Answer
Salam Dear Sister,
Thank you for your question and for contacting Ask About Islam.
The view that art, literature and jokes are forbidden in Islam seems to be a widely held belief among ordinary Muslims. This is because they are looked upon as mere trivialities that distract from serious religious duties. And any work that relies on imagination is viewed in a bad light as “mere lies”, as you have mentioned, and as such considered “un-Islamic”.
First of all, it is childish to dismiss great works of literature as packs of lies, as the writers themselves present their works as their imaginative creation. It requires insight and intelligence to understand the imaginative truth of literary works. The characters of the stories are not real; but are only similar to real people.
Every reader must know this and no one misunderstands that what is depicted is God’s own truth. The creator of a work of literature expects his or her reader to possess a minimum of education to understand the presuppositions behind the work in order to understand and appreciate it.
But of course, the uneducated or the uninitiated people do not understand the work or its message. They often go about blindly criticizing the writers as mere ‘dispensers of lies’ without knowledge or understanding:
They do not use their God-given faculties to get an insight into the meaning or significance of a work of art. If the literary works – i.e. their essential message and language – are directed to what is proper and true and not obscene, we have no reason to object to them.
We know that the Quran itself can be viewed as a work of literature, considering the way language is used in it for effectively influencing the readers. Of course it is a Book of Guidance for mankind; but at the same time, any discerning reader can see how the Quran abundantly uses highly suggestive symbolic language and allegorical narratives.
The verses that speak of Allah Almighty’s Creative Power and Sovereignty are particularly noteworthy. The description of heaven and hell and the narration of the stories of the prophets are replete with word pictures that appeal to our imagination and disturb our preconceived notions as nothing else can.
Certainly in the descriptions of the phenomena of nature or of the numerous blessings bestowed upon man, the Quran’s appeal is not only to our reason, but also to our imagination and aesthetic sense:
{It is He Who sends down rain from the skies: with it We produce vegetation of all kinds: from some We produce green (crops), out of which We produce grain, heaped up (at harvest); out of the date-palm and its sheaths (or spathes) (come) clusters of dates hanging low and near: and (then there are) gardens of grapes, and olives, and pomegranates, each similar (in kind) yet different (in variety): when they begin to bear fruit, feast your eyes with the fruit and the ripeness thereof…} (Quran 6:99)
{By the (Steeds) that run, with panting (breath), and strike sparks of fire, and push home the charge in the morning, and raise the dust in clouds the while, and penetrate forthwith into the midst (of the foe) en masse;-Truly man is, to his Lord, ungrateful….} (Quran 100:1-6)
It is evident that our aesthetic sensibility is one of the divine blessings we have a duty to use in the worship of Allah and in the service of our fellowmen.
The Prophet taught us that all things are judged on the basis of the intentions behind them. The question is whether our intentions are acceptable before God or not. About poets, Allah says in the Quran what means:
{And the poets it is those straying in evil who follow them. See you not that they wander distractedly in every valley? And they say what they practice not….} (Quran 26:224-226)
These verses are about the kind of poets who “wander distractedly in every valley” – whose poetry, one might say, distracts their followers to every valley of dissipation and depravity.
But the rest of the verse speaks of another kind of poets:
{Except those who believe, work righteousness, engage much in the remembrance of Allah and defend themselves when they are unjustly attacked. Soon the unjust assailants know what vicissitudes their affairs will take.} (Quran 26:227)
Indeed this bifurcation applies to all writers, whether poets, novelists or dramatists: that is, those whose writings distract their readers from virtue; and those who strive in the Path of Allah.
Obviously in the field of literary composition as well as appreciation, as in every other human activity, Muslims should necessarily observe the limits set by Allah and His Prophet.
In view of the above and without transgressing the limits, we can use our artistic and literary talents, irrespective of the genre of literature or the form of art chosen.
Every artist knows what kind of impact his contemplated work is going to have on his audience. And specifically the Muslim artists or writers must have a clear picture of what they are going to achieve by their work. Their works should be presented as fiction in the first place; and secondly they should urge their readers to be better persons, rather than merely strive to please them.
Islam has no reason to shy away from imaginary (or for that matter, even real) worlds of differing values and ideals; indeed it seeks to confront such scenarios with a view to supplanting them by establishing its superiority.
Muslim authors should take care to see that their works do not encourage superstition or immorality. An imaginative creation of a world, where the correct norms of truth, decency and such other religious values are subverted is certainly un-Islamic; and no Muslim author is justified in undertaking such a task.
Further, I would quote the fatwa given by Sheikh `Atiyyah Saqr, former Head of Al-Azhar Fatwa Committee:
“There is no harm in writing fiction, be it stories or poems, as long as it is written for a good purpose or for brushing aside evil, like stories where animals speak as if they are humans or take on allegorical roles. The criterion here is that authenticated matters of the religion should be kept intact.
Also, this writing should not be taken as a means to an evil end, and no evil consequence should result from this writing. In Islam, “harm should neither be inflicted nor tolerated” as is stated in the Hadith.
Some scholars, however, maintain that it is not allowed to write fiction. Their argument may be that such stories may contain falsified statements and thus are considered a waste of time. To them, these falsified statements lead to evil and should be avoided. They say that one should instead follow the manner of storytelling used in the Quran.”
As for pictorial representation, Islamic guidelines stipulate that Muslims should avoid creating “images” of living beings. “Images” stand for statues and sculptures (which are three-dimensional) of animals or humans. But pictures (which are only two-dimensional) in books, magazines etc. are allowed, provided that they do not wound the religious susceptibilities of believers.
I hope this helps answer your question.
Salam and please keep in touch.