please tell me if it is halal to have a job where the non-muslim customers often come in and ask me to copy and manipulate images for them (i.e pictures of people and animals sometimes)? i am working this job assuming it to be halal until you tell me otherwise (or anyone tells me with daleel). and if you tell me to quit, would i be able to keep the job until i could find a replacement?
Praise be to Allah.In Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah
li’l-Buhooth al-‘Ilmiyyah wa’l-Iftaa, it says the following:
“Making images of animate beings is haraam and earnings from doing
this are haraam.”
When Allaah forbids a thing, He also forbids its price. Making images
of animate beings is forbidden, as it was reported in the saheeh evidence. Therefore
earnings from doing this are unclean and it is not permissible to consume them. An
exception is made in the case of images that are necessary, such as photos for ID
documents and photos used to track down criminals and so on. It is permissible to make
these images and receive payment for doing so. The one who is asking this question could
work only with pictures of things that are not animate, or he can try to look for another
job. Whoever gives up a thing for the sake of Allaah, Allaah will compensate him with
something better.