[Q 555] Using Books with Images

QUESTION:

Is drawing faces (with eyes, nose, mouth) for sketch purpose permissible in islam?
Also doodles,comic characters or emojis,can we draw?
If not then what is the ruling of learning from
text in schools/colleges containing those images.
Kindly share the Do’s and Don’ts.

ANSWER:

To make such a picture of a living being (jaandaar) in which its face (eyes, nose, etc.) is clearly visible is not permissible (jaiz nahin). However, imaginary sketches, cartoons, or emojis which do not have any real existence in reality are permissible, because they do not fall under the ruling of pictures (tasveer ke hukm mein nahin aate).

Those educational books which contain pictures of living beings and whose content is not against the Shari‘ah (khilaf-e-shar‘ na ho), it is permissible to read them and to keep them, because there the objective is not the picture, rather it is to acquire knowledge.

Answered by: Hafiz Jahanzaib (Ask Mufti Scholar)
Translated answer
Date: 21st February 2026.