Recordings › Shaykh Kashif Khan | Policing thought, Pornography & Pandora's box | MindTrap with Mufti #15 · 19 Apr 2020 › Segment 17 of 35
Is looking at an image of a naked person the same as looking at a real one in Islamic law?
faqih faqeeh fuqaha shafi shafei shafiite shafi'i school fatwah fatawa fatwaa fataawa legal opinion muftis hukm ahkam hukum hukam ahkaam halaal permitted lawful haraam forbidden dalil daleel adillah adilla proof ulama ulema ulamaaA naked image seen in a reflection: 'I am responsible for what I say, not what you understand'
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This segment1:28:23 to 1:32:23 · 4 minA view quoted in order to be discussed, not a position held
What this part covers
machinesummary, machine-writtenThe guest says he cannot call something haram without a text prohibiting it, so he presents the scholars' differing views on looking at a reflection or image and leaves the choice to the asker.
In more detail
Mufti Abu Layth raises a post by the guest citing a Shafi'i jurist [?] who said that looking at the reflection of a naked woman is not haram even with desire, which in this day and age amounts to pornography, and says people will object that viewers will now watch pornography or masturbate guilt-free. The guest replies that he is responsible for what he says, not for what people understand from it, and that teenagers, young people and others contact him with this very question. He says fatwa questions are often shocking, but they must be answered, and that where no text prohibits something he cannot call it haram. He says he can set out the different scholars' opinions and evidences and leave the asker to decide, since declaring something halal or haram must be done in the light of evidence. Mufti then asks, as devil's advocate, how this squares with lowering the gaze.
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Position stated
This segment presents a view in order to discuss or respond to it. It is recorded as quoted, never as held, and no position is attributed from it.
Kind: a view quoted in order to be discussed, not a position held Speakers: host and guest; guest speech is labelled and excluded from positionsTranscript
machine1:28:23 to 1:32:23 · click a time to seek · dotted terms open the glossary
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This segment states a view in order to discuss it. It is recorded as a quoted view, not as a position held.
the reflection of a naked woman to look at it what OB shewe he said even if it sweet desire is now Haram which in this day and age is basically pornography now as a fact well I find that once again as a fatwa from the the mechanics behind in the mechanisms what go into a photo I find that very fascinating you know but what I found covered why we can do something with this first one but I mean people would say look now you've highlighted these Shibu J was a shampoo
JD was but there was a few there were a few or chef a zombie I remember it from the post and I think I discussed it on one of my Monday nights as well people will say well you know people are gonna read your thing now they're gonna go away now they're going to watch guilt-free porn or Pelisson they're gonna say okay listen masturbation well of attabi is so it's always a nice package that I am responsible for what I say not what understand from it like I am responsible for whatever I say but what you understand from it that's not deafened
my problem that's what like people can import what could what could what else could be understood from that except it's okay and I'm not saying that you know this is what people will say that what else could be understood except that it's okay to to watch porn if you want to or need to now I'm just saying that that would cause a huge wave of turbulence within Islamic thought so what is it what is your reaction to that then because people are saying you're making this
public like you're making people learn about this it's an ongoing issue a lot of teenagers and a lot of youngsters they contact me and ask me in the friend circle then in random people as well they contact me and ask me this question any any good sign so you can recommend share it if you see the questions of Futaba you'd find that a father had had something with her daughter and then what what what what's the charade ruling and these things like they are more you know different kinds of Sakawa when if
you look into the how how different people questions are sometimes you are not even having thought of that but then people come up with different questions even be a shock at the question as well but then we have to definitely we have to reply them so this issue if someone asks me anything and if there's nothing it's not harm like there's no text prohibiting it I cannot say the I would like I I can do two things I can just type in the difference of opinion of different scholars and leave it leave on leave it on to him to whatever he wants
to follow I can cite him the see this is the opinion of this collar and this is the opinion of this collar and you have these evidences now you can decide whatever you want to follow but I if you want me to say that I should say it is Haram see saying something making something halal and Haram is it's something we should be done on in the light of evidence there's no evidence of thing Haram white related ceramics not my dad thing so just playing devil's advocate here sure somebody could say well you know this the they should lower their
gaze now what would how would you reconcile that with that I mean apart from just saying well you could lower the gaze and lower the handset device you're looking at obviously wasn't very funny tape it was literally and even even I haven't I had an article on this explaining this word from the different classical mockery they said that the prohibited gauges are bad and so I said
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Cite this segment
Stable id, transcript version and tier are part of the citation. Every change to a transcript is logged.Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment 2020-04-19b-S17, auto-transcribed, may contain errors. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/housirokbvu/s/17/ (accessed 1 November 2026)
- APA 7
Mufti Abu Layth. (2020, April 19). Is looking at an image of a naked person the same as looking at a real one in Islamic law? [Video, segment 2020-04-19b-S17, auto-transcribed, may contain errors]. Mufti Abu Layth Archive. Retrieved November 1, 2026, from https://muftiabulayth.org/r/housirokbvu/s/17/
- Chicago author-date
Mufti Abu Layth. 2020. "Is looking at an image of a naked person the same as looking at a real one in Islamic law?" Video, segment 2020-04-19b-S17, auto-transcribed, may contain errors. Mufti Abu Layth Archive. Recorded April 19, 2020. Accessed November 1, 2026. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/housirokbvu/s/17/
- BibTeX
@misc{abulayth-2020-04-19b-S17, author = {Mufti Abu Layth}, title = {{Is looking at an image of a naked person the same as looking at a real one in Islamic law?}}, year = {2020}, month = {4}, date = {2020-04-19}, howpublished = {\url{https://muftiabulayth.org/r/housirokbvu/s/17/}}, url = {https://muftiabulayth.org/r/housirokbvu/s/17/}, organization = {Mufti Abu Layth Archive}, urldate = {2026-11-01}, note = {Segment 2020-04-19b-S17, auto-transcribed, may contain errors} }
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