[Q 658] Islamic View on Printed Illustrations

QUESTION:

I would like to ask about the Islamic ruling regarding printing images. Is it permissible to print pictures in which people are not clearly depicted, for example when they are shown only from behind, as silhouettes, or in a way that their facial features are not visible or recognizable?

(02) Furthermore, these images are not photographs of real people but rather cartoon-style or illustrated figures. Does this make any difference in the ruling, and what is the Islamic perspective on printing such images?

ANSWER:

It is Najaiz (impermissible) and sinful to print the image of a living being on a page or any object where the image appears clearly (such as a wall, the ground, and the like), without a valid Shar‘i (Islamic legal) necessity. Here, the term “image” refers to the face. Therefore, drawing only a face in which the eyes, nose, lips, and other facial features are clearly visible is also Najaiz (impermissible) and sinful, even if the remaining body parts, such as the hands and feet, are not depicted.

Similarly, if the hands, feet, and other body parts are drawn but the face is not drawn, then this does not fall under the prohibition, because the blessed Hadith has identified the face as the basis of the image. Removing the face from an image also removes it from the category of prohibited images.

Therefore, the images mentioned in the question, in which the face is not present—such as figures shown only from the back, silhouettes, or images drawn in such a manner that the facial features are not visible—are permissible to paint and to print. Any income earned through such work will also be Jaiz (permissible) and Halal (lawful).

(02) The fundamental criterion is whether the image represents a living being (Jandar), meaning a type of creature that exists, whether human or animal. If it depicts such a living being, then printing it is Najaiz (impermissible) and sinful, even if it is in cartoon form or generated through AI. The same ruling applies to painting such images.

(For further details, please refer to the following fatwa: https://ask-mufti.com/2026/01/30/q-529-pictures-of-humans-and-animals/)

The blessed Hadith states:

عن أبي هريرة قال: «الصورة الرأس , فكل شيء ليس له رأس , فليس بصورة»
(Sharh Ma‘ani al-Athar, Hadith: 6947)

Another Hadith states:

عن أبي هريرة قال: استأذن جبريل عليه السلام على النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم، فقال: «ادخل» فقال: كيف أدخل وفي بيتك ستر فيه تصاوير، فإما أن تقطع رءوسها، أو تجعل بساطا يوطأ فإنا معشر الملائكة لا ندخل بيتا فيه تصاوير
(Sunan al-Nasa’i, Hadith: 5365)

It is stated in Fayd al-Qadir:

(الصورة الرأس) أي الصورة المحرمة ما كانت ذات رأس (فإذا قطع الرأس فلا صورة) فتصوير الحيوان حرام لكن إذا قطعت رأسه انتفى التحريم لأنها بدون الرأس لا تسمى صورة
(Fayd al-Qadir, Vol. 4, p. 242)

It is stated in Al-Hidayah:

وإذا كان التمثال مقطوع الرأس أي ممحو الرأس فليس بتمثال فلا يكره؛ لأنه لا يعبد بدون الرأس
(Al-Hidayah ma‘a al-Binayah, 2/458)

It is stated in Fatawa Ridawiyyah:

“Indeed, the face is the essential element in the image of a living being. This is why Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah رضي الله تعالى عنه referred to it as the image. There is no doubt that people often refer to the face alone as an image and many image-makers restrict themselves to drawing only the face. Christian kings who desired their images on coins would often limit them to the face alone. Furthermore, the common objectives of images are fulfilled through the face. وانما الشیئ بمقاصدہ (Indeed, matters are judged according to their objectives.)”

(Fatawa Ridawiyyah, Vol. 24)

Answered by: Mubashir Attari (AskMufti Scholar)
Verified by: Mufti Sajid Attari
Translated answer
Date: 14th June 2026.