Keeping pictures on cell phones

Question: 91356

I read your answer about the ruling on keeping pictures for memories, and after that I burned the pictures that I had, but there are some pictures of me that my sisters and paternal aunts have. What should I do? If they refuse to give them to me, what should I do? And what is the ruling on keeping pictures on cell phones?.

Answer

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah and his family.

It is not permissible to keep pictures of animate beings for memories. This has been discussed in the answer to question no. 10668.

There is no sin on you if your sisters and aunts keep these pictures, but you have to explain the shar’i ruling to them and advise them to get rid of them. You should ask them for the pictures that they have of you, but if they refuse there is no sin on you.

Secondly:

With regard to pictures on cell phones, computers and videos, these do not come under the same ruling as photographs, because they are not tangible, unless they are printed. Based on that, there is nothing wrong with keeping them on the cell phone, so long as they do not include anything haraam, such as if they are pictures of women.