Riyadh al-Salihin from the words of the Master of the Messengers, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
Chapter: The prohibition of depicting living beings on carpets, stones, garments, coins, pillows, dinars, cushions, and the like.
And the prohibition of keeping images on walls, curtains, turbans, garments, and similar items.
And the command to destroy such images.
From Ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both:
That the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"Those who create these images
will be punished on the Day of Resurrection;
it will be said to them:
'Bring to life what you have created.'"
Agreed upon.
From the benefits of the hadith:
The severe prohibition and confirmed unlawfulness of creating images,
as the creator is punished for it on the Day of Resurrection.
He is challenged to breathe a soul into them,
yet he has no power to do so.
The prohibited form of depiction
is the depiction of animate beings,
as will be discussed further, if Allah wills.
The reason for the prohibition of images
is that it mimics the creation of Allah the Exalted.
From Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, returned from a journey,
and I had covered a niche of mine with a curtain containing figures.
When the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, saw it,
his face changed color,
and he said:
"O Aisha,
the people who will receive the severest punishment from Allah on the Day of Resurrection
are those who mimic the creation of Allah."
She said:
"So we cut it up
and made one or two cushions out of it."
Agreed upon.
The *qiram* is a curtain.
And the *sahwah*
is a small room or alcove in front of the house.
It is also said
that it is a niche in the wall.
From Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, who said:
I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, say:
"Every image-maker will be in the Fire;
for every image he created, a soul will be placed in it,
and it will punish him in Hell."
Ibn Abbas said:
"If you must do it,
then create trees and things that have no soul."
Agreed upon.
From the benefits of the hadith:
An explanation of the severity of the punishment for image-makers on the Day of Resurrection,
and that they will be asked to breathe a soul into what they depicted,
and that they will be unable to do so.
The permissibility of depicting trees and other things
that do not possess a soul.
From Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, who said:
I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, say:
"Whoever creates an image in this world
will be tasked to breathe a soul into it on the Day of Resurrection,
and he will not be able to do so."
Agreed upon.
"Tasked" (*kullifa*)
means he will be commanded to do so as a form of rebuke and to demonstrate his incapacity.
"He will not be able to do so"
means he will not be capable of it.
From the benefits of the hadith:
A warning from Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He,
that He will expose the image-makers on the Day of Resurrection,
demonstrate their incapacity and weakness,
and punish them for what their own hands have wrought.
From Ibn Mas'ud, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, say:
"The people who will receive the severest punishment on the Day of Resurrection
are the image-makers."
Agreed upon.
From the benefits of the hadith:
The gravity of the punishment for the image-maker,
and that he is among those who will receive the severest punishment on the Day of Resurrection.
From Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, say:
Allah the Exalted says:
"And who is more unjust than one who attempts to create like My creation?
Let them create an atom,
or let them create a grain,
or let them create a barleycorn."
Agreed upon.
From the benefits of the hadith:
The prohibition of mimicking the creation of Allah,
and that this mimicry occurs through the act of creating a visible image,
whether intended or not.
This contains a statement on the extreme ugliness of the work of image-makers,
because it is an act of audacity in attempting to resemble the creation of Allah,
despite their proven inability to do so.
From Abu Talhah, may Allah be pleased with him:
That the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"The angels do not enter a house in which there is a dog or an image."
Agreed upon.
From the benefits of the hadith:
The prohibition of keeping a dog,
except for hunting, guarding livestock, or protecting crops.
The prohibition of hanging images on walls,
which is a trial that the people of this time have fallen into.
A house that contains a dog or an image
is not entered by the angels of mercy,
and thus it is deprived of their seeking forgiveness for its inhabitants
and their supplication for mercy for them.
The angels who refrain from entering
are the angels of mercy.
As for the recording angels,
they never depart from the servants.
Likewise, the angels of punishment,
when it is decreed,
do not refrain from entering.
The same applies to the Angel of Death
when the appointed time arrives.
From Ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, promised
Gabriel that he would come to him,
but he was delayed,
which caused distress to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
He went out,
and Gabriel met him.
He complained to him,
and Gabriel said:
"We do not enter a house in which there is a dog or an image."
Narrated by al-Bukhari.
"Delayed" (*raatha*)
means he was slow in coming to him.
From Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, had an appointment with Gabriel, peace be upon him, at a certain hour to visit him,
but that hour came,
and he did not come to him.
She said:
He had a staff in his hand,
and he threw it from his hand, saying:
"Allah does not break His promise, nor do His messengers."
Then he turned around,
and there was a puppy under his bed.
He said:
"When did this dog enter?"
I said:
"By Allah, I did not know about it."
He ordered it to be taken out.
Then Gabriel, peace be upon him, came to him.
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"You promised me,
so I sat waiting for you, but you did not come."
He said:
"The dog that was in your house prevented me;
we do not enter a house in which there is a dog or an image."
Narrated by Muslim.
From the benefits of the hadiths:
Keeping images and dogs
are among the vile things that repel the angels,
and their presence is a cause for being deprived of mercy.
Being infatuated with images and keeping dogs
is a hallmark of the civilization of disbelief in this era.
The obligation to fulfill promises.
The angels disapprove of violating the command of Allah.
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 on the same mission that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, sent me on?
Do not leave any image without effacing it,
and do not leave any raised grave without leveling it."
Narrated by Muslim.
"Effacing it" (*tamasta-ha*)
means to remove it and alter its features.
"Leveling it" (*sawwayta-hu*)
means to make it level with the ground.
From the benefits of the hadith:
The Sunnah regarding the grave
is that it should not be raised significantly above the surface of the earth.
Therefore, building upon it and plastering it
falls under the category of what is prohibited.
The obligation to efface and destroy images.
The obligation for those in authority to do so as part of enjoining good and forbidding evil.
The keenness of the Companions to implement the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
and to convey it to the Tabi'un with honesty and sincerity.
Chapter: The prohibition of keeping a dog
except for hunting, livestock, or crops.
From Ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both, who said:
I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, say:
"Whoever keeps a dog, except for a hunting dog or one for livestock,
two qirats of his reward will be deducted every day."
Agreed upon.
In one narration, "one qirat."
"Keeps" (*iqtana*) means to acquire something for the purpose of utilizing it.
"Livestock"
refers to wealth consisting of camels, cows, and sheep.
From Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"Whoever keeps a dog,
one qirat of his deeds will be deducted every day,
except for a dog for farming or livestock."
Agreed upon.
In a narration by Muslim:
"Whoever keeps a dog that is not for hunting, livestock, or land,
two qirats of his reward will be deducted every day."
Among the benefits derived from these hadiths:
The prohibition of keeping dogs without a valid need.
This is because keeping them diminishes the reward of the one who does so.
The permissibility of keeping a dog for hunting, guarding crops, or herding livestock.
Chapter: The dislike of hanging a bell on a camel or other riding animals.
And the dislike of keeping a dog or a bell while traveling.
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"The angels do not accompany a traveling party that has a dog or a bell with them."
Narrated by Muslim.
"Do not accompany," meaning: do not travel with.
Meaning: a group that you travel with on a journey.
And on the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him:
That the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"The bell is one of the musical instruments of Shaytan."
Narrated by Abu Dawud.
Among the benefits derived from these hadiths:
The angels are repelled by a traveling party that has a dog or a bell.
The bell involves an imitation of the bells used by Christians.
The bell is a musical instrument that Shaytan loves.
And the angels are repelled by it.
The prohibition of hanging bells.
Especially hanging them on riding animals.
The prohibition of singing.
Because it is a musical instrument of Shaytan.
Chapter: The dislike of riding a jalalah animal.
This refers to a camel or she-camel that consumes filth.
If it is fed pure food until its meat becomes wholesome,
The dislike is removed.
On the authority of Ibn 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, forbade
The jalalah among camels,
That one should ride upon it.
Narrated by Abu Dawud.
Among the benefits derived from the hadith:
The dislike of riding an animal that consumes impurities and filth.
Islam is a religion of cleanliness.
It is keen on purity.
And it is repelled by filth and impurities.
Riyad al-Salihin.