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Career in Graphic Designing and Animation: Software vs. Handmade Creation

Answered as per Hanafi Fiqh by Muftionline.co.za

Q: Can I make a career in graphic designing or animation. Because we create cartoons or living object by software and not our hands and it’s a matter of career so then how can we make a career in it. Our aim is to our job or career not for hobby or fun.

Bismillaah

A: All pictures of animate objects are haraam and forbidden in Islam. All the four mazhabs are unanimous upon the impermissibility of drawing and creating pictures of animate objects. There is no difference in the Islamic ruling between a picture that is drawn by hand and a digital picture. Hence earning via this means is impermissible in Shariah. Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said:

إن أشد الناس عذابا عند الله يوم القيامة المصورون (صحيح البخاري 2/880 ، صحيح لمسلم /201)

Those involved in picture-making will be subjected to the worst forms of punishment on the day of Qiyaamat. (Bukhari 2/880, Muslim 2/201)

For a detailed explanation on the topic of digital photography, refer to our kitaab “Photography and Modern Challenges.”

And Allah Ta’ala (الله تعالى) knows best.

Answered by:

Mufti Zakaria Makada

Checked & Approved:

Mufti Ebrahim Salejee (Isipingo Beach)

This answer was collected from MuftiOnline.co.za, where the questions have been answered by Mufti Zakaria Makada (Hafizahullah), who is currently a senior lecturer in the science of Hadith and Fiqh at Madrasah Ta’leemuddeen, Isipingo Beach, South Africa.