Photographs in text books
Question

 
I want to know about pictures of people in Islam, specifically those used in children's books. Is it permisable to illustrate children's books about Islam with pictures of muslims? If so, what is the basis for this, and if not what is the basis? There is so much controvery about this issue, and I fear Allah because of the Sahih hadeeth about Allah cursing the picture-makers. Still, how are we to educate our children about Islam in this Western Society without children's books with pictures in them? Also, what is your opinion about the book The Lawful and the Prophibited in Islam? Is this a truestworthy publication?
Praise be to Allah.On the subject of photographs, please refer to question # 365. Know, my sister, that we should be careful about pictures of animate beings, lest we do something that has been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger. I wonder what urgent need there can be for putting pictures of Muslims in children's books. If we want to make the books attractive to them, there are plenty of colours, advanced methods of printing and pictures of inanimate objects such as trees, flowers, cars, houses etc., which can be used instead of pictures of animate beings. As for useful books which we need to keep at home, like reference books and dictionaries that may contain pictures that are difficult to erase, we can keep them as long as we blot out any pictures on the cover. Whatever does not need to be kept, like newspapers, should be disposed of after reading.

As for the book "Al-Halaal wa'l-Haraam fi'l-Islam," the author was very lenient in a number of issues, may Allah forgive him. Some scholars have written refutations of this book, such as Shaykh Saaleh al-Fawzaan, who wrote Al-I'laam bi naqd kitaab al-halaal wa'l-haraam fi'l-Islaam. We ask Allah to guide us to the truth in those issues concerning which there are differences of opinion, for He guides whom He will to the Straight Path.