Question:
Assalamualaikum. I would like to ask. Is it permissible for me to post a video of a deceased which I recorded for the purpose of memory and share it in social media?
Brief Answer:
It is unethical for a Muslim to spread a video or picture of a deceased in social media or to the general public. This contradicts with the ethics and akhlak of a Muslim. Besides, this action also may cause fitnah and the feeling of uneasiness towards the deceased’s family member. In fact, this shall be stopped from being spread at once.
Explanation
Waalaikumussalam w.b.t,
Alhamdulillah, praise and thanks to Allah for the countless blessings He has blessed us all with. Blessings and salutations to the Prophet Muhammad PBUH, his wives, his family, companions and all those that follow his teachings to the day of judgement.
Attending the funeral procession is a commanded act in Islam and also an obligation of a Muslim upon his fellow Muslim brothers who pass away, even rewards given are so immense. This is based on a hadith narrated by Abu Hurairah RA where the Prophet PBUH said:
مَنْ شَهِدَ الْجَنَازَةَ حَتَّى يُصَلِّيَ عَلَيْهَا فَلَهُ قِيرَاطٌ، وَمَنْ شَهِدَ حَتَّى تُدْفَنَ كَانَ لَهُ قِيرَاطَانِ ". قِيلَ وَمَا الْقِيرَاطَانِ قَالَ " مِثْلُ الْجَبَلَيْنِ الْعَظِيمَيْنِ
"Whoever attends the funeral procession till he offers the funeral prayer for it, will get a reward equal to one Qirat, and whoever accompanies it till burial, will get a reward equal to two Qirats." It was asked, "What are two Qirats?" He replied, "Like two huge mountains."
Sahih al-Bukhari (1261)
Besides, among the ethics when attending a funeral procession is syara’ prohibits from doing actions which may hurt or degrade the deceased which can cause fitnah and devalue his honor. This is because, each people is honored by Allah SWT while one is still alive or after he passed away. Allah SWT says:
وَلَقَدْ كَرَّمْنَا بَنِي آدَمَ
And We have certainly honored the children of Adam
Surah al-Isra’ (70)
Al-Hafiz al-Sayuti and Imam al-Mahalli already explained on the true meaning of this verse. They both said:
بِالْعِلْمِ وَالنُّطْق وَاعْتِدَال الْخَلْق وَغَيْر ذَلِكَ وَمِنْهُ طَهَارَتهمْ بَعْد الْمَوْت
“(Allah have honored the children of Adam) with knowledge, fluency in speech, a creation of just characters and many more. Among (honors given to the children of Adam) is their sanctity even after passing away” [1]
It is an obligation of a Muslim to always preserve the harmony between humans while being alive the same as when they pass away. Therefore, it is prohibited for a person to do actions which may hurt feelings of the deceased while he or his family members are still alive. This is because, the Prophet PBUH once said:
كَسْرُ عَظْمِ الْمَيِّتِ كَكَسْرِهِ حَيًّا
“Breaking a deceased body’s bones is exactly like breaking them when he is alive.”
Coming back to the above presented question, sharing picture or video to the public and also in social media in need of permission from the family members of the deceased. This is a matter to be taken into notice to preserve the feelings as well as sensitivity of the family members, in fact, this is the right and obligation of a Muslim upon other Muslims. Abu Hurairah RA narrated a hadith from the Prophet PBUH:
الْمُسْلِمُ أَخُو الْمُسْلِمِ لاَ يَخُونُهُ وَلاَ يَكْذِبُهُ وَلاَ يَخْذُلُهُ كُلُّ الْمُسْلِمِ عَلَى الْمُسْلِمِ حَرَامٌ عِرْضُهُ وَمَالُهُ وَدَمُهُ التَّقْوَى هَا هُنَا بِحَسْبِ امْرِئٍ مِنَ الشَّرِّ أَنْ يَحْتَقِرَ أَخَاهُ الْمُسْلِمَ
"The Muslim is the brother to the Muslim, he does not cheat him, lie to him, nor deceive him. All of the Muslim is unlawful to another Muslim: His Honor, his wealth, and his blood. At-taqwa is here. It is enough evil for a man that he belittles his brother Muslim."
Jami’ al-Tirmidhi (1927)
Sheikh Abdurrahman al-Mubarakfuri cited the opinion of Ibn Qutaibah on the hadith. He said:
عِرْضُ الرَّجُلِ نَفْسُهُ وَبَدَنُهُ لَا غَيْرَ
“The honor of a person is himself and his physical body. None else.” [2]
This means everything related to oneself and his body is something impermissible to be tainted. Whatnot, if a person has already passed away. In addition, if the deceased has flaws that will catch the words of those who watch the video. So, this matter should always be preserved.
Hence, based on the question presented and the answer given, it can be concluded here that it is unethical for a Muslim to spread a video or picture of a deceased in social media or to the general public. This contradicts with the ethics and akhlak of a Muslim. Besides, this action also may cause fitnah and the feeling of uneasiness towards the deceased’s family member. In fact, this shall be stopped from being spread at once.
However, the action of spreading the video or picture is permissible for specific purposes only like to preserve good deeds and as benefit for the authorities with the condition of being granted a permission from the family members as well as preserving the honor of the deceased.
Besides, for more information, kindly refer to the article entitled: IRSYAD AL-FATWA SERIES 519: THE RULING OF POSTING PICTURES OF A DECEASED [3]
[1] Al-Suyuti,Abdurrahman Bin Abu Bakar ;Al-Mahalli, Muhammad Bin Ahmad , Tafsir Al-Jalalain, Dar Al-Hadith, Kaherah, Mesir, h.827.
[2] Al-Mubarakfuri, Abdurrahman Bin Abdurrahim, Tuhfah Al-Ahwazi Syarh Jami’ Al-Tirmizi, Dar AL-Kutub Al-‘Imiyah, Beirut, j.6 h.46.