| There are a few opinions on it, I'll try to tell you about them although I still don;t know where my heart rests with this opinion.
1. That all pictures are prohibited, no martter of who or what, drawn or photographed. I don;t believe there is enough proof to back this opinion, so I'll leave it at that.
2. There is a hadith that says some thing like the one who draws or sculpts anything with a soul (key word: soul) will be punished on the day of judgement as they were trying to create something, but Allah is the only Creator.
For this opinion, they say that the eyes are especially important to NOT be drawn. You will see some Muslim cartoons are pictures of people with the eyes shaded out or not drawn. Anyways, they say that drawing is one thing, so imagine what photography is -- it is holding that particular person in that moment in that form EXACTLY as they were forever. It is the 'continuation of drawing' i guess you could say, and is therefore unlawful. As well, people put these images on display and the other paart if this opinion is that is you are to display anything, you want people to marvel over it, which in many opinions should only be reserved for Allah. So, in this opinion -- people and animals -- don't draw or photograph unless ABSOULUTELY necessary, other inanimate things (nature, rocks, water, etc) its all good.
3. Some say that drawing is different from photography as photography is just capturing a reflection of light -- that is all. So they are not trying to create, just capturing light which is different from drawing, sculpting or creating.
One of the main reasons there is such an issue with drawing and sculptng is because worshipping anything in place of God in Islam is completely forbidden. In prophetic times, people would take prophets and make busts of them or draw them or whatever and they were worshipped after they died. It may have been that the statue may have been respected for a few generations after the prophets death, but eventually were often worshipped. This went not only for prophets, but many people who had a grand spiritual enlightenment (i.e.: Buddah -- he never said to worship him but now flock of people do)
Islam wanted to steer clear of this -- worship only Allah and do not take prophets as gods or as divine beings -- they are human like you and I. Thus the whole issue of the drawings of Prophet Muhammad.
So this, in combination with the narration of those who draw things with souls will be punished, people have formed their opinions.
Sorry this answer is barely legible. My mind is running away from me right now ..LOL |