Is that is it still a sin to draw characters.if someone`s niyath is not to pray, but just to show off, their nimaz is not accepted, right?

Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

 

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Assalamualaikum

Dear brother in Islam, I have a question which has been bothering me for a long time.

 

One of my past times is, and has been for a very long time, to draw anime and manga. That is, cartoon versions of humans.

 

I have not drawn cartoon versions of REAL people, but instead just figments of my imagination. One day, my mother told me that Allah All-mighty hates people who draw human figures.

 

But my question is that is it still a sin to draw characters that are not real people, but rather cartoons? My mother told me that Allah said something in the Holy Quran that people who draw living creations are testing Allah, naouzubillah.

 

But does`nt it also depend on your niyath, or the reason you`re doing it? I have no intentions of challenging Allah when I draw, but rather I pray to Allah at times that my drawing comes out properly.

 

For instance, if someone`s niyath is not to pray, but just to show off, their nimaz is not accepted, right? So then, does`nt it all depend on the niyath? Please tell me if I am right or wrong, and if I should stop drawing. I have always loved drawing these and it has been my passion, so I would love to find a way to continue drawing these cartoon characters without having a feeling of guilt.

 

Thankyou so much.

Wassalam.

 

Your sister in Islam.

 

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Answer:

 

Shirk  pictures and intentions

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

 

Your Question: But does`nt it also depend on your niyath, or the reason you`re doing it?.... For instance, if someone`s niyath is not to pray, but just to show off, their nimaz is not accepted, right? So then, does`nt it all depend on the niyath?

Sahih Muslim Hadith 4688     Narrated by Abu Hurayrah

I heard the Messenger of Allah (saws) say:  ‘The first man (whose case) will be decided on the Day of Judgment, will be a man who died as a ‘martyr’. He shall be brought (before the Judgment Seat). Allah will make him recount His blessings (i.e. the blessings which He had bestowed upon him) and he will recount them (and admit having enjoyed them in his life).  (Then) will Allah say: ‘What did you do (to requite these blessings)?’  He will say: ‘I fought for Thee until I died as a martyr.’  Allah will say: ‘You have told a lie. You fought so that you might be called a "brave warrior". And you were called so (after your death).’ (Then) orders will be passed against him and he will be dragged with his face downward and cast into Hell!  Then there will be brought forward a man who acquired knowledge and imparted it (to others) and recited the Quran. He will be brought, Allah will make him recount His blessings and he will recount them (and admit having enjoyed them in his lifetime).  Then will Allah ask: ‘What did you do (to requite these blessings)?’  He will say: ‘I acquired knowledge and disseminated it and recited the Quran, seeking Thy pleasure.’ Allah will say: ‘You have told a lie. You acquired knowledge so that you might be called "a scholar", and you recited the Qur'an so that it might be said: "He is a Qari" and such has been said.’ Then orders will be passed against him and he shall be dragged with his face downward and cast into the Fire!  Then will be brought a man whom Allah had made abundantly rich and had granted every kind of wealth. He will be brought, Allah will make him recount His blessings and he will recount them and (admit having enjoyed them in his lifetime).  Allah will (then) ask: ‘What have you done (to requite these blessings)?’  He will say: ‘I spent money in every cause in which Thou wished that it should be spent.’  Allah will say: ‘You are lying. You did (so) that it might be said about (you): "He is a generous fellow", and so it was said.’ Then will Allah pass orders and he will be dragged with his face downward and thrown into Hell!’

 

Indeed Sister, it is indeed true and the absolute majority of the scholars and the jurists in Islam are of the opinion that the reward of every ‘good’ deed one does will depend entirely upon the intention of the person doing the deed.

 

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 1.1  Narrated by Umar bin Al Khattab

I heard Allah's Messenger (saws) saying, "The reward of deeds depends upon the intentions, and every person will get the reward according to what he has intended.”

 

But if an evil transpires as a direct result of one doing a deed, even though the person did not actually intend to do evil, in many cases one will be accountable for that evil. For example, if one has an accident and were to hurt or kill someone….although the person did not actually intend to hurt or kill another person, the person will be held accountable for the evil that transpired as a direct result of his deed.

 

Thus although it is absolutely true that the reward of every ‘good’ deed will depend entirely upon the intention or ‘neeyah’ of the person doing the deed; it is not always the case when an evil transpires, albeit unintentionally, as a direct result of one’s deed.

 

Your Qeustion: One of my past times is, and has been for a very long time, to draw anime and manga. That is, cartoon versions of humans.

I have not drawn cartoon versions of REAL people, but instead just figments of my imagination. One day, my mother told me that Allah All-mighty hates people who draw human figures.
Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 7.834         Narrated by Muslim

We were with Masruq at the house of Yasar bin Numair. Masruq saw pictures on his terrace and said, "I heard 'Abdullah saying that he heard the Prophet (saws)  saying, "The people who will receive the severest punishment from Allah will be the (animate) picture makers.' "

 

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 7.841         Narrated by Abu Talha

The Messenger of Allah (saws)  said, "Angels (of Mercy) do not enter a house where there are (animate) pictures."

 

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 7.845         Narrated by Abu Juhaifa

that he had bought a slave whose profession was cupping.  The Prophet forbade taking the price of blood, and the price of a dog, and the earnings of a prostitute, and cursed the one who took or gave (Riba') usury, and the lady who tattooed others or got herself tattooed, and the (animate) picture-maker.

 

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 4.450         Narrated by Abu Salim

Once Gabriel promised the Prophet (saws) that he would visit him, but Gabriel did not come, and later on he said, "We Angels, do not enter a house which contains a  (animate) picture,  or a dog."

 

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 4.448         Narrated by Abu Talha

I heard the Messenger of Allah (saws) saying; "Angels (of Mercy) do not enter a house wherein there is a dog or a picture of a living creature (a human being or an animal)."

 

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 3.428         Narrated by Said bin Abu Al Hasan

While I was with Ibn 'Abbas a man came and said, "O father of 'Abbas! My sustenance is from my manual profession and I make these pictures."  Ibn 'Abbas said, "I will tell you only what I heard from Allah's Messenger (saws).  I heard him (saws) saying, 'Whoever makes a (animate) picture will be punished by Allah till he puts life in it, and he will never be able to put life in it.' "  Hearing this, that man heaved a sigh and his face turned pale.  Ibn 'Abbas said to him, "What a pity! If you insist on making pictures, I advise you to make pictures of trees and any other unanimated objects."

 

It is absolutely forbidden in Shariah for a believer who sincerely fears Allah and the Last Day to make portraits or draw pictures of animate creatures, regardless of whether the pictures are of real people or a figment of one’s imagination.

 

Dear and beloved Sister in Islam, that is the ‘Law’; and although it is incumbent upon a believer who sincerely believes in Allah and the Last Day to unconditionally obey every Law of Islam, it would only be prudent for one to strive to comprehend the wisdom behind the ‘Laws’ of Islam….so that their hearts may be content and they may follow the Wise Guidance and Commands of their Lord and His Messenger (saws) with absolute conviction.

 

Allah Subhanah has singled out ‘shirk’ or associating other deities with Allah as the one single biggest sin in Islam.  Many amongst mankind through the ages used to make images and portraits of the pious amongst them or even only as a figment of their imagination, and as times and generations went by, the ignorant amongst them would start worshipping these images and thus involve themselves in the abomination of ‘shirk’!  Thus Allah and His Messenger (saws) guided the believers to abstain from making and glorifying images and portraits, and thus eliminated the very root that might lead some amongst them to the evil path of ‘shirk’! 

 

Beloved Sister, the guidance of Islam is so comprehensive that when Allah Subhanah Declares something as ‘haraam’ or prohibited….it is not only that specific thing which is forbidden, but Allah Subhanah guides the believers to abstain from everything that leads or might lead to the ‘haraam’! 

 

For example: Allah Subhanah has Declared ‘zina’ (fornication and adultery) as ‘haraam’ for the believers…..thus every single thing that leads to this evil abomination of ‘zina’ is also deemed forbidden in Islam!  The Guidance and Commands of the concept of the ‘hijaab’, the free mixing of non-mehrams of the opposite sex, the casual meeting of two non-mehram members of the opposite sex alone, etc. are all prohibited because there is a chance the violation of these guidelines may lead one to the abomination of ‘zina’.

 

Similarly, Allah and His Messenger (saws) have declared the consumption of ‘intoxicants’ as unlawful for the believers; thus (in their ignorance) one may argue that a sip of wine does not intoxicate and therefore a sip is not unlawful!!!  Not only has Islam declared even a ‘drop’ of that which intoxicates as unlawful, Islam has prohibited the believers from even approaching anything that involves ‘intoxicants’!    

 

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 5 Surah Maidah verses 90-91:

O you who have believed!   ‘Khamr’ (all types of intoxicants),  games of chance,  idols,  and divining arrows are all abominable works of the Shaytaan;  therefore,  stay (far) away from these so that you may attain success.   Indeed,  the Shaytaan seeks to sow enmity and hatred among you by means of ‘khamr’ (intoxicants) and gambling,  and to prevent you from the Remembrance of Allah and from Salaah.   Will you not,  then,  abstain from these things?

 

Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 2776        Narrated by Anas ibn Malik

Allah's Messenger (saws) invoked the curse of Allah on ten people in connection with wine: the wine-presser, the one who has it pressed, the one who drinks it, the one who conveys it, the one to whom it is conveyed, the one who serves it, the one who sells it, the one who benefits from the price paid for it, the one who buys it, and the one for whom it is bought.

 

Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 4477        Narrated by Jabir ibn Abdullah

The Prophet (saws) said, "He who believes in Allah and the Last Day must not sit at a cloth (table or gathering) where wine is being circulated."

 

Sunan of Abu-Dawood Hadith 3679 Narrated byAisha, Ummul Mu'minin

I heard the Messenger of Allah (saws) say: ‘Every intoxicant is forbidden; if a ‘faraq’ (a quantity) of anything causes intoxication, a handful of it is also forbidden!’

 

Your Statement: I have not drawn cartoon versions of REAL people, but instead just figments of my imagination. One day, my mother told me that Allah All-mighty hates people who draw human figures.

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 7.846         Narrated by Ibn Abbas

I heard the Messenger of Allah (saws) saying, "Whoever makes an (animate) picture in this world will be asked to put life into it on the Day of Resurrection, but he will not be able to do so!"

 

Beloved Sister, if one is aware of the ‘Hindu’ religion, one would know that almost every single one of their 330 million ‘gods’ of the Hindu religion are based on mythology or the figment of someone’s imagination!  The ‘gods’ like ‘Ram’, or ‘Krishna’, or ‘Shiva’, or deities like ‘Durga’, and ‘Kali’, and ‘Laxmi’, and ‘Saraswati’, etc. are no more than a myth and a figment of someone’s imagination!  But with the passing of time and generation, some people chose to make these mythological beings as ‘gods’ and ‘deities’ and started worshipping them!

 

Thus my beloved Sister in Islam, as far fetched as it may seem to you today that someone amongst human beings might be so ignorant to take the ‘harmless’ animate cartoon creatures you so like to draw as ‘gods’ or ‘deities’ and start their worship someday in the future….know that the absolute majority of the ‘images’ or ‘gods’ or ‘deities’ the pagans worship were and are but a figment of someone’s imagination at the time of their creation!

 

Dear and beloved Sister in Islam, regardless of whether one accepts or comprehends the wisdom behind the Laws of Allah or not, it would be incumbent upon every believer who sincerely believes in Allah and the Last Day to unconditionally submit their will to the Will of Allah Subhanah, and unconditionally obey each and every Command of the Lord and His Messenger (saws). 

 

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 33 Surah Ahzaab verse 36:

It does not behove a believing man and a believing woman that when Allah and His Messenger have given their decision in a matter, they should exercise an option in that matter of theirs.  For whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger, has indeed strayed into manifest error.

 

If one trusts, obeys, and follows the guidance and commands of Allah and His Messenger (saws),   one can be assured of never ever being misled;   but if one believes, obeys and follows any other guidance, other than that of Allah and His Messenger (saws), one can be assured of being led astray.  

 

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone.  Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

 

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

 

 

Burhan

 

 
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