Can A Husband View Photos Of His Deceased Wife?

Answered by Shaykh Yusuf Weltch

Question

Is a husband permitted to look at photos of his deceased wife without hijab? If not permitted in the Hanafi school, do other schools allow it?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.

It is not permissible for a husband to look at the areas of nakedness of his deceased wife, nor to touch her. [Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]

This is because the contract of marriage for a husband ceases at the death of his spouse. This is concerning the Sacred law in this world, even though they will still be considered spouses in the next world. [Ibid.]

The Shafii School

The Shafi school, on the other hand, has a bit more latitude in this regard as they differentiate looking at the wife, herself and a picture of the wife. They do, however, only allow this on condition that there is no sexual desire when looking at the picture. This answer is taken from the answer in this link.

Hope this helps
Allah knows best
[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Yusuf Weltch is a teacher of Arabic, Islamic law, and spirituality. After accepting Islam in 2008, he went on to study at Darul Uloom Seminary in New York and completed his studies at Darul Mustafa in Tarim, Yemen.

There, he completed the memorization of the Quran and his study of Islamic Sciences. Throughout his years of study, he was blessed to learn from many great scholars: Habib Umar bin Hafiz, Habib Kazhim al-Saqqaf, Shaykh ‘Umar bin Husayn al-Khatib, and others.

Upon returning, he joined the SeekersGuidance faculty in the summer of 2019.