Photographing the wedding ceremony

Fatwa no. 20904 All praise be to Allah Alone, and peace and blessings be upon His last Prophet.The Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta' has read the letter that has been sent to his Eminence, the Grand Mufty from his Eminence the President of the province of Al-Mjardh, under the number (37 / 584) and dated 15/02/ 1420 A. H. Attached to the concerned letter is a question that was submitted by the shaykh of Al Sumayd tribe and transferred to the Committee by the secretariat-general of the Council of Senior Scholars under the number 1423 and dated 25/02/1420 A. H. Such a question reads as follows:I would like to inform you that Al Sumayd Al-Malha' tribe made an agreement based on the attached convention, (Part No. 19; Page No. 143) which is dated in 12/08/1408. Then some new matters happened lately with regard to marriage occasions, so that we held another convention of which a copy is attached and we hope that you, may Allah safeguard you, could raise it to the Grand Mufty of the Saudi Kingdom so that he may issue a Fatwa regarding that issue. May Allah grant success to all to do whatever He loves and is pleased with. Verily, He is the All-Hearer, the One Who responds to Du`a' (Supplication). May Allah safeguard you and peace be upon you. Written in 14/2/1420 A.H.

A: Firstly: What is mentioned in the first three paragraphs to the effect that a financial fine is to be taken from whoever does so and so is impermissible. This is because such a fine is a financial discretionary punishment which is stated by people who do not have the Shar`y (Islamic legal) capacity to do so. Rather, such a punishment is to be decided only by judges. Accordingly, it is Wajib (obligatory) to abandon these fines. Secondly: It is Wajib to forbid and reproach whomever uses a camera, whether a man or a woman. This is because Taswir (photography) is Haram (prohibited). Moreover, Taswir with regards to women is more strongly prohibited because it involves temptation, exposing `Awrah (parts of the body that must be covered in public), and using photos for purposes that displease Allah. May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.