The Ruling on Hanging Pictures and Enlarging Them in Gathering Places

Question:
May Allah reward you. The Honorable Shaykh says: What is the ruling on hanging pictures of living beings, enlarging them, and placing them on the walls in gathering places and open areas? Is there any madness in the one who does that?

Answer:
The advice and fatwas have been repeated that this is forbidden, because this is the action of the people of Luqman, it is the action of the people of Luqman exactly the same. The people of Luqman, by the suggestion of Satan, made pictures of the righteous when they died, hung them on the walls, and did not engage in this in the early days, because the people used to deny worship other than Allah.
Among them were scholars, so when that generation died, a generation of ignorance came after them, and the scholars died. Satan made the worship of these pictures attractive to them and said, "Your fathers did not set up these pictures except to worship them," so they worshipped them besides Allah. Thus, shirk (associating partners with Allah) occurred on earth from that point in history. Then Allah sent His messenger, Noah (peace be upon him), to call them to tawhid (the oneness of Allah) and to return to the religion of their father Adam, which is tawhid. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) wanted to enter the house of Aisha and saw a curtain hanging on an opening in the wall, it was a hospital, but it had carvings in it. He refused to enter (peace and blessings be upon him) and said, "O Aisha, the worst of creation in the sight of Allah are those who make images." He refused to enter until the curtain was searched, meaning it was turned over and cut, and pieces were made of it. He refused to enter the place where the pictures were hanging, even though Aisha did not intend the pictures; she did not intend these pictures, but she intended to cover this niche that had descended. But because there were carvings hanging in it, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) refused to enter the house until it was turned over. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) instructed his cousin Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) and said to him, "Do not leave any picture except that you erase it, and do not leave any raised grave, meaning elevated, except that you level it." So it is not permissible to hang pictures on the walls, whether their owners are scholars, kings, great men, presidents, or anyone else, even pictures of your children. You do not hang a picture of yourself, and it is not permissible. Angels do not enter a house in which there is a dog or a picture.
Therefore, houses must be cleared of these pictures, especially if they are hanging on the walls or if they are statues, like some people who place statues on tables, pictures of dogs, pictures of birds. All of this is forbidden and not permissible. Angels do not enter the house in which these pictures are. It is not said, "These are hearts" or "This is a lighthouse" or anything else. This is forbidden by the Shari'ah, so it is not permissible. The Muslim obeys the command of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) and does not follow traditions or the customs of the people of fire.