Sunday, January 17, 2010

Pre-Wedding Photo is Haram?

"Pre-wedding photo is Haram?" That's what I asked myself when I read media report about the decision of an organization called Female Muslim School Forum in East Java which declared that it is Haram (Arabic for Forbidden) for couples to take photos before their weddings.

Further, said organization also declared that it is Haram for females to have their hair Rebond because it will arouse sexual desire.

Later, I was very glad when I read that the above news was denied by the Indonesian Ulama Council (MUI) which said that it is not Haram to take photos before wedding. MUI said that the photos can only be Haram if the photos show the couple kissing.

For detailed media reports on the above (in Indonesian) please click here, here, here and here.

I hope that in the future religious organizations would consider various aspects before declaring Haram. If it is limited for members of such organization then it's okay. But if it is intended for the public, it would surely be protested.
Although Haram declared by religious organization would not have legal consequences according to our legal system, but it bring some kind of moral obligations for many Muslim.

Photo: Courtesy of Kompas.

25 comments:

Meutia Halida Khairani said...

i saw the news on tv yesterday. and i think that the haram should be mention if it out of islamic syariat like holding, kissing, etc.

Unknown said...

Tina,

Thank you for visiting and the comment you left for me.

Unknown said...

Meutia,

Maybe for certain condition like not to do it in front small kids, or at school, or at mosque

Women Awakened said...

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Unknown said...

Womenawakened,

Thank you very much for following my blog. I will surely follow you blog.

Rob Baiton said...

Harry...

Blind dates?

Yep, are return to arranged marriages where the prospective bride and groom do not meet before the big day.

So, even couples that are in the final stages of prepping for a wedding are not permitted to touch? Sad, that they do not get any pre-credit for deciding to take the plunge into marriage and get to take a few photos before the big day.

As usual, there surely must be more important issues that this particular Muslim Women's Forum needs to confront than pre-wedding photos.

I wonder if the Muslim moral police will be out trawling Facebook and other social networking media in order to catch out Muslim women posting photos with those that are haram under Islam?

Unknown said...

Rob,

The Forum may have been very isolated that their members were so narrow minded. Those poor girls
do not know that by declaring Haram couples would enter marriage without knowing each other for sure, thereby facing big risks of divorce.

Thank God MUI has denied such declaration.

Iswady Wahid said...

saya setuju, soalnya mereka kan bukan mahram.

Lisa said...

Thanks for your comment on my blog starshipnarcissus.blogspot.com
It is very interesting to hear about the laws in an Islamic country. That is crazy. It saddens me that people have to live by such rigid rules.

colson said...

MUI is acting in a similar way the Vatican has been doing over thirty years now: giving a very conservative interpretation of their specific religious moral doctrines on sexuality and instructing the members of their religious denominations to obey accordingly.

Actually the majority of Roman Catholics I know of, didn't give a damn. They made their own choices and ignored the clerics who proved to be way behind the times.Or they left the Church. Factually large numbers choose this last option.

If MUI's followers keep their cool, they have the same options as the Rioman Catholics had/have: ignore or drop out.

G said...

I have read some other forbidden rules of Muslims. They are really odd. I feel sorry for them.
http://dylit.blogspot.com

Unknown said...

Blogger Pinrang,

Saya menghargai pendapat anda, terima kasih.

Unknown said...

Liza,

Every religions have its own specialties which may not be favorable for others. But I
believe that they all have
goals that would benefit
their disciples.

Unknown said...

Colson,

The decision was not made by MUI but by a separate organization called the Muslim Women Forum. In their explanation the forum said that the decision is not binding, they leave it up to the society.
Earlier, MUI has raised objection to said decision.

Such decisions have made those organization less respectful in public's eyes.

Unknown said...

Giri,

Like any other religions, Islam has its own specific rules which may not be favorable for others. As long as they make sense, its disciples would obey/follow.
But what I mentioned on my post is merely an interpretation by an organization in East Java. And they explained that its not binding, thus up to the public whether they want to obey or not.

Yari NK said...

Prewedding photo is haram because they make a physical contact and yet they are not legitimately married? What about a man and a woman on a photo that make a physical contact but it is NOT a prewedding photo?? Is it not haram??

Why don't they just say that photo (without the adjective "prewedding")is haram??? :D

Unknown said...

Yari,

The rule they are trying to make is really weird indeed. Thank God MUI refused to make a fatwa about it.

Anonymous said...

WTF
lols
facebook haram?? y udah..situ jangan maen facebook..
kissing in pre wedding photos haram?? y udah..situ jangan kissing di photonye
klo haram ya kan buat situ..
klo bt yg laen y terserah y to..bebas to jek...hidup2 kita..situ kok yg repot..lols
PS: saran aja sih..klo mw urus urusan org lain..mending urus urusan diri sendiri dulu..lols..peace out..

ade gustiann said...

just blog walking... nice blog...

Unknown said...

Anonymous,

Terima kasih atas komentarnya.
Tapi saya akan lebih senang kalau anda sebut nama agar kita bisa berteman.
Tentang Haram atau tidak itu memang tanggung jawab masing-2.

Saya jadi ingat komentar diradio tadi pagi: kalau mau menentukan haram kenapa tidak pernah bilang bahwa korupsi Haram?
Apa karena Korupsi dianggap tidak penting dibanding foto-pranikah, facebook, dll.

Unknown said...

Ade Gustian,

Terima kasih atas kunjungannya.

mayaisjaka said...

sebelum manusia sah sebagai suami istri... maka sebaiknya janganlah melakukan hal yang berlebihan . . karena belum muhrim .... yeahhh...

Unknown said...

Temankecil,

Saya setuju dengan anda.
Kalau Forum di Jawa Timur membuat peraturan khusus untuk anggotanya sendiri juga tidak masalah (asal tidak melanggar hukum & peraturan).

Daripada mengurus Foto dan Rambut lebih baik mereka nyatakan pendapat tentang nasib korban Bencana Lapindo di Jawa Timur yang sampai sekarang tidak jelas, dan perusahaannya bebas. Dan nyatakan korupsi haram.

Unknown said...

The ruling of what is halal and haram is already very clearly stated.if we follow the Quran and the Prophet PBUH there can never be any confusion over this.Believers should know the reasons for the said ruling.we dont have to compromise for the sake of non believers.

Unknown said...

Umihoney,

I always like your comments, thank you. I really appreciate your reminder.