Answer
Wa `alaykum As-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
In this fatwa:
- There is nothing wrong in drawing as long as the images do not depict nudity or any other form of indecency.
- Also, the picture or image should not be revered or glorified. The detested pictures and images are only those which are worshiped and venerated.
- Within these restrictions drawing humans, animals, nature scenes, and so on is permitted. What is prohibited is making a statue or a sculpture of a living being that has shade (depth or is three dimensional).
In responding to your question, Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and an Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, states:
Drawing living creatures is permissible for the purpose of education through illustration. The intent of the law prohibiting images was that in pagan times, it was a direct means and way to shirk (associating other beings with Allah).
In other words, these things were only forbidden because they served as direct means and avenues to shirk.
Therefore, if there is not even the remotest possibility of shirk, there is no reason to consider it as haram, especially if there are tangible benefits in drawing them.
It is important to keep in mind that today drawing has become a very powerful medium of communication. For this reason, Muslims cannot simply afford to neglect this vital medium of communication; if they do, they only do so at their own peril.
Therefore, as long as you are drawing pictures for the purpose of education or as a medium of communication there is no need to consider it sinful or haram (forbidden).
May Allah help us to see the intents and purpose of the Divine Laws and thus, practice them with understanding. Ameen.
Almighty Allah knows best.
Editor’s note: This fatwa is from Ask the Scholar’s archive and was originally published at an earlier date.