Is it permissible for a woman to have her picture taken by her husband, or a mahram, or her mother, or her sister, with a phone camera out of necessity, and then have the picture printed immediately and deleted from the device, in order to avoid men seeing her image, or does this reach the level of being obligatory?

Scholarly opinions vary regarding the ruling on photography. The preponderant view is that it is permissible, provided it does not involve anything unlawful. It is preferable for a woman to avoid exposing her picture to non-mahram men when developing or printing it, in order to protect her and prevent tampering with her image. This can be achieved by having her husband or mother take the picture with a phone.

As for the ruling on uncovering a woman's face when being photographed: those who hold the view that covering the face is obligatory do not permit uncovering it, while those who deem it permissible permit it on condition that there is no fear of temptation (fitna) and that non-mahram men do not look with desire. The preponderant view is that covering the face is obligatory.

It is permissible for a non-mahram man to look at a woman's face out of necessity and if there is no fear of temptation, such as for a witness or someone dealing with her. However, it is forbidden to look with desire or when there is fear of temptation, even if the face is not considered awrah (private parts). This ruling also applies to mahrams.