Sheikh Qaradawi, in his The Lawful and the Prohibited in Islam, reflects a more mainstream view when he argues that photography is acceptable and is not an example of the image-making that is forbidden by Allah, because a photograph merely records Allah’s creation, rather than involving human artifice. And of course the practical difficulties created by this Deobandi fatwa are illustrated by the practice of the Dar ul-Uloom itself.
“Photo fatwa,” from PTI (thanks to all who sent this in):
Muzaffarnagar, Sept. 6 (PTI): The Dar-ul Uloom has issued a fatwa banning photography, saying it is unlawful and against the Shariat.
However, the Islamic seminary in Deoband has itself issued photo-identity cards to its students and employees.
According to Dar-ul uloom sources, four clerics have ruled that photography, including clicking someone’s picture and posing for a picture, is illegal under the Shariat.