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Does the Hadith, "I have been entrusted with three: every stubborn tyrant, and every one who invokes another god with Allah, and the image-makers," include those who take photographs with a camera?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Scholars have differed concerning the ruling on photography using cameras, video, or mobile phones. Some believe it is forbidden as it falls under the general scope of prophetic texts, except in cases of necessity or need. Others believe it does not fall under the prohibited forms of imagery, because it does not imitate Allah's creation. Many scholars hold the view that photography which only shows the head is not included in the prohibition, citing as evidence the action of the Prophet (peace be upon him) when he commanded Aisha to cut up a garment that had images on it. As for the scholar Ibn Baz, he refrained from permitting photography except for necessity and need, and disagreed with the view that headless images are permissible. Meanwhile, the scholar Ibn Uthaymeen permitted photographic and video imagery for necessity and benefit, explaining that instant photography does not imitate Allah's creation, the image does not appear on the film, and necessity dictates it.

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

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