Ilan al-Nakir ala al-Maftunin bil-Taswir
- Author died
- 1413 AH
- Editions
- Dar al-Hijrah lil-Tiba'ah wal-Nashr
I'lan al-Nakir 'ala al-Maftunin bi-al-Taswir (Proclamation of Denunciation against Those Infatuated with Image-Making) is a treatise by the Saudi Hanbali scholar Hammud ibn Abdullah al-Tuwayjiri (d. 1413 AH / 1992 CE) on the Islamic legal prohibition of depicting animate beings and modern photography.
Background and Publication
The work was written in response to the growing prevalence of modern photography, portraiture, and displayed images in contemporary Muslim society, as well as fatwas permitting mechanical or flat imagery. It was published in Riyadh by Mu'assasat al-Nur li-al-Tiba'ah in 1382 AH (1962 CE) in a single volume of 118 pages, and was later reissued by Dar al-Hijrah in Riyadh.
The book features introductory endorsements by prominent scholars:
- Abd al-Aziz ibn Abd Allah ibn Baz, then vice president of the Islamic University of Medina, praised the work for refuting specious arguments, documenting prophetic evidence across hadith compilations, and articulating the underlying wisdom of the prohibition.
- Abd al-Razzaq Afifi, teacher at the College of Sharia in Riyadh, endorsed the book on 19 Muharram 1382 AH, commending its comprehensive coverage of the textual proofs, historical reports, and theological hazards associated with imagery.
Contents and Methodology
The treatise opens with Quranic and prophetic warnings regarding image-makers, citing the interpretation reported from Ikrimah that إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يُؤْذُونَ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ لَعَنَهُمُ اللَّهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالآخِرَةِ ("Indeed, those who abuse Allah and His Messenger—Allah has cursed them in this world and the Hereafter") refers to image-makers.
Al-Tuwayjiri gathers hadiths from the canonical collections (al-Sihah, al-Sunan, and al-Masanid) establishing that creating representations of beings possessing souls (dhawat al-arwah)—whether humans or animals—is a major sin (kabirah). He systematically analyzes the following core themes:
- Photographic Imagery: Al-Tuwayjiri argues that modern camera photography falls directly under the general prophetic ban on image-making (taswir). He contends that because photographic apparatuses reproduce the exact likeness of animate life even more faithfully than manual drawing or engraving, photography is no less severe in prohibition than traditional hand-rendered art.
- Theological Hazards and Idolatry: The text details how depicting and hanging images of righteous figures, dignitaries, or women leads to spiritual corruption, excessive veneration, and ultimately polytheism (shirk), drawing parallels to how idolatry first originated in ancient times.
- Refutation of Opposing Arguments: Al-Tuwayjiri responds to legal opinions permitting non-sculpted or photographic images. In particular, he examines the report concerning Aisha playing with dolls/figures before the Prophet ﷺ, discussing scholarly interpretations regarding the age of young girls or the debased status of toys.
Al-Tuwayjiri authored another work addressing the same subject titled Tahrim al-Taswir wa-al-Radd 'ala Man Abahah (The Prohibition of Image-Making and Refutation of Those Who Permitted It).
Answer updated