Drawing Living Beings

3-5-2001 | IslamWeb

Question:

I'm a Norwegian Muslim girl and I have a "little" problem...I'm going to a Norwegian school, and we have a drawing/art subject where we have to draw things with "life", like people, animals etc...
But my mother told me that it is Haram to draw thing with "life", so I'm trying to avoid that. But we HAVE TO DO IT at school, because our teacher is going to grade us at the end of this term. If we don't do so, our teacher is not going to give us a grade and that will be a problem for me later, when I'm looking for a good school for study. So my question is: Can I draw this things with "life", or not because it is Haram?
Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) is His slave and Messenger.

It is confirmed that a man came to ‘Abdullaah Ibn ‘Abbaas may Allaah be pleased with him and said: "O Ibn 'Abbaas! I am a human being and my sustenance comes from my manual profession and I make these pictures (or statues)." Ibn 'Abbaas may Allaah be pleased with him said: “I will tell you only what I heard from the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ). I heard him saying: “Whoever makes a picture will be punished by Allah till he puts a soul in it, and he will never be able to put a soul in it.” Then Ibn 'Abbaas said to him: "You can draw the picture of a tree or anything that has no soul.” Nonetheless, some scholars permitted the drawing of living beings provided that one leaves out a vital part of that creature without which life is not possible, like if it has no head, as Ibn ‘Abbaas may Allaah be pleased with him narrated that the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) said: ''The picture is the head. If the head is left out there is no picture." [Al-Isma’eeli and Al-Albaani]

Therefore, if you are in necessity to draw a living being, like a human being or an animal, then you may do so while leaving a vital organ of that being that leaves it lifeless.

You could also explain to the school that your religion forbids drawing living beings and we hope that they will accept your excuse, and you may show them this Fatwa.

Allah knows best.

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