What Is the Ruling on AI-Generated Images That Do Not Show Facial Features?
Question: I have a question regarding AI-generated images. If a person uses AI to generate an image of a human, but the figure is only shown from the back so that no facial features are visible, or the face is intentionally left blank without eyes, nose, or mouth, would this be considered permissible according to the Shari'ah?
Summary:
If an AI-generated image does not show the face at all (such as when the person is shown from behind), or the face has been erased so that its features are no longer present, with no eyes, nose, or mouth remaining, then many of the scholars who prohibit making images of animate beings hold that this is not considered a complete image that falls under the prohibition. This is because, according to them, the image is defined by the head and the face. However, if the facial features remain visible, even if the image is AI-generated, then it takes the ruling of a complete image according to those who prohibit it.
Answer:
There is no specific text in the Quran concerning image-making. Rather, the relevant evidence comes from the Sunnah, including:
From the Sunnah:
- Narrated by Al-Bukhari and Muslim.Abdullah ibn Abbas رضي الله عنهما narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:
"Every image-maker will be in the Fire."
- Narrated by Muslim.Abu al-Hayyaj al-Asadi said that Ali ibn Abi Talib رضي الله عنه said to him:
"Shall I not send you upon the same mission that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ sent me? Do not leave any image without obliterating it..."
These texts indicate the prohibition of making images of animate beings according to the majority of the scholars, although there is well-known scholarly disagreement regarding some forms of contemporary image-making. This is not the place to discuss that issue in detail. Second: If the Face Has Been Erased or Its Features Have Been Removed A number of scholars have explicitly addressed this issue.
From the Scholars:
- 1. Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymin رحمه الله
He was asked whether erasing the face from an image is sufficient. He replied: "If the face has been erased from the image, then the objective has been achieved, because an image, in reality, exists only by virtue of the face, and the face is the head. Therefore, if the face is erased, there is no harm."
This indicates that the Shaykh held that erasing the face removes the description of the prohibited image.
- 2. The Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta
They stated: "It is obligatory to obliterate images, whether sculpted or otherwise, by removing their heads or destroying them... because the Prophet ﷺ instructed that the head of a statue be cut off until it became like the form of a tree."
I say: "If the head has been removed or the facial features have been erased, then we hope there is no harm in drawing it. A face without eyes, a nose, and a mouth is regarded as an obliterated image." Based on these principles: If the image depicts a person from behind so that the face is not visible at all, then it does not appear to be a complete image from the perspective of the face. If the face is intentionally left without eyes, a nose, and a mouth so that its features have disappeared, then this falls under the meaning of obliterating the face according to those who hold that the image ceases to be an image once the face is removed. However, if the facial features are present and clearly visible, even if the image was generated by artificial intelligence, then it is considered a complete image and is prohibited according to those who prohibit images of animate beings. Conclusion: If an AI-generated image does not show the face at all, or the face has been erased so that no human facial features remain, such as eyes, a nose, and a mouth, then it no longer appears to be a complete image and therefore does not appear to fall under the prohibition from this perspective. However, images in which the facial features are fully visible remain subject to the ruling of complete images according to those scholars who prohibit making images of animate beings.
And Allah knows best.
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