The Ruling on Creating Artworks through Drawing and Image-Making, and the Use of the 'Ud and Similar Instruments of Amusement
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Fatwa No. ( 11562 )
Q: I am a young man whose past hobby was calligraphy, decoration, and visual arts; such as drawing, carving, and creating artworks, like heritage pieces and drawing certain characters... and so on. Praise be to Allah who guided me to the straight path, and I committed myself to the commands of Allah and His Messenger. I later realized that it is not permissible to draw those characters and others; because the most severely punished people on the Day of Resurrection are the image-makers, as stated in the hadith. So my question is: What should I do with those artworks , which number close to a hundred pieces? Should I burn them, or give them to other people, or sell them, especially since I lost significant amounts of money on them, and I am in great need of that money? Or should I deface them for the sake of Allah the Exalted, hoping that Allah will compensate us with something better? And what should I do with the camera I used to take pictures with previously, as well as the Atari game console for passing the time, and the musical instrument (the 'ud)? Should I sell them and benefit from the money, especially since I bought them with my own money? Or what should I do with them? Guide us, may Allah reward you. .
A : First: You must deface the images of living beings, and it is sufficient to completely deface the heads. Then you may dispose of the artworks as you wish, whether by selling them, giving them away, or other permissible actions according to the Shari'ah. Second: There is no harm in selling the camera; because it is used for both good and evil, like knives and swords and the like. Whoever uses it for evil, the sin is upon him.
As for the 'ud and similar instruments of amusement, it is obligatory to destroy them; because they are not used except for evil. Praise be to Allah who has granted you repentance. We ask Allah to keep us and you firm upon the truth, and to grant you beneficial knowledge and the ability to act upon it. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his companions.
Q: I am a young man whose past hobby was calligraphy, decoration, and visual arts; such as drawing, carving, and creating artworks, like heritage pieces and drawing certain characters... and so on. Praise be to Allah who guided me to the straight path, and I committed myself to the commands of Allah and His Messenger. I later realized that it is not permissible to draw those characters and others; because the most severely punished people on the Day of Resurrection are the image-makers, as stated in the hadith. So my question is: What should I do with those artworks , which number close to a hundred pieces? Should I burn them, or give them to other people, or sell them, especially since I lost significant amounts of money on them, and I am in great need of that money? Or should I deface them for the sake of Allah the Exalted, hoping that Allah will compensate us with something better? And what should I do with the camera I used to take pictures with previously, as well as the Atari game console for passing the time, and the musical instrument (the 'ud)? Should I sell them and benefit from the money, especially since I bought them with my own money? Or what should I do with them? Guide us, may Allah reward you. .
A : First: You must deface the images of living beings, and it is sufficient to completely deface the heads. Then you may dispose of the artworks as you wish, whether by selling them, giving them away, or other permissible actions according to the Shari'ah. Second: There is no harm in selling the camera; because it is used for both good and evil, like knives and swords and the like. Whoever uses it for evil, the sin is upon him.
As for the 'ud and similar instruments of amusement, it is obligatory to destroy them; because they are not used except for evil. Praise be to Allah who has granted you repentance. We ask Allah to keep us and you firm upon the truth, and to grant you beneficial knowledge and the ability to act upon it. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his companions.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.