Angels Being Photographed

23-4-2000 | IslamWeb

Question:

Can angels be photographed? Is it possible they have a shape similar to humans?

Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) is His slave and Messenger.

Angels are creatures of Allah just like any other creatures. Allah has created them from light, and He gave them the possibility of taking different shapes. Indeed, Jibreel (Gabriel)  may  Allaah  exalt  his  mention used to come to the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) in the shape of the known Companion whose name is Dihya al-Kalbi  may  Allaah  be  pleased  with  him.

Al-Bukhaari and Muslim  may  Allaah  have  mercy  upon  them reported that Jibreel came to the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) while Um Salamah was present. Jibreel started talking to the Prophet and then left. The Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) asked Um Salamah, “Do you know who it was?” (or a similar question). She replied: “It was Dihya.” (a handsome person amongst the companions of the Prophet). Later on Um Salamah  may  Allaah  be  pleased  with  her said: “I swear by Allah! I thought he was none but Dihya, till I heard the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) talking about Jibreel in his sermon.

Besides, Imaam Ahmad  may  Allaah  have  mercy  upon  him reported that a man from the Ansar said that he saw the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) talking for a long time with a man. After he left, the man from the Ansar came and asked the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) about that man. The Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) asked him: “Did you see him?” He replied “Yes”. The Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) asked: “Do you know who he was?” The man replied: “No”. The Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) said: “That was Jibreel, he kept on advising me about the neighbor till I thought that he was going to give him a share in the inheritance.” The Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) added: “Had you greeted him with Salaam, he would have replied to your greeting.

As for taking the picture of the angel with a camera, there is nothing in the Quran or the Sunnah that implies the possibility or impossibility of doing so.

The correct opinion is that if they come in the form of human beings, they could be photographed, otherwise they can't.
However, even if it is possible to take pictures of them, it is forbidden to do so as they are live beings and there is sound evidence that taking pictures of living beings is not permissible unless there is a necessity or a dire need; such conditions are not present as far as Angels are concerned.

Allah knows best.

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