Answered by Shaykh Irshaad Sedick
Question
Is it permissible to run a business setting up a photo booth for events like weddings and birthdays, where I set it up and return later to collect it?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.
Allah says in the Quran:
“And cooperate in righteousness and piety, but do not cooperate in sin and transgression.” [Quran, 5:2]
The business of setting up and later collecting a photo booth for events such as weddings and birthdays is permissible. The photo booth itself is simply a tool used to capture images, and its use is analogous to other event equipment rentals. As long as the service you provide is conducted honestly and without involvement in any prohibited activities, your business is sound.
You are not responsible for the nature of the photographs people take using the booth, especially since the photos are printed automatically, so the entire process is automated. This is significant since your direct involvement in the photography or development stages could be compromised if the subjects of the photos are unlawful, and Allah knows best.
Thus, provided that the events are within the bounds of Islamic ethics and the service is offered in a lawful manner, it is permissible to run a business setting up a photo booth for such occasions.
Please see this related answer regarding celebratory occasions in Islam.
Please see this related answer on photography.
May Allah guide us in conducting our business in ways that are pleasing to Him.
[Shaykh] Irshaad Sedick
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Mohammad Abu Bakr Badhib
Shaykh Irshaad Sedick was raised in South Africa in a traditional Muslim family. He graduated from Dar al-Ulum al-Arabiyyah al-Islamiyyah in Strand, Western Cape, under the guidance of the late world-renowned scholar Shaykh Taha Karaan (Allah have mercy on him), where he taught.
Shaykh Irshaad received Ijaza from many luminaries of the Islamic world, including Shaykh Taha Karaan, Shaykh Muhammad Awama, Shaykh Muhammad Hasan Hitu, and Mawlana Abdul Hafeez Makki, among others.
He is the author of the text “The Musnad of Ahmad ibn Hanbal: A Hujjah or not?” He has been the Director of the Discover Islam Centre, and for six years, he has been the Khatib of Masjid Ar-Rashideen, Mowbray, Cape Town.
Shaykh Irshaad has fifteen years of teaching experience at some of the leading Islamic institutes in Cape Town). He is currently building an Islamic podcast, education, and media platform called ‘Isnad Academy’ and has completed his Master’s degree in the study of Islam at the University of Johannesburg. He has a keen interest in healthy Prophetic living and fitness.
The post Is It Permissible to Run a Business Setting Up Photo Booths for Weddings and Birthdays? appeared first on SeekersGuidance.
