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What is the ruling on photographic images that include the head and part of the chest of a deceased person or a family member? Must they be destroyed? And what is the ruling on drawing a part of a human or an animal? And what is the ruling on digital video recording and satellite channels that display images of humans and animals?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Still or video photography of living beings is originally permissible. Its permissibility does not require it to be for a religious purpose, and it is not forbidden to keep permissible photographs, whether of the deceased or the living. As for drawing landscapes by hand, it is permissible. Drawing living beings is permissible if they have a physical defect without which life cannot exist. However, if they are complete in their creation, the majority of scholars forbid them, except for things like children's dolls and the like. Prohibited drawings do not necessarily have to be burned; rather, it is sufficient to efface them, remove their features, or treat them with contempt by stepping on them or similar actions.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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