Question 948: What is the ruling on making statues of living beings, drawing pictures of living beings, and buying and selling them?

350 13 Feb 2021
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✅Answer: Please pay attention to the following narrations:

1 عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ طَلْحَةَ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْداللَّه أَنَّهُ قَالَ: مِنْ أَكْلِ السُّحْتِ سَبْعَةٌ الرِّشْوَةُ فِي الْحُكْمِ وَ مَهْرُ الْبَغِيِّ وَ أَجْرُ الْكَاهِنِ وَ ثَمَنُ الْكَلْبِ وَ الَّذِينَ يَبْنُونَ الْبُنْيَانَ عَلَى الْقُبُورِ وَ الَّذِينَ يُصَوِّرُونَ التَّمَاثِيلَ

📚 Kitab Ja'far ibn Muhammad ibn Shurayh al-Hadrami, p. 76.

Imam Sadiq (prayers of God be upon him) said: 'Among the seven things of illicit earnings (suht) are: bribery in judgment, the dowry of fornication, the payment of a soothsayer, the price of a dog, those who build on graves, those who make images of idols, and...'

2 عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ أَبِي طَالِبٍ قَالَ: بَائِعُ الْخَبِيثَاتِ وَ مُشْتَرِيهَا فِي الْإِثْمِ سَوَاءٌ

📚 Al-Ja'fariyyat, p. 172

The Commander of the Faithful (prayers of God be upon him) said: 'The seller of forbidden and impure things and their buyer are equal in sin!'

3 عَنْ أَبِي بَصِيرٍ وَ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ مُسْلِمٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْداللَّهِ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ آبَائِهِ قَالَ قَالَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ: إِيَّاكُمْ وَ عَمَلَ الصُّوَرِ فَإِنَّكُمْ تُسْأَلُونَ عَنْهَا يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ الْخَبَرَ

📚 Al-Khisal, p. 635.

The Commander of the Faithful (prayers of God be upon him) said: 'Avoid the work of image-making, for you will be questioned about them on the Day of Judgment!'

4 عَنِ الْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ زَيْدٍ عَنِ الصَّادِقِ عَنْ آبَائِهِ فِي حَدِيثِ الْمَنَاهِي قَالَ: نَهَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ عَنِ التَّصَاوِيرِ وَ قَالَ مَنْ صَوَّرَ صُورَةً كَلَّفَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ أَنْ يَنْفُخَ فِيهَا وَ لَيْسَ بِنَافِخٍ

📚 Al-Faqih, vol. 4, p. 5

The Messenger of God (prayers of God be upon him and his family) in the hadith of prohibitions, forbade images and said: 'Whoever makes an image, God Almighty will task him on the Day of Judgment to breathe into it, and he is not a breather!'

5 عَلِيِّ بْنِ جَعْفَرٍ عَنْ أَخِيهِ مُوسَى بْنِ جَعْفَرٍ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُهُ عَنِ التَّمَاثِيلِ هَلْ يَصْلُحُ أَنْ يُلْعَبَ بِهَا قَالَ لَا.

📚 Qurb al-Isnad, p. 122

Ali ibn Ja'far said: I asked Musa ibn Ja'far (prayers of God be upon him) about idols (statues, dolls, etc.), whether it is right to play with them? He said: 'No!'

6 عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ مَرْوَانَ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّه قَالَ سَمِعْتُهُ يَقُولُ ثَلَاثَةٌ يُعَذَّبُونَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ مَنْ صَوَّرَ صُورَةً مِنَ الْحَيَوَانِ يُعَذَّبُ حَتَّى يَنْفُخَ فِيهَا وَ لَيْسَ بِنَافِخٍ فِيهَا

📚 Al-Khisal, p. 108

Muhammad ibn Marwan said: I heard Imam Sadiq (prayers of God be upon him) say: 'Three people will be punished on the Day of Judgment: he who makes an image of a living being (as a picture or a statue) will be punished until he breathes (a soul) into it, and he is not able to breathe into it! ...'

✅ Based on the above narrations and others, the making, buying, selling, and profession of sculpting and drawing living beings are forbidden and prohibited. It is even disallowed for children and others to play with idols and dolls of living beings, and the profession of making statues of living beings and designing pictures of living beings are prohibited and condemned occupations that lead to punishment on the Day of Judgment.

اللَّهُمَّ فَصَلِّ عَلَی مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ وَ عَجِّلْ لِوَلِیِّکَ الْفَرَجَ وَ الْعَافِیَةَ وَ النَّصْرَ