Saturday, May 31, 2014

ARE YOU AN ARTIST WHO LOVES TO DRAW?

Assalamualaikum!

We all have certain hobbies or talents that we love to do. But there is one hobby which many like, which is drawing. Now, drawing is a great talent, not many people are great artists. Like for myself, I am horrible at drawing, I just dont have the patience to do so. lol 
But this post is especially for those who love drawing. When the talent of drawing comes a person is also inclined into drawing human faces or any being that can possess soul into them intellectually.
The reason why I am addressing this is because I care about my dear brothers and sisters as this could cause you your entire aakhirat if you are an artist and you draw faces of humans or soul possessing beings. 
Here are some authentic hadiths which I am about to post, just read them carefully.
Bismillah!

Is Drawing images of soul possessing beings allowed?

Narrated 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 Apostle . I heard him saying, 'Whoever makes a 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." (Hadith - Bukhari 3:428) 

Answer: No you can't. If you really want to draw you can draw pictures of non living things like scenery, flowers etc. It might be boring for some but this is what it is. AtiUllaaha WaAtiUr Rasool Obey Allah and Obey the Messenger.

Why Can't we draw images of soul possessing beings?

 Ibn `Umar (May Allah be pleased with them) said: The Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) said, "Those who draw pictures will be punished on the Day of Resurrection; and it will be said to them: `Breathe soul into what you have created.' [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Narrated Abu Talha, "I heard Allah's Apostle 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)."(Hadith - Bukhari 4:448) 

Narrated Ibn Abbas, "Abu Talha, a companion of Allah's Apostle and one of those who fought at Badr together with Allah's Apostle told me that Allah's Apostle said. "Angels do not enter a house in which there is a dog or a picture." He meant the images of creatures that have souls. (Hadith -Bukhari 5:338)

Ibn Mas`ud (May Allah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) 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]

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) 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]


 `Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) said: The Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) 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].

"On the Day of Resurrection a neck will stretch forth from Hell; it will have two eyes to see, two ears to hear, and a tongue to speak. It will say, "I have been appointed to take care of three types of people: every arrogant tyrant, every person who called on some deity other than Allaah (swt) and those who made pictures" 
Hadith - At-Tirmidhi [at-Tirmidhi stated that this hadith was saheeh - at-Takhweef min an-Naar, p.179, See also Jaami' al-Usool, 10/518, the editor said its isnaad is hasan]


Narrated Aisha, r.a.,"When the Prophet became ill, some of his wives talked about a church which they had seen in Ethiopia and it was called Mariya. Um Salma and Um Habiba had been to Ethiopia, and both of them narrated its (the Church's) beauty and the pictures it contained. The Prophet raised his head and said, "Those are the people who, whenever a pious man dies amongst them, make a place of worship at his grave and then they make those pictures in it. Those are the worst creatures in the Sight of Allah." (Hadith - Sahih Bukhari 2.425)

Answer: 1. Angels do not enter into houses that have pictures in them and if angels do not enter, then shaitaan takes over. 2. On the day of Resurrection they will be asked to breathe soul into them which they won't be able to do so and they will dragged to hell. 3. It could lead to shirk. (yes no one has the intention to do shirk when one draws the images but the admirer praises the artist so much as though they have done the greatest job and the admirer forgets to praise Allah for what He actually deserves. 4. Even hanging these pictures whether drawn, printed or framed aren't allowed as with this as well the angels of mercy do not enter the house. 

Note: There is no such thing as drawing the soul possessing beings and then striking off their necks. That is even worse because you are claiming to have created that thing and then killing it. It's like you've created and then killed and then you've sinned and then repented and then on and on. Doesn't make sense. (plus there is no hadith on the basis of this.) Nauzubillah!

There are many hadiths on this topic. And if anyone rejects these authentic hadiths, then they have done kufr (disbelief) because a muslim believes in Qur'an and Sunnah equally. A muslim doesn't choose what pleases him from the sunnah and leaves what doesn't please him. 
This was just a reminder to those who love drawing. 
Please brothers and sisters, nobody is asking you to stop drawing, all Islam asks from you is to stop drawing soul possessing beings. No muslim is ready to risk their Aakhirat. 
As for now, Jazakumuallahu khairan for reading. Please leave comments, rate and follow my blog for more posts. 

Just to encourage my artist readers, Can you draw one of these?

Ask me anything regarding this topic here 
Thank you for reading. Please feel free to send me the link of your blogs and comment below if you have similar views.
- Manal Mirza

Thursday, May 22, 2014

WHAT DO YOU CHOOSE FOR YOURSELF?

Assalamualaikum Warahmatullahi wabarakaatuhu!
I want to start this post by posing a question to my readers. What do you like or prefer for yourself the most?
Something that is good for you or of your best interest or something that is not best for you or your best interest?

We all would obviously answer, given the choice between something that is good or bad, we'd choose something best for us! We want every good possible thing for us starting from best education, the best clothes to the best shoes. We want to have the best people around us, the best family, the best parents, the best husband, the best wife, the best children and the best of friends; something that suits us and something that is best for us and not necessarily best in the eyes of others.

But what  happens when it comes to choosing best things for others? Why can't we open our hearts wide enough to give those exact best things for others?? 
Why do we always have to compete to have the best education, the best career, the best spouses, the best house, the best children and the best friends? We compete, especially, in order to be the best among others. Don't get me wrong, Yes, we are allowed to have best things as Allah made certain halal ways for us to acquire and seek advantage from and yes we are eligible to have all the best things. But the place where we start reducing is the HAQQ of others by not giving them the exact same thing that you would want for yourself. This is where jealousy and envy begins and the evolution of hatred and Indian drama serial begins. 
If majority of us started giving others what we would expect others to give us, so many relationship problems would be diminished. 

Let me give you an example. If you wish to buy yourself a good and decent dress then give that exact thing to the poor. Don't give torn off and bad clothes. If you wish others to speak good behind your backs then you should refrain from speaking bad behind their backs. If you wish your own brother to help you at times of need, then even you should help your brother at times of need. If you wish your daughter to have a good husband and good in-laws, then even you should treat your daughter in-law like how you would want your daughter to be treated by her in-laws. And if you wish your husband to treat your parents right then even you should treat his parents right and vice versa. And if you wish your parents to provide you with every goodness in this world then provide the same thing for them and for your own children. Do you get the point? Love for your brother what you love for yourself? 

On the authority of Abu Hamzah Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) - the servant of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) - that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said : "None of you will believe until you love for your brother what you love for yourself." Related by Bukhari & Muslim

Living in this world, we always want others to be the best to us but we don't want to be the best with others. We want others to treat us well while we don't want to put least efforts into treating others right. We always want others to help us but we don't want to help them. We always want to be dealt with respect but we don't give the exact respect in return to others. We are deeply and insanely selfish if we really think about it. And then we ask Allah why are we mistreated by people!! AstagfirAllah!! Allah has also forbidden us to demand of something what we do not deserve. So if we don't give others respect how could we ask others to respect us? It sounds a little arrogant don't you think? 

Narrated Al-Mughira: The Prophet said, "Allah has forbidden you ( 1 ) to be undutiful to your mothers (2) to withhold (what you should give) or (3) demand (what you do not deserve), and (4) to bury your daughters alive. And Allah has disliked that (A) you talk too much about others ( B), ask too many questions (in religion), or (C) waste your property." Volume 8, Book 73, Number 6

We all need to be the first ones to GIVE people their right, give them more than they deserve, even if you hate it. Others aren't going to understand you or your situation. You will only keep increasing aversion in your heart and it will kill you inside. Let it go. They will keep treating you horribly even if you do them good because in the end it is Allah who is seeing you and your actions and it is Allah whom you have to please and not the people. And most of all HE is watching over our Hearts. Innallaha A'leemum bizaatis sudoor! Indeed Allah is Always All Knowing of what is in your chests. So let us all clean our hearts from the hatred, jealousy, suppositions, arrogance that we have against others and have Haya from Allah before thinking negatively about others. 

Jazakumullahu khairan for reading. Do share, rate, comment and follow my blog for more posts. 
Ask me anything regarding this topic here. Thank you for reading. 
Please feel free to send me the link of your blogs and comment below if you have similar views. 
- Manal Mirza