Question Summary:
Are the use of smileys/emoticons permissible?

Question Detail:

Would use of emojis in SMS, Whatsapp, Viber, Telegram etc. constitute picture making (therefore impermissible) within the purview of Shar'iah? Emojis are small digital images consisting usually of smiley faces used to express an emotion.

Answer :

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
A smiley is a stylized representation of a smiling humanoid face, an important part of popular culture. The classic form designed in 1963 comprises a yellow circle with two black dots representing eyes and a black arc representing the mouth. On the Internet and in other plaintext communication channels, the emoticon form (sometimes also called the smiley-face emoticon) has traditionally been most popular, typically employing a colon and a right parenthesis to form sequences like :-), :), or (: that resemble a smiling face when viewed sideways. "Smiley" is also sometimes used as a generic term for any emoticon.[1]
While emoticons/smileys originally started as a simple colon and parenthesis, it has gradually evolved into graphical images. Nowadays, on many mobile apps and emails etc., under the different names of smileys, emojis, stickers, it has developed into more human-like pictures. In some cases, these emoticons are animated pictures clearly depicting a live being.   
Even if one might be able to debate smileys/emoticons being a tasweer nowadays, due to its gradual development and changing and different forms, our opinion is that one should refrain from its usage (Saddan lilbaab).  [2]
 
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Arshad Ali
Student Darul Iftaa
Trinidad
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.
http://www.daruliftaa.net/