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Using photos of women in Hijaab on Da'wah leaflets

Question

I was thinking about making some leaflets so that I can give Daw‘ah (proselytization) to the disbelievers in my city. On these leaflets, I want to write about Islam, but I also want to put some photos from internet on them so that people can see the beauty of Islam. Am I allowed to put photos of females who wear the hijab/niqab on these leaflets and give those to people?

Answer

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) is His slave and Messenger.

First of all, we implore Allah to reward you generously for this noble objective; namely, promoting Islam and encouraging people to embrace it. Verily, this is one of the means to success in this worldly life and the Hereafter. Allah, The Exalted, says (what means): {And let there be (arising) from you a nation inviting to (all that is) good, enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong, and those will be the successful.} [Quran 3:104]

May Allah reward you for this praiseworthy act, and may He put it on the scale of your good deeds on the Day of Judgment, when neither wealth nor children will be of any benefit, except for the one who meets his Lord with a pure heart.

As for your question, there is no doubt that photos may be a source of Fitnah (temptation) for the viewers. Sometimes, photos may be a greater source of Fitnah than the reality; therefore, it is not permissible to put a photo of a woman if her face is not covered. However, if her face is covered, then there is no harm in putting her photo. Such a photo may not serve your purpose in the environment which you live in though. It may even bring about the opposite effect of what is intended - encouraging people to embrace Islam and softening their hearts towards it - especially given the fierce attacks on Islam nowadays.

Hence, you should seek other alternatives that suit your environment and conform to the Shariah. We believe that you may well find useful examples in this regard.

You may also consult with specialized designers; they may be able to help you with it.

Allah knows best.

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