As a homeschooling mom to special needs children, I’ve often faced the challenge of balancing Islamic rulings with the practical realities of teaching. My daughters are visual learners, which means images play a crucial role in their education. However, as Muslims, we’re aware of the various Islamic rulings related to image-making, whether it’s using pictures in books, cartoons, or even educational tools. So, how do we navigate this?
I remember asking in a WhatsApp group for advice from fellow sisters about my confusion regarding images in educational books. Here’s a part of the conversation I had:
“Assalamualaikum, I’d like to know how other moms handle books with living images from secular sources. Do you put stickers on them, use markers to conceal the images, or leave them as they are for educational purposes? I have a 10-year-old (but like a 7-year-old developmentally) with special needs who lacks emotional understanding. Her psychiatrist recommended using images that show emotions to help her learn visually. Is it permissible to use such images? What’s the best practice for Muslim mothers in handling this issue?”
In response, one of the sisters shared a fatwa from Sheikh Ibn Uthaymeen rahimahullah:
“There is no harm in keeping the images in books for educational purposes. Shaykh Ibn Uthaimeen and other scholars have explained this as a situation where it would cause total hardship to avoid such images completely. Inshā’Allāh, I will share the full fatwa. He even mentioned that images in newspapers and magazines fall under this same ruling.”
This response was comforting because, like many homeschooling moms, I try to stay mindful of the rulings while also ensuring my daughters get the best education possible. As parents of visual learners, we sometimes have to find a balance, especially when visual aids like images are recommended for our children’s development.
I believe that their learning style will evolve over time, but for now, visuals are an essential part of their understanding.
Source:
For those seeking more in-depth rulings and scholarly opinions on the issue of image-making, you can refer to this article on Troid.org as well as the accompanying PDF document which thoroughly covers topics like image-making, its permissibility, and various contexts in which images are used.
It’s important to note that while using images for educational purposes may have exceptions, taking selfies or casual pictures for leisure is strictly prohibited in Islam. For more information on the ruling of photography, I encourage you to check out the posts by Ustadh Abu Khadeejah on this topic. You can read his detailed article on Ruling on Photography and the accompanying PDF document.
