Is It Permissible for a Couple to Take Intimate Videos of Each Other?
Answered by Ustadha Shazia Ahmad
Question
Is it permissible for a husband and wife to take intimate photographs or videos in private of each other in the bedroom?
Answer
Thank you for your question. May Allah reward you for wanting to keep your actions within the boundaries of Islam and for thinking before you act.
Modesty
Islam is a religion of modesty. The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Every religion has its distinct characteristic, and the distinct characteristic of Islam is modesty.” [Ibn Majah]
In addition, the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “God is characterized by modesty and concealment and loves modesty and concealment, so when any of you washes, he should conceal himself.” [Abu Dawud]
He also said, (Allah bless him and give him peace), “Modesty is entirely good.” [Muslim]
Filming and photographing one another is the opposite of modesty, contrary to the sunna of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) who taught us to cover during intimacy. It was narrated from a freed slave of Aisha that Aisha said: “I never looked at, or I never saw the private part of the Messenger of Allah.” [Ibn Majah]
For this reason, the majority of scholars deem the answer to your question as impermissible.
Consider the ruling here about simply looking at your spouse’s nakedness and not just filming or photographing.
It says in the Reliance of the Traveller:
m2.4 “A man may look at his wife (or vice versa) including her nakedness, though it is offensive for either husband or wife to look at the other’s genitals.”
Please see more details here:
Taking Pictures while Naked or Filming Intercourse
Risk
Taking videos and pictures is risky, and one may find that it falls into the wrong hands. Although one may feel that it can be safeguarded, the possibility exists and is a risk not worth taking.
Generally speaking, the lack of modesty, risk, and lewdness involved is absolutely unbefitting to believers, and unwanted harm might occur. Also, when one takes steps to broaden one’s sexual experiences, it is common for the mind to start to desire something different, leading to more immodest and unlawful actions. My advice to you is never to delve into something like this.
The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Haya (modesty, bashfulness) is a part of Faith.” [Muslim]
May Allah give you the best of this world and the next.
[Ustadha] Shazia Ahmad
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Ustadha Shazia Ahmad lived in Damascus, Syria for two years where she studied aqida, fiqh, tajweed, tafsir, and Arabic. She then attended the University of Texas at Austin, where she completed her Masters in Arabic. Afterward, she moved to Amman, Jordan where she studied fiqh, Arabic, and other sciences. She later moved back to Mississauga, Canada, where she lives with her family.
