Ref. to your response to Q1581, pictures stored on computers aren’t different from ones stored on a video/camcorder cassette. So it’s ok to take and store pictures as long as they are not printed?

While some ulama are of the opinion that these are not classified as pictures, the vast Majority of Ulama hold the view that they are in fact pictures and are thus prohibited. This is the more cautious view to adopt. Pictures have been prohibited for two reason:

Firstly, in the previous nations, it was pictures that led to shirk in their communities, thus to safeguard this ummah, this door was closed right from the beginning by placing a blanket ban on pictures of all animate objects. Secondly, Allah is the sole creator, thus by creating pictures, statues etc one is competing and attempting to imitate Allah in an action to which only he is entitled.

We have attached a number of ahadith on the topic.

and Allah Ta'ala Knows Best

Mufti Ebrahim Desai