Explanation of Riyad al-Salihin-88a
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The reader: In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions.
The author (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned in the context of the hadiths in “The chapter on the prohibition of drawing images of living beings on carpets, stones, clothes, dirhams, pillows, dinars, cushions, and the like, and the prohibition of making images on walls, ceilings, turbans, clothes, and the like, and the command to destroy images
From Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him and his father), who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) saySahih Muslim 2110b Agreed upon
And from Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: IndeedSahih Muslim 2109a Agreed upon
And from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) sayRiyad as-Salihin 1683 Agreed upon
And from Abu Talhah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) saidSunan Ibn Majah 3649Sahih (Darussalam) Agreed upon
And from Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father), who said Narrated by al-Bukhari
And from Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), who saidRiyad as-Salihin 1686 Narrated by Muslim
And from Abu al-Hayyaj Hayyan ibn Husayn, who said: Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) said to me Narrated by Muslim "
The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
These hadiths that the author mentioned in his book Riyad al-Salihin all indicate that image-making is one of the major sins, because they contain a severe warning of the curse which is being driven away from the mercy of Allah, and that one will be required on the Day of Resurrection to breathe life into what he has made, and he will not be able to do so. It is known that if he is not able to do so, which is impossible, then it is impossible for the punishment to be lifted from him unless Allah wills. And among them is that image-makers are among the most unjust of the unjust, the most unjust of the wrongdoers, due to the saying of Allah the Exalted Sahih al-Bukhari 7559 meaning that no one is more unjust than he is. Sahih Ibn Hibban 47:310 meaning that if they are sincere and want to rival the creation of Allah, let them create a grain, a grain of food, and let it be wheat. Even if all the people of wheat, and even the people of the heavens, gathered together to create a grain of wheat, they would not be able to do so. Even if they made something from dough in the exact shape of a grain, they would not be able to make it a grain. If they planted it in the ground, it would not grow, because it is not a grain. If a person cannot create a grain, a barley grain, or a speck, which are used as examples of smallness, then anything greater than that is even more so and more deserving of prohibition.
This is evidence that this image-making is forbidden. As for taking images and bringing them into houses, that is also forbidden, because angels do not enter a house in which there is an image or a dog. The angels (peace and blessings be upon them) do not enter the house in which there is an image or a dog. What do you think of a house that angels do not enter? It is a bad house. If there is an image in the house or a dog, the angels do not enter it. However, an exception is made for images necessitated by dire necessity, such as the image on a dirham or a dinar, like what is found now in our dirhams. There are images of kings on the dirhams. This is addressed to the one who placed this image, not to the general public. What do they do? They spend their money and dirhams. This is something that Allah does not burden a soul beyond its capacity. But the angels are not prevented from entering a house that has dirhams in it, even if there is an image on them. And the old currency had images that were greater than the images found now, because the images found now are nothing but coloring. And you have known previously that scholars differ on whether colored images fall under the warning or not. But previously, the image was a statue, meaning it was a tangible image. Also, the image of the kings of the Franks, the French rial, has an image of a king from the kings of Europe. It also has an image of birds. The French pound has an image of a leader from the leaders of Britain. It also has an image of a horse ridden by a rider... so they are like three-dimensional statues. But the scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) did not prohibit that because this is a matter of dire necessity that people cannot get rid of, because they cannot throw their dirhams on the ground. So this is a dire necessity. And among that is the passport, the passport and the ID card, the safeguard of souls. All of this is necessitated by dire necessity or pressing need. And Allah does not burden a soul beyond its capacity, and Allah has not placed any hardship upon us in the religion. These also do not prevent the angels from entering.
The third is what is not respected, meaning what is degraded and trampled by feet, such as images that are on carpets or pillows. These also do not prevent the angels from entering because they are permissible according to most scholars. But it is better and more preferable for us to avoid them because there is disagreement among some scholars. Some say that they fall under the prohibition even if they are degraded, and some say no, and they are the majority. For example, if a person has a blanket with an image of a lion on it and he places it under him to sit on it, there is nothing wrong with him. But if he covers himself with it, then there is something wrong, because if he covers himself with it, there is no degradation.
The fourth is images for children. Images for children to play with are also among what is permitted, and the angels are not prevented from entering the house in which these images are, because Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) had an image she played with in the same house of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and he did not prohibit her from it. But it should not be that plastic images are used, because plastic images are complete images, including the eyelashes, and they even make a bead that is an eye for it that moves, and some of them take steps, and some of them make sounds. It is feared that these fall under the prohibition and that the angels do not enter the house in which they are. But the latest images that they have started to use, and praise be to Allah, are images that are like a shadow; they have no face, no eye, no nose, and no mouth. The most they have is two ears, two legs, and a stretched head, and there is no image in them. These, if Allah wills, have nothing wrong with them, and the angels are not prevented from entering the house in which they are. And a girl can do without others with them. And it is obligatory for one who sees a forbidden image to erase it, due to the saying of Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) to Abu al-Hayyaj al-AsadiRiyad as-Salihin 1687
A raised grave, meaning a grave that is distinguished from the others, whether by its elevation or by the elevation of the stones upon it, meaning the stones placed on it. For this reason, one must be cautious of what some people are doing now: they pour a thin layer of concrete and perhaps write verses from the Qur'an on it or the like. It is not permissible to approve of this, because it is one of the raised graves. Whoever sees it, may Allah reward him with good, let him dig it down and level it, and place the writing inside, meaning at the bottom, so that it is buried in the earth. Because raised graves, or these raised graves, may be exaggerated in the future. Rather, all graves should be on the same level, with nothing in them that indicates veneration. For all tribulation, all tribulation is the tribulation of shirk (associating partners with Allah), which stems from the veneration of graves. We ask Allah to protect us and you, for He is Capable of all things.
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions.
The author (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned in the context of the hadiths in “The chapter on the prohibition of drawing images of living beings on carpets, stones, clothes, dirhams, pillows, dinars, cushions, and the like, and the prohibition of making images on walls, ceilings, turbans, clothes, and the like, and the command to destroy images
From Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him and his father), who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say
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).
من صور صورة في الدنيا كلف أن ينفخ فيها الروح يوم القيامة وليس بنافخAnd from Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: Indeed
the most grievously tormented people on the Day of Resurrection would be the painters of pictures
أشد الناس عذابا يوم القيامة المصورونAnd from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say
The Almighty Allah said: 'Who is more an oppressor than him who goes to create like My creation? Let him make an ant or a grain of corn or a grain of barley
قال الله تعالى ومن أظلم ممن ذهب يخلق كخلقي فليخلقوا ذرة أو ليخلقوا حبة أو ليخلقوا شعيرةAnd from Abu Talhah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said
The angels do not enter a house in which there is a dog or an image.
لا تدخل الملائكة بيتا فيه كلب ولا صورةAnd from Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father), who said
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) promised Jibril that he would come to him, but he delayed until it became difficult for the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). So he went out and met Jibril, and he complained to him. He said, "We do not enter a house in which there is a dog or an image."
وعد رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم جبريل أن يأتيه فراث عليه حتى اشتد على رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فخرج فلقيه جبريل فشكى إليه فقال إنا لا ندخل بيتا فيه كلب ولا صورةAnd from Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), who said
'Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) said: Jibril (Gabriel) (ﷺ) made a promise with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) to come at a definite hour; that hour came but he did not visit him. There was a staff in the hand of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). He threw it from his hand and said, "Never does Allah back out of His Promise, nor do His messengers." Then he noticed a puppy under his bed and said, "O 'Aishah, when did this dog enter?" She said: "By Allah, I don't know." He then commanded that it should be turned out. No sooner than had they expelled it, Jibril came and the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to him, "You promised to visit me. I waited for you but you did not come." Whereupon he said: "The dog kept me from coming. We do not enter a house in which there is a dog or a picture." [Muslim] .
واعد رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم جبريل عليه السلام في ساعة أن يـأتيه فجاءت تلك الساعة ولم يأته قالت وكان بيده عصا فطرحها من يده وهو يقول ما يخلف الله وعده ولا رسله ثم التفت فإذا جرو كلب تحت سريره فقال متى دخل هذا الكلب فقلت والله ما دريت به فأمر به فأخرج فجاءه جبريل عليه السلام فقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم وعدتني فجلست لك ولم تأتني فقال منعني الكلب الذي كان في بيتك إنا لا ندخل بيتا فيه كلب ولا صورةAnd from Abu al-Hayyaj Hayyan ibn Husayn, who said: Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) said to me
Shall I not send you with what the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) sent me with? Do not leave an image without defacing it, and do not leave a raised grave without leveling it.
ألا أبعثك على ما بعثني عليه رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ألا تدع صورة إلا طمستها ولا قبرا مشرفا إلا سويتهThe Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
These hadiths that the author mentioned in his book Riyad al-Salihin all indicate that image-making is one of the major sins, because they contain a severe warning of the curse
May Allah curse the image-makers.
لعن الله المصورينWho are most unjust than those who try to create something like My creation?
ومن أظلم ممن ذهب يخلق كخلقيLet them create a grain, or a speck of dust, or a barley grain.
فليخلقوا حبة أو ليخلقوا ذرة أو ليخلقوا شعيرةThis is evidence that this image-making is forbidden. As for taking images and bringing them into houses, that is also forbidden, because angels do not enter a house in which there is an image or a dog. The angels (peace and blessings be upon them) do not enter the house in which there is an image or a dog. What do you think of a house that angels do not enter? It is a bad house. If there is an image in the house or a dog, the angels do not enter it. However, an exception is made for images necessitated by dire necessity, such as the image on a dirham or a dinar, like what is found now in our dirhams. There are images of kings on the dirhams. This is addressed to the one who placed this image, not to the general public. What do they do? They spend their money and dirhams. This is something that Allah does not burden a soul beyond its capacity. But the angels are not prevented from entering a house that has dirhams in it, even if there is an image on them. And the old currency had images that were greater than the images found now, because the images found now are nothing but coloring. And you have known previously that scholars differ on whether colored images fall under the warning or not. But previously, the image was a statue, meaning it was a tangible image. Also, the image of the kings of the Franks, the French rial, has an image of a king from the kings of Europe. It also has an image of birds. The French pound has an image of a leader from the leaders of Britain. It also has an image of a horse ridden by a rider... so they are like three-dimensional statues. But the scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) did not prohibit that because this is a matter of dire necessity that people cannot get rid of, because they cannot throw their dirhams on the ground. So this is a dire necessity. And among that is the passport, the passport and the ID card, the safeguard of souls. All of this is necessitated by dire necessity or pressing need. And Allah does not burden a soul beyond its capacity, and Allah has not placed any hardship upon us in the religion. These also do not prevent the angels from entering.
The third is what is not respected, meaning what is degraded and trampled by feet, such as images that are on carpets or pillows. These also do not prevent the angels from entering because they are permissible according to most scholars. But it is better and more preferable for us to avoid them because there is disagreement among some scholars. Some say that they fall under the prohibition even if they are degraded, and some say no, and they are the majority. For example, if a person has a blanket with an image of a lion on it and he places it under him to sit on it, there is nothing wrong with him. But if he covers himself with it, then there is something wrong, because if he covers himself with it, there is no degradation.
The fourth is images for children. Images for children to play with are also among what is permitted, and the angels are not prevented from entering the house in which these images are, because Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) had an image she played with in the same house of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and he did not prohibit her from it. But it should not be that plastic images are used, because plastic images are complete images, including the eyelashes, and they even make a bead that is an eye for it that moves, and some of them take steps, and some of them make sounds. It is feared that these fall under the prohibition and that the angels do not enter the house in which they are. But the latest images that they have started to use, and praise be to Allah, are images that are like a shadow; they have no face, no eye, no nose, and no mouth. The most they have is two ears, two legs, and a stretched head, and there is no image in them. These, if Allah wills, have nothing wrong with them, and the angels are not prevented from entering the house in which they are. And a girl can do without others with them. And it is obligatory for one who sees a forbidden image to erase it, due to the saying of Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) to Abu al-Hayyaj al-Asadi
Shall I not send you to do a task that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) had assigned to me? Spare no portrait unwiped out, and leave not a high grave unlevelled.
ألا أبعثك على ما بعثني عليه رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم أن لا تدع صورة إلا طمستها ولا قبرا مشرفا إلا سويتهA raised grave, meaning a grave that is distinguished from the others, whether by its elevation or by the elevation of the stones upon it, meaning the stones placed on it. For this reason, one must be cautious of what some people are doing now: they pour a thin layer of concrete and perhaps write verses from the Qur'an on it or the like. It is not permissible to approve of this, because it is one of the raised graves. Whoever sees it, may Allah reward him with good, let him dig it down and level it, and place the writing inside, meaning at the bottom, so that it is buried in the earth. Because raised graves, or these raised graves, may be exaggerated in the future. Rather, all graves should be on the same level, with nothing in them that indicates veneration. For all tribulation, all tribulation is the tribulation of shirk (associating partners with Allah), which stems from the veneration of graves. We ask Allah to protect us and you, for He is Capable of all things.