Thank you for your question. It is a common concern among Muslims that art work containing human or animal figures may be crossing the line of permissibility. One of the sources of this concern derives from some hadiths of Prophet Muhammad:

It was narrated by Aisha (the wife of the Prophet): “Um Habiba and Um Salama mentioned a church they had seen in Ethiopia in which there were pictures. They told the Prophet about it, on which he said, ‘If any religious man dies amongst those people they would build a place of worship at his grave and make these pictures in it. They will be the worst creature in the sight of God on the Day of Resurrection.'”

It was narrated by Abdullah bin ‘Umar that God’s Apostle said, “Those who make these pictures will be punished on the Day of Resurrection, and it will be said to them. ‘Make alive what you have created.'”

There are different opinions among scholars of Islam regarding the creation of images. Some say that drawings are permissible for educational purposes or for engaging children. Others say that photographs are haram and accept no types of images in their homes. As a rule, I think it is fine to be conservative about it, but as we all know, there is no limit to the types and numbers of images that we see everyday in the world around us. We would be very hard pressed to avoid them all. Perhaps it would be reasonable to avoid the creation, sale, distribution, sharing, etc. of those images that are clearly depicting nudity, partial or whole body, as they are provocative and depict human beings as primarily sexual objects. Quite often, comic books, especially superhero type comics, are of exaggerated physical features that nobody could possess. They paint an ideal that is not based in reality, and put a focus on the physical appearance of a person rather than their character and moral make-up.

Human beings are not primarily physical and sexual. We are primarily spiritual and should not allow anyone to convince us otherwise. No doubt, we have physical bodies that we should not deprive of attention and enjoyment. However, we cannot allow our bodies, or private parts, to do our thinking for us, or to determine what is right and wrong. With God’s Guidance and Help, we take ourselves from the lowest of the low, to becoming the greatest people anyone could ever hope to know. Greatness has very little to do with physical abilities or appearance, and much more to do with our inner qualities: generosity, mercy, forgiveness, patience, etc. These are qualities that can be found in any human being of any size, shape, or degree of physical beauty or even lack of beauty.

I often say that physical beauty disappears very quickly if we learn that it is only skin deep. Once a person’s true character is revealed, usually during difficult times, many “beautiful” people become less attractive to us. That is because, deep down, we value people’s character and high morals over their physical appearance. 

Generally, the problem with paintings, drawings, pictures, etc. is the intention of the artist. If they are trying to imitate God’s creation with images, then it is a vain pursuit. Nobody can imitate God’s creation. To truly create a living thing as God has done, one would be required to create from nothing. As humans living on the earth, we are “creating” things from materials that already exist. It is impossible for us to repeat what God has done. If an artist’s intention is to create things without seeking praise from others, or to serve some sense of self pride, then perhaps there is not harm in there works. Unfortunately, I am not highly trained in these matters, so the best I can say is that it would be best to consult with a trained Imam with experience in these matters. Ultimately, God knows best.

I hope this has been helpful to you. May God protect us from our own short-sightedness and guide us all to what pleases Him. Ameen.

Salam.