the people who will receive the severest punishment on the Day of Judgment will be those who try to emulate Allah'sAllah's creation

Arabic text

عَنْ عَائِشَةَ أُمِّ المُؤمنينَ رضي الله عنها قَالَتْ: دَخَلَ عَلَيَّ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَقَدْ سَتَرْتُ سَهْوَةً لِي بِقِرَامٍ فِيهِ تَمَاثِيلُ، فَلَمَّا رَآهُ هَتَكَهُ وَتَلَوَّنَ وَجْهُهُ وَقَالَ: «يَا عَائِشَةُ، أَشَدُّ النَّاسِ عَذَابًا عِنْدَ اللهِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ الَّذِينَ يُضَاهُونَ بِخَلْقِ اللهِ» قَالَتْ عَائِشَةُ: «فَقَطَعْنَاهُ فَجَعَلْنَا مِنْهُ وِسَادَةً أَوْ وِسَادَتَيْنِ».

Translation

‘Ā’ishah, Mother of the Believers, (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah'sAllah's peace and blessings be upon him) came into my place, and there was a curtain with some images on it that I had hung along a platform of mine. On seeing it, he tore it up, and the colour of his face changed, and he said: "O ''Ā’ishah, the people who will receive the severest punishment on the Day of Judgment will be those who try to emulate Allah'sAllah's creation." ''Ā’ishah said: "So, we tore it and made one or two cushions out of it."

Explanation

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) entered the place of 'Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) in his house and found that she had covered a small cabinet, wherein things are kept with a piece of fabric that had images of living beings on it. The color of his face changed by way of anger for the sake of Allah, and he took it away and said: People who will receive the severest punishment on the Day of Judgment will be those who try to emulate Allah's creation with their images. ‘Ā’ishah said: So, we made one or two cushions out of it.

Benefits

• Forbidding evil on seeing it without any slackness unless it involves a greater evil.
• Punishment on the Day of Judgment varies according to the gravity of the sin.
• Making images of living beings counts as one of the major sins.
• One of the rationales behind the prohibition of image-making is the imitation of Allah's creation, whether the image-maker has intended it or not.
• The Shariah is keen on protecting properties by making use of them after removing what is prohibited therein.
• It is forbidden to make images of living beings in any form, even if they are treated with disrespect.

Topics

• The Creed
• Belief in Allah the Mighty and Majestic
• Oneness of Allah's Lordship