Prohibition of Drawing Portraits

'Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) said:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ visited me after returning from a journey, and I had a shelf with a thin cloth curtain hanging over it and on which there were portraits. When he saw it, the colour of his face changed (because of anger) and he said, "O 'Aishah! the most grievous torment from Allah on the Day of Resurrection will be for those who imitate (Allah) in the act of His creation." 'Aishah said: We tore it into pieces and made a cushion or two cushions out of that.

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

وعن عائشة رضي الله عنها قالت: قدم رسول الله ﷺ من سفر وقد سترت سهوة لي بقرام فيه تماثيل فلما رآه رسول الله ﷺ، تلون وجهه، وقال: "يا عائشة، أشد الناس عذابًا عن الله يوم القيامة الذين يضاهون بخلق الله" قالت: فقطعناه، فجعلنا منه وسادة أو وسادتين. ((متفق عليه)).

Ibn 'Abbas (May Allah be pleased with them) said:
I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saying, "Every painter will go to Hell, and for every portrait he has made, there will be appointed one who will chastise him in the Hell." Ibn 'Abbas said: If you have to do it, draw pictures of trees and other inanimate things.

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

وعن ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما قال: سمعت رسول الله ﷺ يقول: "كل مصور في النار يجعل له بكل صورة صورها نفس فيعذبه في جهنم" قال ابن عباس: فإن كنت لابد فاعلا، فاصنع الشجر وما لا ورح فيه" ((متفق عليه)).

Ibn 'Abbas (May Allah be pleased with them) said:
I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saying, "Whosoever makes a picture, will be punished on the Day of Resurrection, and will be asked to infuse soul therein, which he will not be able to do."

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

وعنه قال: سمعت رسول الله ﷺ يقول: "من صور في الدنيا، كُلف أن يَنفخ فيها الروح يوم القيامة وليس بنافخ" ((متفق عليه)).

Ibn Mas'ud (May Allah be pleased with him) said:
I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saying, "Those who will receive the most severe punishment from Allah on the Day of Resurrection will be painters (of living objects)."

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

وعن ابن مسعود رضي الله عنه قال: سمعت رسول الله ﷺ يقول: "إن أشد الناس عذابًا يوم القيامة المصورون" ((متفق عليه)).

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) said:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "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."'

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

وعن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه قال: سمعت رسول الله ﷺ يقول: "قال الله تعالى: {ومن أظلم ممن ذهب يخلق كخلقي! فليخلقوا ذرة أو ليخلقوا حبة، أو ليخلقوا شعيرة" ((متفق عليه)).

Abu Talhah (May Allah be pleased with him) said:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "The angels do not enter a house in which there is a dog or a portrait."

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

وعن أبي طلحة رضي الله عنه أن رسول الله ﷺ قال: "لا تدخل الملائكة بيتًا فيه كلب ولا صورة" ((متفق عليه)).

Ibn 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with them) said:
Jibril (Gabriel) promised to visit the Messenger of Allah ﷺ but delayed and this grieved him very much. When he came out of his house, Jibril met him. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ asked him about the reason of delay, and he replied: "We do not enter a house in which there is a dog or a portrait."

[Al-Bukhari].

وعن ابن عمر رضي الله عنهما قال: وعد رسول الله ﷺ جبريل أن يأتيه فراث عليه حتى اشتد على رسول الله ﷺ، فخرج فلقيه جبريل فشكا إليه، فقال: إنا لا ندخل بيتًا فيه كلب ولا صورة. ((رواه البخاري)) (("راث": أبطأ، وهو بالثاء المثلثة)).

'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].

وعن عائشة رضي الله عنها قالت: واعد رسول الله ﷺ جبريل عليه السلام في ساعة أن يأتيه، فجاءت تلك الساعة ولم يأته! قالت: وكان بيده عصًا، 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 ﷺ : "وعدتني، فجلست لك ولم تأتني" فقال: منعني الكلب الذي كان في بيتك، إنا لا ندخل بيتًا فيه كلب ولا صورة" ((رواه مسلم)).

Abul-Haiyaj Haiyan bin Husain said:
'Ali bin Abu Talib (May Allah be pleased with him) said to me: "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."

[Muslim].

وعن أبي الهياج حيان بن حصين قال: قال لي علي بن أبي طالب رضي الله عنه: ألا أبعثك على ما بعثني عليه رسول الله ﷺ ؟ أن لا تدع صورة إلا طمستها، ولا قبرًا مشرفًا إلا سويته. ((رواه مسلم)).