My question refers to a previous Fatwa were you said that taking pictures or portraits of people is Haraam. If it is so how come I see pictures of people on every Islaamic web page including yours?

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. We ask Allaah to exalt his mention as well as that of his family and all his companions.

If the picture is of a living being either of a human being or animal, and it is a three dimensional-picture for instance, then this is forbidden according to the agreement of all the scholars. However, the contemporary scholars differed in relation to photographic pictures that are taken with a photo-camera. Some scholars consider them as forbidden, and some others have permitted them. In our website, we used some of these pictures because of the preponderant benefit in the use of such pictures. We have previously stated in our Fatwas that it is more appropriate to avoid these pictures as long as there is no preponderant religious benefit in their use.

Allaah knows best.