Is it permissible to use smileys on an Islamic Forum?

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh

A smiley is defined as “A smiley, smiley face, or happy face, :) or: D is a stylized representation of a smiling humanoid face, commonly occurring in popular culture. It is commonly represented as a yellow (many other colors are also used) circle (or sphere) with two black dots representing eyes and a black arc representing the mouth. “Smiley” is also sometimes used as a generic term for any emoticon.”[1]

It is clear from the above definition that a “smiley” falls under the purview of impermissible animate picture making.[2] (Qamoos al- Fiqh, Vol.2, Pg.465- 470)

We therefore advise one to refrain from using smileys to express one’s emotions.

And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best

Ismail Desai,

Darul Iftaa

Checked and Approved,

Mufti Ebrahim Desai.