Why Logo Designing Is Not Haram in Islam: Must Read Article
C.J Ahmed-15.03.2023
Logo designing is not haram in Islam irrespective of the logo containing images of animate or inanimate objects. The evidence is I n the below hadith,
Ubaydullah ibn `Abdullah who narrated that he went to Abu Talhah Al-Ansary to visit him during his illness and found Sahl ibn Hunayf with him. Abu Talhah asked someone to remove a rug on the floor. Sahl asked: "Why do you (want to) remove it? He replied: Because it includes suras and I know what the Messenger of Allah (Sal) said about them (suras – i.e. the ruling on them). He said: Did he not say: “Except a design in a cloth”. He said, “Yes, but this is more comfortable for me.”
(Narrated in Musnad Ahmed, Nasai , Tirmidhi-Imam Tirmidhi graded it as Hasan Sahih)
Narrated on the authority of Busr ibn Sa`id from Zayd ibn Khalid from Abu Talhah that the Prophet (Sal) stated: Angels do not enter a house in which there is a sura. Busr said, “Zayd then fell ill and we went to visit him but there was a curtain with a sura hanging at his door. I said to `Ubaydullah Al-Khawlany: the stepson of Maymunah – the wife of the Prophet (peace be upon him): Did not Zayd tell us about (the ruling on) suras the day before? `Ubaydullah said: Did you not hear when he said: Except a design in a cloth.”
(Sahih Al Bukhari and Muslim- another hadith narrated on the authority of `Amr ibn Al-Harith from Bukayr Al-Ashaj from Busr that he said, “I said to `UbaydullahAl-Khawlani: Did he not tell us about (the ruling on) suras? He said: He said, “Except a design in a cloth. Did you not hear him?” I said: No and he said: He said, “He indeed did say that.” -This hadith was also narrated in Bukhari and Muslim).
I n these hadiths it is very clear that having images of living beings is halal for designing purposes an d the prophet (sal) clear said,
“Except a design in a cloth”
Misquoting the Word “Tasweer” (image)
Some are of the view that graphic designing involves image making. This argument is ludicrous and unacceptable. The argument of making photography is based on the hadiths prohibiting of making images of living souls. The prophet (sal) said:
"Those who will be most severely punished by Allaah on the Day of Resurrection will be the image-makers."
(Sahih Al Bukhari)
The prophet (sal) said:
'Who does more wrong than the one who tries to create something like my creation? Let him create a grain of wheat or a kernel of corn.'"
(Sahih Al Bukhari)
Ali (Rali) said:
"Shall I not send you on the same mission as the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) sent me? Do not leave any built-up tomb without levelling it, and do not leave any picture in any house without erasing it."
(Sahih Muslim and Nasai)
Ibn Abbas (Rali) Narrated that the prophet (sal) said:
"Every image-maker will be in the Fire and for every image that he made a soul will be created for him, which will be punished in the Fire." Ibn 'Abbas said: "If you must do that, make pictures of trees and other inanimate objects."
(Sahih Muslim)
None of the above hadiths has anything to do with watching animals mating. The argument that video or photography is haram is taken from the fatwa of Sheikh Naseeruddin al Albani (Rahee) Sheikh Albani defended his stance that photography and video making is haram by saying
"Those who say that photography is permitted have “frozen” the meaning of the word “tasweer,” restricting it only to the meaning known at the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and not adding the meaning of photography, which is “tasweer” or “picture-making” in every sense – linguistic, legal, and in its harmful effects, and as is clear from the definition mentioned above. Years ago, I said to one of them, By the same token, you could allow idols which have not been carved but have been made by pressing a button on some machine that turns out idols by the dozen. What do you say to that?”
(Aadaab al-Zafaaf by al-Albani, p. 38)
Sheikh Albani’s fatwa is a wrong fatwa. The word tasweer that was explained and forbidden in the hadiths are hand drawn images and reflections do not come under this. Linguistically speaking, there was no word in Arabic to describe photography when it was invented by the French inventor Joseph Nicéphore Niépce in the 1920's so the same word used for a drawn image was given to the photograph as soora.
The word for the caravan in the Quran is "SayYaara"(). Now in modern day colloquial Arabic the word "SayYaara"() refers to a car. Allah says in the Quran:
""
"And there came a caravan of travellers and they sent their water-drawer"
(Al- Quran-12:19)
In the above verse, the word "SayYaara"() means a caravan but in modern colloquial Arabic it means "Qafila"(). Now, imagine if someone argues that the word "SayYaara" in the Quran also refers to the modern day Mercedes Benz will that argument hold water:? No because that would be foolish and it will change the real meaning in the Quran.
The push button example given by Sheikh Naseeruddin al Albani is similar to allowing a robot or a group of people drawing an image under your supervision which is haram. The push button example has to do with making an image and has nothing to do with a reflection. I therefore counter argue by saying if you push a button in a machine that only does reflect images similar to a mirror and produce an image then how can it be haram even if you had or not had physically got involved? Then someone could again counter argue by saying that the image in the mirror is not static It moves. My answer to that is, if you keep a mirror on the opposite side of a dead corpse, then what will you call it a handmade drawing or a reflection? Or if there is a mirror opposite a patient who is in coma and is not moving and the mirror is reflecting his entire body and if you seem to be near this patient how are you going to view this image in the mirror? Are you going to throw away the mirror because it is reflecting the patient's body in a static way? A camera in other ways is an advanced form of a mirror which has many features with buttons. The above explanation clearly proves beyond doubt that logo designing is not haram in Islam.
Logo designing is not haram in Islam irrespective of the logo containing images of animate or inanimate objects. The evidence is I n the below hadith,
Ubaydullah ibn `Abdullah who narrated that he went to Abu Talhah Al-Ansary to visit him during his illness and found Sahl ibn Hunayf with him. Abu Talhah asked someone to remove a rug on the floor. Sahl asked: "Why do you (want to) remove it? He replied: Because it includes suras and I know what the Messenger of Allah (Sal) said about them (suras – i.e. the ruling on them). He said: Did he not say: “Except a design in a cloth”. He said, “Yes, but this is more comfortable for me.”
(Narrated in Musnad Ahmed, Nasai , Tirmidhi-Imam Tirmidhi graded it as Hasan Sahih)
Narrated on the authority of Busr ibn Sa`id from Zayd ibn Khalid from Abu Talhah that the Prophet (Sal) stated: Angels do not enter a house in which there is a sura. Busr said, “Zayd then fell ill and we went to visit him but there was a curtain with a sura hanging at his door. I said to `Ubaydullah Al-Khawlany: the stepson of Maymunah – the wife of the Prophet (peace be upon him): Did not Zayd tell us about (the ruling on) suras the day before? `Ubaydullah said: Did you not hear when he said: Except a design in a cloth.”
(Sahih Al Bukhari and Muslim- another hadith narrated on the authority of `Amr ibn Al-Harith from Bukayr Al-Ashaj from Busr that he said, “I said to `UbaydullahAl-Khawlani: Did he not tell us about (the ruling on) suras? He said: He said, “Except a design in a cloth. Did you not hear him?” I said: No and he said: He said, “He indeed did say that.” -This hadith was also narrated in Bukhari and Muslim).
I n these hadiths it is very clear that having images of living beings is halal for designing purposes an d the prophet (sal) clear said,
“Except a design in a cloth”
Misquoting the Word “Tasweer” (image)
Some are of the view that graphic designing involves image making. This argument is ludicrous and unacceptable. The argument of making photography is based on the hadiths prohibiting of making images of living souls. The prophet (sal) said:
"Those who will be most severely punished by Allaah on the Day of Resurrection will be the image-makers."
(Sahih Al Bukhari)
The prophet (sal) said:
'Who does more wrong than the one who tries to create something like my creation? Let him create a grain of wheat or a kernel of corn.'"
(Sahih Al Bukhari)
Ali (Rali) said:
"Shall I not send you on the same mission as the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) sent me? Do not leave any built-up tomb without levelling it, and do not leave any picture in any house without erasing it."
(Sahih Muslim and Nasai)
Ibn Abbas (Rali) Narrated that the prophet (sal) said:
"Every image-maker will be in the Fire and for every image that he made a soul will be created for him, which will be punished in the Fire." Ibn 'Abbas said: "If you must do that, make pictures of trees and other inanimate objects."
(Sahih Muslim)
None of the above hadiths has anything to do with watching animals mating. The argument that video or photography is haram is taken from the fatwa of Sheikh Naseeruddin al Albani (Rahee) Sheikh Albani defended his stance that photography and video making is haram by saying
"Those who say that photography is permitted have “frozen” the meaning of the word “tasweer,” restricting it only to the meaning known at the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and not adding the meaning of photography, which is “tasweer” or “picture-making” in every sense – linguistic, legal, and in its harmful effects, and as is clear from the definition mentioned above. Years ago, I said to one of them, By the same token, you could allow idols which have not been carved but have been made by pressing a button on some machine that turns out idols by the dozen. What do you say to that?”
(Aadaab al-Zafaaf by al-Albani, p. 38)
Sheikh Albani’s fatwa is a wrong fatwa. The word tasweer that was explained and forbidden in the hadiths are hand drawn images and reflections do not come under this. Linguistically speaking, there was no word in Arabic to describe photography when it was invented by the French inventor Joseph Nicéphore Niépce in the 1920's so the same word used for a drawn image was given to the photograph as soora.
The word for the caravan in the Quran is "SayYaara"(). Now in modern day colloquial Arabic the word "SayYaara"() refers to a car. Allah says in the Quran:
""
"And there came a caravan of travellers and they sent their water-drawer"
(Al- Quran-12:19)
In the above verse, the word "SayYaara"() means a caravan but in modern colloquial Arabic it means "Qafila"(). Now, imagine if someone argues that the word "SayYaara" in the Quran also refers to the modern day Mercedes Benz will that argument hold water:? No because that would be foolish and it will change the real meaning in the Quran.
The push button example given by Sheikh Naseeruddin al Albani is similar to allowing a robot or a group of people drawing an image under your supervision which is haram. The push button example has to do with making an image and has nothing to do with a reflection. I therefore counter argue by saying if you push a button in a machine that only does reflect images similar to a mirror and produce an image then how can it be haram even if you had or not had physically got involved? Then someone could again counter argue by saying that the image in the mirror is not static It moves. My answer to that is, if you keep a mirror on the opposite side of a dead corpse, then what will you call it a handmade drawing or a reflection? Or if there is a mirror opposite a patient who is in coma and is not moving and the mirror is reflecting his entire body and if you seem to be near this patient how are you going to view this image in the mirror? Are you going to throw away the mirror because it is reflecting the patient's body in a static way? A camera in other ways is an advanced form of a mirror which has many features with buttons. The above explanation clearly proves beyond doubt that logo designing is not haram in Islam.