Miscellaneous

Teaching online

Q: I plan to teach online using platforms such as Blabelia and Blabmate. I need the Shar'ee instructions for the following:

1) Uploading a photo? Should I or should I not? Though its a requirement, yet I feel hesitant to upload my photo.

2) Teaching online- might involve - males and females as there is not control over it. So what should I do or write on my profile that is not discriminatory as I want to teach males only?

3) If in case, I end up finding females in my online classes, what should I do? Should I teach them? How? Apart from that are there any sharia rules that apply?

Using human bodies to study anatomy

Q: There will be an exhibition called "body works" held in cape town soon. It is where the human body is displayed in its true form but in such a way that it educates people on how the body works and illustrate certain aspects of the human anatomy. It is very informative and I would like to attend since I am in the medical field. The only thing is that those are actual human bodies which obviously have been preserved for this purpose. Is it islamically permissible to view these bodies or attend such an exhibition even if it is being done very professionally and discreetly?

Interviewing women on television

Q: You may have heard of brother Mu'adh Khan from UK (aka Colonel). He has connection with Deobandi Ulama and is mostly well regarded. His latest idea or fad (call it what you will) is to do a TV Documentary on Deobandis in light of the media attack on Deobandis in the UK. He says he needs to do something for the Ummah right now and has requested sisters to come forward who wish to speak on camera. On his Twitter account he is moaning to Muftis that he can't get hold of any women for the documentary. Surely a TV programme involving at least the voice and possibly the face of a ghayr mahram is impermissible or am I missing some Fiqh that the self-styled scholar has tapped in to? Is this not a case of using batil means to spread the Haq?

Is digital photography the same as picture making?

Q: I wish to know what Islam says regarding digital photography. I hear that some scholars regard it as permissible arguing that it is totally different from a normal picture due to it having more resemblance with the reflection of a mirror. Based on this, it is permissible for one to capture digital photos of animate objects and store them on one’s phone. Is this viewpoint correct?

Could you please clarify the issue for me and explain the correct Islamic viewpoint on this matter to me, as well as provide me with the answers to the arguments of those who claim that digital photography is permissible?

I would appreciate if you could also explain the view of the four Imaams regarding photography.