Is Hanging Pictures of Deceased People Considered to Be Unbelief (Kufr)?
Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel
Question
Is hanging pictures of deceased people considered to be unbelief (Kufr)?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate
I pray you are in good faith and health.
Hanging pictures of the deceased is not an act of disbelief (kufr). However, as there is a difference of opinion amongst scholars, the majority of them saying it would be impermissible and sinful, one should avoid hanging pictures and photos on the wall; this is the way of caution and Allah consciousness (taqwa) and a greater assurance of not preventing the angels of mercy entering our homes.
There are two opinions about photos of humans and animals, whether it falls under the picture-making prohibited by the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) or not. The majority, also a more strong and cautious opinion, is that it falls under the prohibition, and the other opinion is photos are different from picture making. [Taqi Usmani, Takmila al-Fath al-Mulhim]
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I pray this helps with your question.
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Mawlana Ilyas Patel is a traditionally-trained scholar who has studied within UK, India, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan and Turkey.
He started his early education in UK. He went onto complete hifz of Qur’an in India, then enrolled into an Islamic seminary in UK where he studied the secular and Alimiyyah sciences. He then travelled to Karachi, Pakistan.
He has been an Imam in Rep of Ireland for a number of years. He has taught hifz of the Qur’an, Tajwid, Fiqh and many other Islamic sciences to both children and adults onsite and online extensively in UK and Ireland. He was teaching at a local Islamic seminary for 12 years in the UK where he was a librarian and a teacher of Islamic sciences.
He currently resides in UK with his wife. His personal interest is love of books and gardening.
