Is It Prohibited to Portray Allah Most High and His Messengers?
Question
What is the ruling of portraying Allah Most High and His Messengers?
Answer
Portraying anything to resemble God is unacceptable and Kufr. God does not have a shape or form. He is not made of anything of substance or atoms or molecules etc. This is known by necessity in our religion.
Allah Most High says, “There is nothing like Him, for He ˹alone˺ is the All-Hearing, All-Seeing.” [Quran, 42:11]
Prohibition of Joking about God and His Messengers
Allah Most High forbids us from joking about Him and His signs when He says,
Say, “Was it Allah, His revelations, and His Messenger that you ridiculed?” [Quran, 9:65]
Portraying Prophets (Allah bless them and give them peace) is prohibited but not necessarily Kufr. It should not be done.
Sunni scholars across the board unanimously agree that drawing any of the Prophets (peace and blessings be upon them all), or depicting them on screen, is prohibited, even if one’s intention is honorable.
However, it is not disbelief to draw the Prophets unless one intends by it to debase or ridicule them.
The sharing of the memes is not kufr if one does not believe it. But it is prohibited and sinful. But we don’t rule kufr on someone who does it. However, in these matters, it is always a good idea to repeat the shahada in such cases. One should also repent and pray two rak’a of Salat tawba, make dua, and if possible, give charity. This would be safest.
And Allah knows best.
[Imam] Yama Niazi
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Imam Yama Niazi has studied with local scholars in the USA for a number of years which culminated in him becoming an imam of the Islamic Society of Santa Barbara for 8 years. He served the community by teaching and leading prayers. In 2015 he founded “ the blessed tree “ a nonprofit specifically for bridging gaps between the Muslim community and others. He has spoken on many Muslim platforms throughout the USA and Canada and conducted programs in local communities in North America. He is an instructor at SeekersGuidance.
