What is the ruling on displaying bloody images of slain Muslims, and is it sufficient to display images of them in their shrouds out of respect for them and their families?
It is permissible to display images and videos of victims, the dead, and the wounded, with conditions: 1. Not to publish images of women absolutely. 2. The necessity of obscuring nakedness (awrat). 3. Not to publish sexual violations and rape, due to the generality of Allah's saying: (Tell the believing men to reduce [some] of their gaze and guard their private parts. That is purer for them. Indeed, Allah is Acquainted with what they do. And tell the believing women to reduce [some] of their gaze and guard their private parts) An-Nur/30-31. 4. Not to publish images of dismembered body parts or severed heads, to preserve the sanctity of the Muslim, and because such scenes may cause despair, hopelessness, and panic. This can be inferred from what happened with the Prophet, peace be upon him, in the Battle of Uhud, when Hamza, may Allah be pleased with him, was mutilated. The Prophet prevented Safiyyah bint Abd al-Muttalib from seeing him. 5. They should not be accompanied by any unlawful musical instruments or singing. 6. Not to exaggerate in showing the enemy's strength to the point of instilling despair in the hearts of Muslims. 7. To verify the credibility of the transmission. 8. To keep mosques free from such images. 9. If the image is of a deceased person or one whose body has been mutilated, their face should not be shown so that people do not recognize them, out of respect for their sanctity.
The benefits achieved by publishing images and videos of torture: 1. Influencing public opinion to stand with the oppressed Muslims and to stop the war, torture, and violations. 2. Confirming the crime against its perpetrator, which helps to correct the image in the world and to prosecute and punish the perpetrators. 3. Responding to the enemy's media that denies the occurrence of casualties and exposing their false claims of freedom and humanity. 4. Collecting charity and donations, sponsoring orphans, and caring for widows. 5. Inciting jihad and avenging the blood of Muslims.
The harms resulting from publishing images: 1. Desensitization due to the frequent display of images of the dead and wounded. 2. The cessation of emotional impact when there is nothing in the images. 3. Causing great harm to Muslims, especially civilians, which requires those in charge of Islamic media to be wise and rational in dealing with them.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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