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:
According to the Quran (Sabaโ 34:13), Prophet Solomon was allowed statues as part of his divinely sanctioned kingdom. Statues were not prohibited under the Law of Moses, and Islam later prohibited statue-making due to its associati Islam prohibits making statueson with shirk. Muslims are not permitted to judge the actions of past prophets as those laws were specific to their times.
In responding to your question, Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and an Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, states:
Quranic Reference to Prophet Solomonโs Statues
You are referring to the following verse, {They made for him whatever he wished of sanctuaries, and statues, and basins as [large as] great watering โ troughs, and cauldrons firmly anchored. [And We said:] โLabor, O Davidโs people, in gratitude [towards Me] and [remember that] few are the truly grateful [even] among My servants!} (Sabaโ 34:13)
No Mention of Palaces or Prohibition Against Them
I do not see any reference here to palaces, although there is no prohibition of building palaces as long as there is no extravagance.
The Islamic Ruling on Statues
Islam prohibits making statues because of its association with shirk; and it was not forbidden in the Law of Moses (peace be upon him).
Moderation and Respect for Prophetic Laws
You are right in stating that Islam is a religion that stresses moderation. However, we are not in a position to make judgments over the actions of the Prophets of the bygone past in so far as they have done certain things which were allowed for them. Such laws are not applicable to Muslims if they were abrogated.
Allah Almighty knows best.
Editorโs note: This fatwa is from Ask the Scholarโs archive and was originally published at an earlier date.