Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh, brother Burhan, and every body else on the forum.

I have read in one of your answers that drawing people is harram because it is taken as Shirk, because it is like you are creating the object in the picture.

How about if you know inside that its not like you are creating it. You don`t see yourself as the creater. Is it still haraam, because isn`t it all about the intentions? Drawing is supposed to boost your creativity, why then would it be haraam, even if you son`t see your self as the creater? I need you to shed some light on this. Thankyou.

Another thing, i ask for you and everybody else reading this to please pray for all our Muslim brothers and sisters to become stronger in their faith. Ameen.

Allah Hafiz

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Why is drawing pictures haraam?

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad(saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 7.834 Narrated by Muslim

We were with Masruq at the house of Yasar bin Numair. Masruq saw pictures on his terrace and said, "I heard 'Abdullah saying that he heard the Prophet (saws) saying, "The people who will receive the severest punishment from Allah will be the picture makers.' "

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 4.448 Narrated by Abu Talha

I heard the Messenger of Allah (saws) saying; "Angels (of Mercy) do not enter a house wherein there is a dog or a picture of a living creature (a human being or an animal)."

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 3.428 Narrated by Said bin Abu Al Hasan

While I was with Ibn 'Abbas a man came and said, "O father of 'Abbas! My sustenance is from my manual profession and I make these pictures." Ibn 'Abbas said, "I will tell you only what I heard from Allah's Messenger (saws). I heard him saying, 'Whoever makes a picture will be punished by Allah till he puts life in it, and he will never be able to put life in it.' " Hearing this, that man heaved a sigh and his face turned pale. Ibn 'Abbas said to him, "What a pity! If you insist on making pictures, I advise you to make pictures of trees and any other unanimated objects."

Your Question: How about if you know inside that its not like you are creating it. You don`t see yourself as the creater. Is it still haraam, because isn`t it all about the intentions?

Allah Subhanah is The Creator, and when one makes an image or a drawing of an animate object, he assumes a part of the exclusive role that belongs to none but Allah Subhanah. The Messenger of Allah (saws) specifically prohibited the drawing or imaging of portraits or animate objects.

Your Question: isn`t it all about the intentions?

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 1.1 Narrated by Umar bin Al Khattab

I heard Allah's Messenger (saws) saying, "The reward of deeds depends upon the intentions and every person will get the reward according to what he has intended.”

Indeed, as the Messenger of Allah (saws) stated in the above authentic tradition, the rewards of deeds depend upon the intentions.

But when one knowingly breaks a law, intentionally or unintentionally, he will still be held guilty and accountable for breaking the law.

For example, if one drives at 100mph on a 70mph speed limit road, without any intention of speeding, the police officer is not going to accept the driver’s excuse that he had absolutely no intention of speeding!

Similarly, every muslim knows that ‘shirk’ or associating gods with Allah Subhanah is the absolute biggest sin in Islam; and it would be safe to say that no muslim would intentionally commit shirk. Unfortunately, there are literally millions of muslims who invoke the dead, invoke and worship graves, and invoke some names in the ‘unseen’ and seek their help, etc., thereby being guilty of the abomination of shirk. If these muslims realize that what they are doing is indeed classified an act of ‘shirk’ in the sight of Allah Subhanah, they would definitely leave it; but they continue doing so because they believe it is not shirk. They intentionally did the acts that constitute ‘shirk’, but they had absolutely no intention of committing ‘shirk’! Do you think Allah Subhanah will forgive them their deeds of shirk, just because they unintentionally committed it?

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 5 Surah Maidah verse 72:

Whoever commits ‘shirk’ (invoking anything with Allah), Allah shall forbid for him Paradise, and Hell shall be his abode. And for such wrong doers there will be no one to help.

Allah says in the Quran: Chapter 4 Surah An-Nisa Verse 48

Shirk (associating other deities with Allah) is the only sin that Allah does not forgive, and He forgives, whomsoever He pleases, sins other than this. For whosoever associates any other partner with Allah, does indeed forge a big lie and commits the most heinous sin

Your Question: Drawing is supposed to boost your creativity, why then would it be haraam,

If one indeed wants to boost their creativity, he may draw anything amongst the millions of non-animate objects…the plants, the trees, the fruits, the gardens, the mountains, the seas, the skies, landscapes, etc. There is absolutely nothing that says that only the drawing of animate objects is supposed to boost one’s creativity.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your Brother in Islam,

Burhan