BENEFIT 129: Evidences on the prohibition of tasweer

(1) The Hadeeth of Ibn Mas'ood -may Allaah be pleased with him- reported by Bukhaari & Muslim that the prophet ﷺ said: ((أشد الناس عذاباً يوم القيامة المصورون)) "The most severely punished people on the day of Judgment will be the picture makers." (2) The Hadeeth of Abu Juhayfah reported by Bukhaari that: "The prophet ﷺ cursed the picture maker." (3) The Hadeeth of Ibn 'Umar reported by Bukhaari and Muslim that the prophet ﷺ said: ((إن أصحاب هذه الصور يعذبون يوم القيامة يُقال لهم أحيوا ماخلقتم)) "Those who make these pictures will be punished on the day of Judgment. It will be said to them, give life to what you created!" (4) The Hadeeth of Ibn 'Abbaas -may Allaah be pleased with him and his father- reported by Bukhaari and Muslim that the prophet ﷺ said: ((من صور صورة كُلف أن يُنفخ فيها الروح يوم القيامة وليس بنافخ)) "Whoever makes a picture (in this world) will be commanded to blow a soul into it, but he will not be able to do so." (5) The Hadeeth of Abu Talha -may Allaah be pleased with him- reported by Bukhaari and Muslim that the prophet ﷺ said: ((لا تدخل الملائكة بيتاً فيه كلبٌ ولا صورة)) "The angels (of mercy) do not enter a house which contains a dog or a picture." (6) The Hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah -may Allaah be pleased with him- reported by Bukhaari and Muslim that the prophet ﷺ said, Allaah -The Most High- said: ((ومن أظلم ممن ذهب يَخلُق كخلقي فليخلقوا حبة وليخلقوا ذرة وليخلقوا شعيرة)) "Who is more unjust than the one who tries to create the like of my creation? Let them create a grain, or an atom, or a grain of barley." (7) The Hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah -may Allaah be pleased with him- recorded in the Sunan of Tirmithi, that the prophet ﷺ said: ((يَخْرُجُ عُنُقٌ مِنَ النَّارِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ لَهُ عَيْنَانِ تُبْصِرَانِ وَأُذُنَانِ تَسْمَعَانِ وَلِسَانٌ يَنْطِقُ يَقُولُ إِنِّي وُكِّلْتُ بِثَلاَثَةٍ بِكُلِّ جَبَّارٍ عَنِيدٍ وَبِكُلِّ مَنْ دَعَا مَعَ اللَّهِ إِلَهًا آخَرَ وَبِالْمُصَوِّرِينَ)) "A neck will stretch out of the Fire on the Day of judgment. It will have two eyes which can see, two ears which can hear, and a tongue which can speak. It will say: 'I have been entrusted with three: Every obstinate oppressor, everyone who called upon a deity besides Allaah, and the picture maker." The are many more evidences in this regard, and all of these evidences indicate that picture making is among the major sins. What's more, these evidences are general and include: (a) carved statues; as proven by the instruction of the prophet ﷺ to 'Ali ibn Abi Taalib -may Allaah be pleased with him- that: ((لا تدع تمثالاً إلا كسرته ولا قبراً مشرفاً إلا سويته)) "Do not leave any image without erasing it or a raised grave without leveling it." (b) pictures drawn by hand; as proven by the hadeeth A'ishah -may Allaah be pleased with her- that she hang a curtain containing pictures, so the prophet ﷺ commanded for it to be torn. He was so angry that his face turned red and he ﷺ said: ((إن أصحاب هذه الصور يُعذبون يوم القيامة)) "Those who make these pictures will be punished on the day of Judgment." A'ishah said: 'We took the curtain, cut it up and made two cushions from it for people to sit on.' Hence this hadeeth proves that the prohibition extends to (2D) images drawn by hand and is not limited to (3D) sculptures as some innovators and people of misguidance claim. This is also proven by the instruction of the prophet ﷺ to 'Umar during the conquest of Makkah to enter the Ka'bah and wipe off all the pictures therein. 'Umar said: 'The prophet ﷺ did not enter (the Ka'bah) until all the pictures had been wiped off.' i.e. they were erased from the walls of the Ka'bah. So these are clear evidences showing that (2D) drawings come under the prohibition. (c) it also includes the prohibition of pictures taken using digital devices; this severe sin which many have taken lightly, even (some of) those known to be upright have become lax in this regard to a point where they have pictures on their phones, they aquire pictures and maybe even take pictures themselves.