Pictures & Videos

Q: Is it a sin to upload my own profile photo on LinkedIn or Instagram? I avoid it but almost all modest women upload their pictures. It is so tempting. What is the ruling?

Q: Is owning an image different from creating or drawing an image? I came to know that several Sahaabah and the grandson of Hadhrat Abu Bakar Siddiq (radhiyallahu anhu) owned a curtain that had a picture of birds and phoenix.

Also, several Sahaabah wore rings for stamping that had drawings of men with swords. Kindly clarify the issue.

Q: How does one classify an object as animate or inanimate? Is photography of animals permissible?

Secondly, is it permissible for me to use pictures of flowers/scenery, etc. as a background to create pictures with Quraanic Ayats/Islamic poetry to post on my status (with the intention of it being a means of guidance for myself as well as for whoever sees the status)?

Q: I would like to know if a child can play with toys that have eyes and then after the child plays, the parents or child pack it away so no murat is visible in the house or during namaaz time?

Q: Is it khilaaf-e-sunnah to use emojis that have laughing faces while chatting on WhatsApp? As our Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) didn't laugh showing his mubarak teeth.

Q: On Twitter, there's a social media account where a person anonymously receives and posts stories to his followers of peoples’ samoosa runs. He claims that the stories are anonymous and he has inspired many people. The female fans flock over his stories and get emotional if the story doesn't end well and create fantasies of their own lives when they read a good story. He has posted 128 stories over 3 years. Recently, he posted a picture of a car of someone who saw a girl in a random car and wanted to track her down so he posted that picture for his followers to identify the person. Is it permissible to take pictures of strange women and post them on the internet for such purposes? Is it permissible to continue posting such stories when this is the lengths people will go to?

Q: I read one of your fatwas entitled “Nose surgery to straighten one's nose” where someone asked a question mentioning watching a YouTube video of some Shaikh. As you replied to the answer, you also added that “ Viewing YouTube videos is impermissible. If you had viewed it, then you should make taubah and refrain from repeating this sin in the future”.

I have a small question, rather request a clarification whether it is a sin viewing any video (including of Ulama) or particularly those illicit immoral videos.

Q: Is it permissible to take pictures of lightning?

Q: Is it possible to take a photo of the grave after burial to show the ladys at home?

Q: Is it permissible to take a picture of a person from the back, from head to toe i.e. his face is not visible.