Is it obligatory to lower the gaze from a picture of a woman's shadow where her hair appears?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
Looking at the image you mentioned is not forbidden, as long as you do not fear temptation or lust from it. Jurists have explicitly stated the permissibility of looking at the image of the awrah (private parts) in a mirror and the like, as mentioned in Tuhfat al-Muhtaj. This is supported by the fact that divorcing contingent upon sight does not occur by seeing a reflection in a mirror. The questioner is advised to turn away from obsessive thoughts and stop preoccupying themselves with them.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/170346
Where this answer came from
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- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 170346
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy