Hello.
Here are a couple of common justifications for this:
(1) The photographs are not meant to be worshipped or venerated.
(2) Photography involves "capturing images" rather than "making
images." Whereaas painting and sculpting involve using human
creativity to make something that resembles a living thing,
photography simply captures light.
sources:
"It is therefore evident that the prohibition of pictures pertains to
a specific form. If the art of image making and sculpturing does not
cultivate the sentiments of worship towards something, then it is
certainly not disallowed. Islam has no objection against photographs,
which, today, have become a social need as well in the form of
identity cards, passports, etc, whether they are made by a still
camera or a video camera. Similarly, pictures of one's relatives and
family bear no label of prohibition."
source: QNA on Islam: Image and Portrait Making
http://www.themodernreligion.com/misc/hh/picture.html
"13. What do the Qur’an and the Hadith say about images?
* Images are of different types.
* Images of people or animals drawn by hand are haram – clearly.
* Photographs and videos are not haram, because in a photo or video,
you are simply capturing real life, rather than creating an image
using your imagination. However, photographs should not be displayed
on the wall. "
source: FAMILY LIFE IN ISLAM
http://www.islam-australia.iinet.net.au/YahyaIbrahim-FamilyLifeinIslam1.htm
"In the light of this analysis, the prohibition of portraits and music
can be easily understood: only portraits which possessed religious
sanctity and led people into worshipping them had been prohibited,
while music and songs which possessed an element of immorality in them
had been forbidden. Both music and image-making, it is clear, were not
condemned because of any intrinsic evil in them, but because the
former contributed to the polytheistic tendencies of people while the
latter was responsible of stimulating base sentiments in a person"
source: Islam and the Fine Arts, hosted by crescentlife.com
http://www.crescentlife.com/spirituality/islam_&_fine_arts.htm
"ARE PHOTOGRAPHS AND PICTORIAL ART PROHIBITED IN ISLAM?," cached by
Google:
http://216.239.53.104/search?q=cache:7ylDaaYPbRsC:www.tijaniyya.com/photographs.htm&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&client=googlet
"...images were condemned not for any intrinsic evil in them, but
primarily because they contributed to the polytheistic tendencies of
the people of that time. It appears that idolatory and picture worship
were rampant in that period and since predominantly monotheistic
attitude of Islam could not have tolerated even the slightest
deviation from the cause of 'Tawhid' (monotheism), all types of images
were condemned to start with. The condemnation was intended for the
purpose of blocking all ways leading to the evil. There are examples
in some other areas of Islam as well which lead us to believe that if
once an extreme step helps in obliterating an evil, and the
condemnation of the mere cause is not needed for the purpose, Islam
does not insist in continuing with a restriction upon such cases...
Therefore, all images, whether paintings, statues or photographs which
do not contribute to the cause of polytheism anymore, are permissible.
That is, if they do not violate other principles of Islam.
source: islamicissues.jeeran.com
http://islamicissues.jeeran.com/finearts.html#photography
Here's a contrary view on the subject, though:
"Whoever claims that photographs are not included in the general
prohibition or that the prohibition applies only to three-dimensional
images and those that cast a shadow is making a false claim, because
the ahaadeeth concerning that are general in meaning. There is no
differentiation between one kind of image and another. The scholars
have clearly stated that the prohibition applies to photographs and
other kinds of pictures, such as Imaam al-Nawawi, al-Haafiz ibn Hajar
and others. The hadeeth of ‘Aa’ishah concerning the story of the
curtain is clear, and what it indicates is that an image which is on a
curtain is not three dimensional, rather it is a kind of drawing on
cloth, but despite that the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) counted it as trying to match the creation of Allaah."
source: ummah.com, cached by Google
http://216.239.53.104/search?q=cache:V9FnkfNEwhgC:www.ummah.com/islam/taqwapalace/images.htm+islam+images+photographs+haram+worship&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&client=googlet
search terms:
islam, koran, quran
images, photographs, photography, portraits
I hope this helps. |
