Fatawa

The Ruling on Using Snapchat Filters Which Distort the Image of a Person – Shaikh Salih al-Fawzaan

Question: What is the ruling on changing the face of a person, that is: his image, via the app Snapchat and it has become widespread among the youth? May Allah reward you with good.

Answer: “This is prohibited and from the plot of Shaytan. He promised that, when Allah cursed him and distanced him [from the Paradise], he (Iblis) said:

وَلآمُرَنَّهُمْ فَلَيُغَيِّرُنَّ خَلْقَ اللَّهِ

And indeed I will order them to change the nature created by Allah [4:119]

So they change their form and their features by imitating the disbelievers or imitating women. Yes”

Source:

Translated by

Faisal bin Abdul Qaadir bin Hassan
Abu Sulaymaan

Translator’s Note:

Some of these Snapchat filters distort the image of a person by making them appear as an animal, or make a woman appear as if she has a beard, or a man appear as if he is a woman with make-up on, or turn a person’s face into that of devil etc. All of these are prohibited matters according to the Legislation.

Prohibition of Imitating Animals

 

Ibn `Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (ﷺ) said

لَيْسَ لَنَا مَثَلُ السَّوْءِ، الَّذِي يَعُودُ فِي هِبَتِهِ كَالْكَلْبِ يَرْجِعُ فِي قَيْئِهِ ‏

“There is no bad example with us. He who takes back his present is like a dog that swallows back its vomit.” [al-Bukhari no. 2622]

Hafidh Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy upon him) said in commentary of this Hadith:

It is not necessary for us Muslims to adopt blameworthy qualities which resemble the most degraded of animals” [Fathul-Baari (6/278)]

The Prohibition of Men Imitating Women and Vice Versa

Ibn `Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) that:

قَالَ لَعَنَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم الْمُتَشَبِّهِينَ مِنَ الرِّجَالِ بِالنِّسَاءِ، وَالْمُتَشَبِّهَاتِ مِنَ النِّسَاءِ بِالرِّجَالِ‏

Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) cursed those men who are in the similitude (assume the manners) of women and those women who are in the similitude (assume the manners) of men [al-Bukhari no. 5885]

The Prohibition of Imitating Devils 

Imam Ibn ul-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy upon him) said: “The Legislation has come to prevent the imitation of the disbelievers, animals, devils, the imitation women [by men], Bedouins, and every deficient person” [al-Furusiyyah (pg. 45)]

 

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