What Is Sharing A Veiled Picture On Social Media Like?

 📸 What Is Sharing  A Veiled Picture On Social Media Like?
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✍ Answer by: Sheikh Maqbool Ahmed Salafi, may Allah protect him ⟨Jeddah Dawah Center, Saudi Arabia⟩

🔴 Question (1): I sent a picture of two girls hugging each other. What about women hugging each other on the main road and sharing photos on social media while wearing hijab? Also, what about a veiled woman taking pictures and videos with a man in a park, on the road, or at a recreational place? Is it permissible to share such photos with men on social media?
🔵 Answer (1): A woman is supposed to be fully covered and hidden from strange men. The woman in the picture you sent probably took it and shared it to get likes and attention from people. Clearly, taking pictures and sharing them for likes is not permissible in any case; it's like inviting people to sin, which is a terrible trait for a woman to have, making herself attractive to others or attracting others to herself. Also, taking pictures of living things is prohibited (haram) in Islam, so women should avoid taking and sharing photos and videos on social media. Whether alone or with a man, both cases are not permissible, even if the woman is wearing hijab.  

 🔴 Question (2): Some women say that they take pictures and videos while walking or hugging each other while wearing hijab and share them with people so that other women get encouraged to wear hijab. Is it permissible to take and share veiled photos for this purpose?
 🔵 Answer (2): There are several aspects to answer your second question, which I will explain in the following points:
- When we know that taking and sharing pictures of living things is prohibited (haram), then it is prohibited to share all kinds of living things, whether walking, sitting, sleeping, or hugging.
- Among living things, a woman's picture is more sinful because a woman is supposed to be fully covered and hidden from strange men.
- Most modern veils and burqas are not for hijab but for showing off, as they are attractive and attention-seeking. Usually, girls take and share pictures of such attention-seeking veils. Sharing such pictures can spread fitnah (temptation) but will be of no benefit. 
- A very regrettable thing about burqas is that even educated women, rather, you can say scholars and learned women, who are also in the field of preaching and record videos of their lectures, do not cover their faces in a Shariah-compliant manner. You will see that their foreheads and eyes, along with the surrounding areas, are uncovered, and their students and the women who listen to them follow the same approach to veiling. ( الحفظ والاماں )
- It is not permissible for women to record videos of their lectures. Scholars have strictly forbidden this practice. Yet, many women continue to record and share their lectures on social media. It's even more regrettable when some Salafi organizations' representatives continuously conduct programs with women in their studios and promote their channels, while these women's veiling is not even correct, meaning they have the same shortcomings in their veiling as mentioned earlier. 
- If a woman wears a veil (niqab) or burqa, even with the intention of promoting hijab, and shares her picture on the internet, it is not permissible in any case. This is because the method must also be in accordance with the Sunnah, even if the intention is correct. For example, if someone intends to give charity but does so with stolen money, that charity is haram. Similarly, the issue with sharing pictures is the same. You know that the Prophet (صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم) forbade three companions (Sahaba) from doing good deeds because they were contrary to the Sunnah, even though those deeds were great and righteous in themselves.
   📌Final Point: In this writing, my final advice is that when we know that taking pictures of living things is haram (forbidden), and taking pictures of girls is even more severely forbidden, then women should not share any pictures or videos on social media, whether sleeping, waking, sitting, standing, blogging, making YouTube videos, cooking, or doing any other activity. And there is no need to ask separate questions about each scenario, because the answer to all of them is the same: it is not permissible. 

🔴 Question (3): Often we women share videos or posts of male scholars on WhatsApp status or in women's groups so that other women can benefit. Should we cover the face with stickers, etc., or share it as is? If we share it as is, will the one sharing it be sinful for exposing the women to non-mahram men's gaze? 
 🔵 Answer (3): Allah has commanded women to cover their faces, rather, to cover their entire bodies, but Allah has not commanded men to cover their faces. It's a separate issue that men are also commanded to lower their gaze while walking, but they have not been commanded to cover their faces. Therefore, when sharing videos of male scholars among women, there is no need to cover their faces. A non-mahram man cannot look at a woman's face, but a woman can look at a non-mahram man's face without any sin. 
Sayyidah Aisha (رضی اللہ عنہا) narrated that I saw the Prophet (صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم) screening me with his cloak, while I was watching the Ethiopians playing (a game) in the masjid. I stayed (watching) till I got tired. Now you can imagine how long a young girl, who loves to watch games and entertainment, would have kept watching. (Sahih Bukhari: 5236) 
This hadith shows that the Prophet (صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم) hid his wife from men, while his wife watched men playing, meaning a woman can look at non-mahram men without any issue.
Another issue here is that mobile pictures and videos are also forbidden (haram), but due to the need of the time and circumstances, scholars record their lectures, which is a great necessity and a blessing for people. If scholars did not record their lectures and share them on social media, people would be watching songs, movies, and serials on YouTube and other platforms, and engaging in all sorts of immoral activities. Alhamdu Lillah, people are learning about their religion through these lectures while sitting at home.