The Subject Matter of Photographs Accordingly, if any kind of photograph is to be prohibited, the subject matter will be the determing factor. No Muslim would disagree concerning the prohibition of photographing subjects whose portrayal is against the beliefs, morals, and laws of Islam. Thus there cannot be any doubt concerning the prohibition of photographs, drawings, and paintings of nude or semi-nudes, of those parts of the male or female body which excite lust, or of pictures of men and women in sexy poses such as one sees in various magazines, newspapers, and on the billboards of movie "heaters. It is haram to make such pictures, to publish them, to buy them, to take them into homes, offices or shops, or to hang them on walls. It is haram to have the intention of looking at them. The above applies to pictures of tyrants. The Muslim is required to detest such people and to feel enmity toward them for the sake of Allah. A Muslim is not permitted to make or acquire a picture of a "great" man or leader who is an atheist and denies the existence of God; of an idolater who worships cows, fire, or anything else; of a Jew or Christian who denies the Messengership of Muhammad (peace be on him); or of a professed Muslim who does not decide matters according to what Allah has revealed. Likewise, a Muslim should not make or acquire pictures of immoral individuals who propagate obscenity and lewdness in society, such as singers, actors, and other entertainers. Similar is the case of pictures which portray polytheistic rituals or symbols of other religions abhorrent to the Islamic teachings, such as idols, crosses, and the like. Probably during the time of the Prophet (peace be on him) a great majority of rugs, curtains, and cushions bore these types of pictures. Al-Bukhari reported that the Prophet (peace be on him) broke everything in his house which was made in the shape of a cross. (Reported by al-Bukhari.)Ibn Abbas narrated that, during the conquest of Makkah, the Messenger of Allah (peace be on him) did not enter the Sacred House (the Ka'aba) until all the figures in it were destroyed. (Reported by al-Bukhari.)There is no doubt that these figures and images represented the idolatrous practices of the Makkans and were the legacy of generations of unbelief and error. 'All ibn Abu Talib narrated, The Messenger of Allah (peace be on him) was attending a funeral and he said, 'Who among you is capable of going to Madinah and leaving no idol unbroken, no grave unleveled, and no picture undefaced?' A man said, 'O Messenger of Allah, I am able to do it.' He went, and after a time returned and reported, 'O Messenger of Allah, I left no idol unbroken, no grave unleveled, and no picture undefaced.' Then the Messenger of Allah declared, 'Anyone who returns to this sort of practice will have rejected what was revealed to Muhammad.' (Reported by Ahmad. Al-Mondhari commented, "It has insha'Allah good transmitters." Muslim reported on the authority of Hayyan ibn Hasein that the latter said, " 'Ali told me, 'I shall tell you what the Messenger of Allah (peace be on him) told me: "Do not leave any figure without mutilating it or any grave without leveling it." ' ")What could these pictures have been which the Prophet (peace be on him) commanded to have defaced and mutilated except a representation of the idolatry of the period of jahiliyyah? The Prophet (peace be on him) was determined to purify Madinah of the remnants of idolatry, and that is why he described a return to any such practice as rejection of the message revealed to him.
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