Permissible photographs
Fatwa No: 88079

Question

I have some question on photos. I read some of your fatawa on photography and want to make something clear. I know that it is forbidden to hang photos, to take photos, but is okay to take photos of mosques, nature such as trees, lakes etc.? I have photos of myself alone and some photos of family members before my reversion to Islam,
Alhamdulillah what is I suppose to do with those photos, destroy or keep? I was a photographer so I want to know if anything is permissible to photograph in Islam. I asked about the permissibility to photograph mosques because there are some beautiful books on mosques through out the world and Islamic art. I hope Allah will bless you for your efforts.

Answer

Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds; and may His blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his Family and Companions.

Taking photos of mosques, oceans, trees, natural scenes and all other non-living things is allowed. Ibn Abbas may Allah be pleased with him said to a person: "If you insist on image making then make the pictures of a tree and non-living things."

As for taking pictures of living things it is of three kinds, as mentioned in the fatwas 83020, 83351 and 83249.

For the pictures that you have, it is more appropriate to get rid of them to avoid the difference of opinion.

Allah knows best.

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