelievers have relied upon for many years...

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : ...and they develop in it, and they develop. They used to develop the film, do you know? Now there is no need for development; with electricity, in one moment, the picture comes out. The modern Zahiri says to you, "I am saying now, the modern Zahiri says to you, 'My brother, the one who drew is the one who took a paper and took a pen and looked and scrutinized, whereas the one who is photographed by the photographic machine did not draw. Who pressed the shutter? He who drew. Who directs the device at the subject? He who pressed the shutter, and so on.' The bottom line: this is modern Zahirism. I call it that."

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : There is no difference between this hand-drawn image and the photographic image. Why? Linguistically, this is an image and that is an image. Socially, the effect is one; there is no difference between this and that. Now, I will tell you a story that happened between me and one of the students. It was my custom, when I was in Damascus, to travel for a week every month in the cause of da'wah. So I went, as usual, to Aleppo, and I had an old car that carried me, meaning from my country, from Damascus to Aleppo, and from Aleppo to other places, and then back to Damascus.

The questioner : How far is it, Shaykh?

The Shaykh: Yes.

The questioner : How far? How many kilometers?

The Shaykh : 400 kilometers. In any case, I was told that so-and-so, whose nickname is Bazaar Pasha, wanted to ride with you. Do you have any objection? I told him, "I have no objection." The bottom line, he rode with me. I left Aleppo heading to Damascus. He said to me, "Professor, I want to ask you a question." I said to him, "Go ahead." It was about the photographic image. I spoke with him at length with words like these. But at that moment, a very pleasant thought came to me. I said to him, "They claim—do you know what 'they claim' means? I imagined the thing."

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : What I am saying now is: They claim that a noble Shaykh visited a student of his in his home. When he sat in the front of the room, he saw his picture hanging there on the wall. The Shaykh said to his student: "So-and-so, I know that you are a student of knowledge, righteous, and pious. I taught you the hadiths and discussed some hadiths with you. How is it that you have my picture hanging here?" He said to him: "By Allah, Shaykh, it is out of love for you, and to remember you, your virtue, and your knowledge, and so on." "No, no, this is not permissible. Take it down." Immediately, the boy took it down. And as they say in our region in Sham, "Days passed and days came," and the story was forgotten. Then the Shaykh visited his student again, and he found the picture in its place. He took offense at the student and said: "How is this? I advised you, and you responded to my advice. Why did you betray me after I left and put my picture back on the wall?" He said: "Your Eminence, here is the joke. Your Eminence, this is a photographic image, not a hand-drawn image. We understood from you the difference between the photographic image and the hand-drawn image. So this is a photographic image." So he patted him on the shoulder. "May Allah bless you. You are a diligent, hardworking student. What is this Zahirism? This is Zahirism now. The contemporary writers are singing about the distinction between photographic images and hand-drawn images."