Is There Any Sound Tradition of Prophet Using a Mirror?


Answered by Shaykh Abdurragmaan Khan

Question: Is there any Sahih hadith of prophet using a mirror? Asking because some say photography is haram but it’s not unlike looking at the mirror.

Answer: Assalamu alaykum

Shukran for your question.

The famous narrations regarding the dua made by the Messenger sallaLlahu alayhi wasallam when looking into a mirror are considered weak by many of the scholars. However, this does not negate the fact that RasuluLlah sallaLlahu alayhi wasallam may have looked into or used a mirror.

Similarly, the scholars who prohibited photography did so because of narrations prohibiting taswir. One of the meanings of taswir is the depiction of those creatures of Allah who have souls. There is a lengthy debate about this, which has been discussed in great detail elsewhere.

Nonetheless, whichever position one decides to follow, one is required to respect the views of the scholars.

And Allah knows

[Shaykh] Abdurragmaan Khan

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Abdurragmaan received ijazah ’ammah from various luminaries, including but not restricted to: Habib Umar ibn Hafiz—a personality who affected him greatly and who has changed his relationship with Allah, Maulana Yusuf Karaan—the former Mufti of Cape Town; Habib ‘Ali al-Mashhur—the current Mufti of Tarim; Habib ‘Umar al-Jaylani—the Shafi‘i Mufti of Makkah; Sayyid Ahmad bin Abi Bakr al-Hibshi; Habib Kadhim as-Saqqaf; Shaykh Mahmud Sa’id Mamduh; Maulana Abdul Hafiz al-Makki; Shaykh Ala ad-Din al-Afghani; Maulana Fazlur Rahman al-Azami and Shaykh Yahya al-Gawthani amongst others.