Fatwa ID: 07871
Answered by Maulana Ateiq-ur Rehman
Question:
Regarding drawing and animating for a living:
1. Are we allowed to draw non-living things from our imagination even if they do not exist/we don’t know of? Such as a colour not seen on flowers/trees or different coloured planets?
2. Are we allowed to animate natural movement of non-living things? Like a flower growing from seed? Water moving? Grass moving from wind?
3. Can we animate the above in ways they do not typically move? Like a tree seemingly walking?
4. If I know correctly, you cannot draw heads with facial features or even full bodies with no facial features but can draw random body parts by themselves like hands or one eye. Can you animate body parts that are completely detached like one hand waving?
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
Ibn ‘Umar reported Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) having said:
Those who paint pictures would be punished on the Day of Resurrection and it would be said to them: Breathe soul into what you have created. (Sahih Muslim 2108a)
‘Abdullah reported Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:
Verity the most grievously tormented people on the Day of Resurrection would be the painters of pictures. (Sahih Muslim 2109a)
Anas b. Malik said:
I was sitting with Ibn ‘Abbas when he gave religious verdicts but he did not say that it was Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) who had said that. However when a man said to him (Ibn ‘Abbas): I am the painter of these pictures. Ibn ‘Abbas said: I heard Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: He who painted pictures in the world would be compelled to breathe soul in them on the Day of Resurrection, but he would not be able to breathe soul (in them). (Sahih Muslim 2110b)
Abu Huraira reported Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:
Angels do not enter the house in which there are portrayals or pictures. (Sahih Muslim 2112)
Narrated Aisha:
(mother of the faithful believers) I bought a cushion with pictures on it. When Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) saw it, he kept standing at the door and did not enter the house. I noticed the sign of disgust on his face, so I said, “O Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ)! I repent to Allah and H is Apostle . (Please let me know) what sin I have done.” Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “What about this cushion?” I replied, “I bought it for you to sit and recline on.” Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “The painters (i.e. owners) of these pictures will be punished on the Day of Resurrection. It will be said to them, ‘Put life in what you have created (i.e. painted).’ ” The Prophet (ﷺ) added, “The angels do not enter a house where there are pictures.”
(Sahih al-Bukhari 2105)
Narrated Abu Huraira:
I heard the Prophet (ﷺ) saying, “Allah said, ‘Who are most unjust than those who try to create something like My creation? I challenge them to create even a smallest ant, a wheat grain or a barley grain.’ ” Sahih al-Bukhari 7559
Abu Huraira (Radiallahu anhu) reports that Rasulullah (Sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam) said: “Jibraeel (Alayhis salaam) came to me and said: I came to you last night, but the only thing that prevented me from entering was the presence of pictures on the door, pictures inside the home on the curtains and a dog inside the home. Therefore, order the head of the picture on the door to be cut so that it will resemble a tree. And order that the curtain be cut into two pieces strewn on the floor to be trampled over, and order the dog to be removed”. (Tirmidhi # 2806, Matba’a Mustafa)3
In light of the above hadith please see below a response to your questions:
- Are we allowed to draw non-living things from our imagination even if they do not exist/we don’t know of? Such as a colour not seen on flowers/trees or different coloured planets?
I would encourage you not to draw any imaginative thing which is seen or presented to be living ie. a new type of tree or plant, for this could be understood as an attempt to make or design a new creation. It would be better to draw and take inspiration for the existing creations of Allah.
- Are we allowed to animate natural movement of non-living things? Like a flower growing from seed? Water moving? Grass moving from wind?
This would be fine to do as it is representing the system that Allah has created to govern those things.
- Can we animate the above in ways they do not typically move? Like a tree seemingly walking?
I would encourage you to refrain from this as it too can be seen to be an attempt to change or challenge the system created by Allah.
- If I know correctly, you cannot draw heads with facial features or even full bodies with no facial features but can draw random body parts by themselves like hands or one eye. Can you animate body parts that are completely detached like one hand waving?
The drawing of different human body parts would be permissible if there was genuine need to be drawn eg. For a medical book or maybe a book describing how to perform wudu, otherwise I would advise refraining from drawing body parts.
Only Allah knows best.
Written by Maulana Ateiq-ur Rehman
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
حَدَّثَنَا عُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ، عَنْ نَافِعٍ، أَنَّ ابْنَ عُمَرَ، أَخْبَرَهُ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ “ الَّذِينَ يَصْنَعُونَ الصُّوَرَ يُعَذَّبُونَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ يُقَالُ لَهُمْ أَحْيُوا مَا خَلَقْتُمْ ” .
Muslim 2108a
عَنْ مَسْرُوقٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم “ إِنَّ أَشَدَّ النَّاسِ عَذَابًا يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ الْمُصَوِّرُونَ ”
(Sahih Muslim 2109a)
أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، قَالَ كُنْتُ جَالِسًا عِنْدَ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ فَجَعَلَ يُفْتِي وَلاَ يَقُولُ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم حَتَّى سَأَلَهُ رَجُلٌ فَقَالَ إِنِّي رَجُلٌ أُصَوِّرُ هَذِهِ الصُّوَرَ . فَقَالَ لَهُ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ ادْنُهْ . فَدَنَا الرَّجُلُ فَقَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ “ مَنْ صَوَّرَ صُورَةً فِي الدُّنْيَا كُلِّفَ أَنْ يَنْفُخَ فِيهَا الرُّوحَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَلَيْسَ بِنَافِخٍ ” .
Sahih Muslim 2110b
نْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم “ لاَ تَدْخُلُ الْمَلاَئِكَةُ بَيْتًا فِيهِ تَمَاثِيلُ أَوْ تَصَاوِيرُ ” .
Sahih Muslim 2112
عَنْ عَائِشَةَ أُمِّ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ـ رضى الله عنها ـ أَنَّهَا أَخْبَرَتْهُ أَنَّهَا اشْتَرَتْ نُمْرُقَةً فِيهَا تَصَاوِيرُ، فَلَمَّا رَآهَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَامَ عَلَى الْبَابِ، فَلَمْ يَدْخُلْهُ، فَعَرَفْتُ فِي وَجْهِهِ الْكَرَاهِيَةَ، فَقُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، أَتُوبُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَإِلَى رَسُولِهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم مَاذَا أَذْنَبْتُ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ” مَا بَالُ هَذِهِ النُّمْرُقَةِ ”. قُلْتُ اشْتَرَيْتُهَا لَكَ لِتَقْعُدَ عَلَيْهَا وَتَوَسَّدَهَا. فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ” إِنَّ أَصْحَابَ هَذِهِ الصُّوَرِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ يُعَذَّبُونَ، فَيُقَالُ لَهُمْ أَحْيُوا مَا خَلَقْتُمْ ”. وَقَالَ ” إِنَّ الْبَيْتَ الَّذِي فِيهِ الصُّوَرُ لاَ تَدْخُلُهُ الْمَلاَئِكَةُ ”.
Sahih al-Bukhari 2105
تَنْبِيهٌ]
هَذَا كُلُّهُ فِي اقْتِنَاءِ الصُّورَةِ، وَأَمَّا فِعْلُ التَّصْوِيرِ فَهُوَ غَيْرُ جَائِزٍ مُطْلَقًا لِأَنَّهُ مُضَاهَاةٌ لِخَلْقِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى كَمَا مَرَّ
كتاب حاشية ابن عابدين = رد المحتار ط الحلبي 1:650
عَنْ أَبِي زُرْعَةَ، سَمِعَ أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ “ قَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنْ ذَهَبَ يَخْلُقُ كَخَلْقِي، فَلْيَخْلُقُوا ذَرَّةً، أَوْ لِيَخْلُقُوا حَبَّةً أَوْ شَعِيرَةً
Sahih al-Bukhari 7559
