Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaimin Clarifies His Ruling on Pictures

Question :

To the noble Shaykh Muhammad Ibn Salih Al- 'Uthaimin, may peace be upon you, and the mercy and blessings of Allah.

We nowadays see many pictures, large and small, in stores and supermarkets. They are pictures of famous people, pictures that are placed on products to give prestige to those products. When we warned storeowners about this being unlawful, they said that these pictures are not three- dimensional and that they do not cast a shadow, and therefore they are not unlawful. They say that they read a ruling of yours in 'Al-Muslimun magazine, a ruling that states that a three-dimensional picture, or something that has a body, is unlawful, but otherwise it is not. Please clarify this issue for us. May Allah reward you well and may peace and Allah's mercy and blessings be upon you.

Answer:

In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most A Merciful, and upon you peace and Allah's mercy and blessings.

Whoever attributes to me the saying that a picture that has a body is unlawful, but other than that is not unlawful, has lied upon me. I hold the view that it is not allowed to have any picture, regardless whether it is a picture on clothes for adults or for children. All pictures, including those kept as a memento, are not allowed unless there is a necessity for having or taking one.

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