BENEFIT 425: What is the evidence that photography is haram, given that it did not exist during the time of the Prophet ﷺ?

Sheikh Sulayman Ar-Ruhaili waffaqahullah: The One who legislated [Islam] for us, my dear brother, is the All-Knowing—He who knows what was, what is, and what will be, and even what never was, had it occurred, how it would have been. The matter is not based on human legislation, which is limited to the knowledge of their own time and ignorant of what lies ahead. For that reason, human laws require constant revision, and many of them are flawed from the outset. However, when a ruling is tied to a particular description or characteristic, we understand that wherever and whenever that description is present, the ruling applies—until the Day of Judgment. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Allāh has cursed the image-makers.” So we ask you: Is this a person an image-maker or not? Everyone agrees that they are an image-maker. Do you claim to know better than Allāh? Glory be to Him! The Prophet ﷺ also said: “The people who will be most severely punished on the Day of Judgment are the image-makers.” And this person is an image-maker. Now, my dear brother, let us reason together. Suppose there was only a 10% chance that photography is included in the prohibition mentioned in the texts—would it be worth that risk? Would it be worth exposing yourself to even a 10% chance of incurring Allāh’s curse? Would it be worth even a 10% chance of being among the most severely punished people on the Day of Judgment? I swear by Allāh, even if it were a 1% chance, what benefit would justify that risk? Why would I endanger myself by possibly incurring the curse of Allāh? All of us—every Muslim—seeks the mercy of Allāh. So how can a Muslim knowingly put themselves at risk of being excluded from that mercy through something as trivial as a photo? Even if there's only a small chance, say 5% or 10%, the risk is great. What is the case, then, if the principles of the Shari'ah necessitate that the likelihood of inclusion under these textual prohibitions is the stronger probability?! This matter is not about personal desire or whims; it concerns the mercy of Allāh and the risk of being cast away from it, and the punishment of Allāh. These are clear texts. My sincere advice to myself and my brothers is to avoid tasweer entirely. What harm would come to us if we never took a photo until the day we died? What would we lose? But the potential harm of a single image could be immense. Now, if there is a legitimate need—such as for an ID card, certificate, or required documentation—then the scholars have permitted it due to necessity. But today, our phones are filled with photos—this one takes pictures, that one takes pictures—for what benefit? You may ask me if I have any photos—I pray I don’t—but even if I do, I ask: What benefit have they brought? And to the one who doesn’t have any photos on his phone, has he suffered any harm? Not at all. The one who uses a simple flashlight phone worth 20 riyals—what harm has come to him? None. So why do we take such risks? How have we come to value our religion so little, and our worldly matters so highly—even when there is no tangible benefit? If there were wealth or sustenance involved, one might understand the motivation. But here, there is no benefit, and the texts are clear, and the matter is serious. So why do we take the risk? By Allāh, if you were to go today and delete every unnecessary image from your phone or any other device, what harm would come to you? I swear, doing so with the intention of drawing closer to Allāh would increase you in reward and in faith, and you would not be harmed in the slightest. I assure you, deleting the images will not hurt you. These images bring no benefit—and removing them causes no harm. So why risk your soul? Why risk your religion? Thus, my advice, dear brothers, is to beware of what the Messenger of Allah ﷺ warned us against. And I believe this is sufficient. And Allah knows best.