Question Summary:
Digital Photography

Question Detail:

Is animals photo taking by camera, scanning, pasting in website and keeping in computer for future use haram? I think there is a difference between digital copy and printed copy. Kindly make me clearer to the above issues. 

Answer :

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
Digital Photography of animate objects is an academically contested issue amongst the 'Ulama. We advise you take precaution in its leisure usage considering the severe warning in the Hadith: 
عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ ، أَنّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه و سلم قَالَ : إِنَّ المُصَوِّريُنَ يُعَذَّبُونَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ، وَيُقَالُ : أَحْيُوا مَا خَلَقْتُمْ (مسند أحمد ج-٨ ص-٥١، مؤسسة الرسالة)
 
It has been narrated from Ibn 'Umar (Radia Allahu 'Anhu) that the Prophet (Sallallahu 'Alaihi Wa Sallam) said: Picture Makers shall be punished at the Day of Judgment and it shall be said, "Give life to what you created" (Musnad Ahmad vol. 8 pg. 51, Muassasah Al Risalah)
 
 However, there is scope for necessities such as visas, passports, ID cards etc. [1]
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Hisham Dawood
Student Darul Iftaa
Chicago, U.S.A.
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.
www.daruliftaa.net