Is it Permissible to Snap Pics of People without their Permission?

Question:

Is it permissible for people to snap pics of people without their permission? For eg you go to a shop and it says photography prohibited and you still snap pics, are you accountable for that?

Answer:

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

It is impermissible to take pictures.[i] Consider the following Hadith:

إن أشد الناس عذابا يوم القيامة المصورون

(صحيح مسلم: 2109)

Translation: Indeed, the people who will receive the severest punishment from Allah on the day of resurrection will be the picture makers” (Sahih Muslim: 2109)

Furthermore, taking pictures without one’s permission is also an invasion of one’s privacy which compounds the prohibition.

Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai

[i]

http://www.askimam.org/public/question_detail/25108

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