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The Dark Danger: Bigotry: The Idea that Painting and Sculpture Are Unlawful

Contents
  1. The Misunderstood Islam
  2. The Two Basic Concepts Misused by Those Who Portray Islam as a Violent Faith: Sharia and Jihad
  3. Islam: The Religion of Ease
  4. The True Sharia in the Qur'an
  5. What Does the True Qur'anic Sharia Bring to A Country?
  6. The True Jihad in the Qur'an
  7. An Examination of Verse 95 of Surat an-Nisa'
  8. An Examination of Verse 52 of Surat al-Furqan
  9. A Muslim Has a Responsibility to Believe in Every Verse of the Qur'an, Without Exception
  10. The Qur'an Is a "Preserved" Book
  11. The Mistakes in Differentiating between the "Meccan Period Muslims" and "Medinan Period Muslims"
  12. The Harsh Testing of Muslims in the Meccan Period
  13. The Medinan Period and the Battles
  14. Who Were Battles Fought Against?
  15. The Description of War in the Qur'an
  16. Polytheists with Whom Agreements Were Made
  17. The First Multilateral and Most Democratic Constitution Ever: The Constitution of Medina
  18. Verses about War and the Interpretation Thereof
  19. There Is No Justification for War in Islam Except for Self-Defense
  20. War for Ideological or Ethnic Superiority?
  21. One of the Main Causes of Radicalism: Tribal Culture
  22. War for the Purpose of Spreading the Rules of Islam to be Introduced by A Muslim Leader?
  23. War for the Elimination of Enemies?
  24. Who Desires War?
  25. Conclusion
  26. The False Faith of the Fanatics
  27. Fabricated Hadiths that Shape the Religion of the Fanatics
  28. Our Prophet (pbuh) Did Not Allow Any Hadith To Be Written Down
  29. The Rightly-Guided Caliphs Did Not Allow the Writing of Hadiths
  30. Some of the Companions of Our Prophet (pbuh) Objected to Collecting Hadith
  31. The Idolaters and Hypocrites Tried to Harass Our Prophet (pbuh)
  32. Where Did Fabricated Hadiths Come from?
  33. Differences between the Islamic Schools of Thought
  34. Those Who Seek Commandments outside the Qur'an Must Turn to the Truth of the Faith
  35. Radicals Seek to Hold on to "What They Learned from Their Forefathers"
  36. The Islamic World's Abandonment of the Qur'an
  37. The Qur'an Is Our Guide and Should Be in Our Hands at All Times
  38. A Major Problem: The Defamatory Idea that the Hadiths Have Abrogated Verses
  39. Understanding the Limits of the Fanatical Mindset
  40. The Killing of People Who Drink Alcohol
  41. The Killing of People Who Commit Adultery
  42. Adultery in the Eyes of the Qur'an
  43. The Killing of People Who Steal
  44. The Killing of Apostates
  45. The Killing of Those Who Cease to Pray
  46. The Beating of Children Who Stop Praying
  47. The Killing of People Who Do Not Give Alms
  48. The Imprisonment and Starvation of Those Who Do Not Fast
  49. The Killing of People Who Abjure the Faith When Drunk
  50. The Killing of Those Who Speak Improperly about the Prophet without Calling on Him to Repent
  51. The Superstition of "Accursed Animals" in the Religion of the Fanatics
  52. Our Prophet (pbuh) Did Away with the Cruel Customs that Mistreated Animals
  53. Our Prophet (pbuh) Forbade Animals from Being Overworked
  54. Working Animals' Right to Rest
  55. Our Prophet (pbuh) Prohibited the Abuse and Mistreatment of Animals
  56. Our Prophet's (pbuh) Cat, "Muezza"
  57. Our Prophet's (pbuh) Affection toward a Mother Bird and Her Young
  58. The Baby Goat
  59. A Starving Camel and Its Owner
  60. A Sleeping Antelope
  61. A Donkey Branded on the Face
  62. Treating Animals Well
  63. The Foul Nature of the Fanatic
  64. A Dirty Conception of Faith and A Low-Quality Conception of Being a Muslim
  65. Women Are One of the Finest Blessings in This World
  66. Women in the Qur'an
  67. The Idea that Women Are Deficient in Intelligence and Faith
  68. The Idea that Women Are Crooked
  69. Hadiths and Claims Fabricated to Debase Women
  70. The Idea that Women Are a Barrier to People Living by the Faith
  71. The Idea that One Should Never Be Guided by Women
  72. The Defamatory Idea that Women Are Second-Class Citizens and that God Has Left Women Backward
  73. Allegations Prohibiting Women from Adorning Themselves
  74. The Fanatics' Idea of How Muslim Women Should Treat Their Husbands
  75. The Rights and Superiority Bestowed on Women in the Qur'an Are Nowhere in the Religion of the Fanatic
  76. The Position of a Woman Who Divorces Her Husband
  77. A Woman Being Regarded as a Sinner until Her Husband Is Pleased with Her
  78. Women Being Unable to Go out, and the Idea They Are Prone to Deception by Satan
  79. The Idea that A Woman Is Misfortune and Annuls Prayer
  80. Examples of the Fanatical Mindset that Compares Women to Animals
  81. Verses Addressing the Wives of Our Prophet (pbuh)
  82. Conclusion: The Qur'an Attaches the Greatest Value to Women
  83. The Addition of the Word "Headscarf" to Translations of the Qur'an As a Means of Restricting Women
  84. Surat an-Nur Verse 31, 1st Part
  85. "Khimar" / Cover
  86. "Yadribna" / To strike
  87. "Juyub" / Collar opening
  88. Misleading or Incorrect Translations Based on Fabricated Hadiths
  89. A False Interpretation: "That They Should Draw Their Head Coverings"
  90. 1-Care over the Use of Words in Arabic
  91. 2-Examination of Words in the Qur'an Through Other Verses
  92. 3-Care Being Taken Over Ascribing Meaning to Arabic Words in Parenthesis
  93. Surat an-Nur Verse 31, 2nd Part
  94. Misinterpretations Regarding "Women's Adornments"
  95. The Idea that Women Are Instruments of Trial
  96. The Error of Making Adornments and Accessories Unlawful
  97. How Is the Word "Ornament" Used in the Qur'an?
  98. The Region Referred to in Verse 31 of Surat an-Nur
  99. Fabricated Hadiths on the Subject of the Head-Covering and Their Internal Inconsistencies
  100. Forbidden Things Are Not Left Obscure in the Qur'an
  101. The Desire to Shut Only Women and Their Bodies Away
  102. The Qur'an Refers to the Jilbab, Not to the Headscarf
  103. Surat al-Ahzab Verse 59
  104. Espousing the Head-Covering but Never Mentioning the "Jilbab"
  105. Which Important Topics Do Some of the Passionate Defenders of the Headscarf Never Talk About?
  106. A Muslim Woman Knows How to Dress in Accordance with the Qur'an
  107. The "Two Women = One Man" Error
  108. Women and Witness Testimony in Loans
  109. Women's Inheritance Rights
  110. A Woman's Right to Divorce
  111. Divorce and the Protection of Women Thereafter
  112. Women Being Kept Happy and Content in the Event of Divorce
  113. Women Being Given Financial Security after Divorce
  114. Assets Given to Women Must Not Be Taken back after Divorce
  115. Ensuring Women Have a Place to Live after Divorce
  116. Women Not Being Inherited by Force
  117. The Value Placed on Mothers
  118. The Slander of Male Superiority and the Nonsense about Beating Women
  119. The Idea of Male Superiority
  120. The False Idea of the "Beating of Women"
  121. Other Misconceptions concerning Women
  122. Sayings of Our Prophet (pbuh) in Praise of Women
  123. The Fanatics' Hatred of Art
  124. The Idea that Joking, Humor and Laughter Must Be Avoided
  125. According to the Qur'an Grief and Unhappiness Are Attributes of Unbelievers Alone
  126. The Joy in Paradise and the True Meaning of Sorrow
  127. The Idea of Avoiding Humor
  128. The Allegation that Music and Poetry Are Forbidden
  129. The Dishonesty of Fanatics Who Seek to Ban Music
  130. God Loves Music, and Causes His Servants to Love It
  131. The Idea that Painting and Sculpture Are Unlawful
  132. The Idea that Gold and Silk Are Prohibited
  133. Fabricated Hadiths that Prohibit Pleasant Scent
  134. Fabricated Hadiths that Prohibit Tattoos, Removal of Facial Hair, Esthetic Dental Work
  135. Fabricated Hadiths that Prohibit Women from Going out of Doors in Attractive Clothes
  136. Fabricated Hadiths that Maintain that Women Lose Paradise by Preoccupying Themselves with Gold and Clothes
  137. Fabricated Hadiths that Maintain that Women Should not be Given Nice Clothes
  138. If the Spirit of the Fanatics Dominated This World
  139. Make-up, Grooming, Cleanliness, Modernity and Culture, "Quality" for Short, Are All Requirements of Islam
  140. Women Are Lovely Beings, of course They Must Be Well-Groomed
  141. The Horrifying Nature of the Misogyny of the Fanatical Mindset
  142. The Perversion that Leads to Running inside and Locking the Doors upon Seeing a Boy
  143. The Lie that Young Boys are Accompanied by Eighteen Satans
  144. The Perversion that Claims Boys Can Be 19 Times More Seductive than Women
  145. The Perversion that Claims ‘Young Boys Are Same as Women’ And ‘Boys Can Be Lusted After just like Women’
  146. The Claim that a Young Boy's Voice is Forbidden
  147. Muslims Have the Right to Wear Attractive Stylish Clothing and Own Fine Cars and Nice Homes
  148. Jews and Christians in the Religion of the Fanatics
  149. Responses from the Qur'an to Those Who Look to the Qur'an for Enmity toward the Jews
  150. The Comparison with "Monkeys and Pigs" and What the Qur'an Really Says about the People of the Book
  151. Examination of Verse 60 of Surat al-Ma'ida
  152. Jews Who Are Praised
  153. Examination of Verse 166 of Surat al-A'raf
  154. Examination of Verse 65 of Surat al-Baqara
  155. The Error of the Jews Being Cursed
  156. An Examination of Verse 88 of Surat al-Baqara
  157. Examination of Verse 155 of Surat an-Nisa'
  158. The Idea of Not Taking Jews and Christians As Friends
  159. Misunderstandings About War and the Jizya
  160. What Does the Expression "The Religion with God Is Islam" Mean?
  161. The Idea of Killing Jews Who Enter Adolescence
  162. The Idea of Making Jews Responsible for the Sins of Muslims
  163. The Idea that Food Is Spoiled because of Jews
  164. The Idea that Two Faiths Should Not Co-exist in Arab Lands
  165. The Idea that Calling Someone a Jew Is an Insult and that Cursing Jews Is a Source of Reward
  166. The Idea of Forcing Them onto the Narrow Part of the Road
  167. The Gharqad, the Tree of the Jews
  168. Muslim Men Can Marry Women of the Book; Muslims Can Eat the Food of the People of the Book and They Can Eat the Food of Muslims
  169. Muslims' Invitation to the People of the Book
  170. The Just Behavior of Muslims toward the People of the Book
  171. Muslims Are Obliged To Protect Churches and Synagogues; It Is a Sin To Attack Places of Worship
  172. Our Prophet's (pbuh) Relations with the People of the Book
  173. The Gospel and the Torah in the Qur'an
  174. Our Prophet's Practices concerning the Torah and the Gospel
  175. The Jews Enjoy the Right to Live in the Holy Land in the Qur'an
  176. Afterword

The people who will receive the severest punishment from God will be the picture makers.

(Sahih Bukhari, Book 72, Hadith 834)

Whoever makes a picture will be punished by God till he puts life in it, and he will never be able to put life in it. (Sahih Bukhari, Book 34, Hadith 428)

The most grievously tormented people on the Day of Resurrection would be the painters of pictures. (Sahih Muslim, Book 24, Hadith 5270)

The painter of these pictures will be punished on the Day of Resurrection, and it will be said to them, "Make alive what you have created." (Sahih Bukhari, Book 93, Hadith 646)

The angels do not enter a house where there are pictures. (Sahih Bukhari, Book 34, Hadith 318)

All the painters who make pictures would be in the fire of hell. The soul will be breathed in every picture prepared by him and it shall punish him in the hell.

(Sahih Muslim, Book 24, Hadith 5272)

Through these false hadiths the fanatics make painting and sculpture unlawful for Muslims. Indeed, according to some fabricated hadiths, painters are regarded as among those who will suffer the worst torment in the hereafter. According to this perverse perspective, these people have attributed divinity to themselves, may God forbid, by imitating His creations. Yet what possible connection could there be between a painter or sculpture producing a work of art and claims of divine status?

If a painter or a sculptor does make such a perverse claim, that can only be because of weakness of mind or soul, not because of the art he produces. And that is a possibility that applies to all people and all members of professions.

All the beauties in nature are works of art made by our Almighty Lord. We realize how glorious art can be by looking at these works of our Lord's. In fact, almost every technology present in the world has been developed by imitating God's creation. The existence of things created is a blessing for technology. For example, people imitate birds and some species of fly created by God when manufacturing airplanes. Since these planes were inspired by living things, they possess perfect flying abilities and maneuverability. This is an advantage because there are already perfectly functioning models in nature. This is a gift bestowed by God as a blessing on all engineers. Despite all the scientific advances that make our lives easier and more comfortable, today's world of technology is simply a copy of these works of art in nature. God has created the models in nature and the technological copies of them as blessings for us. The reason for the way that fanatics target the art of sculpture in particular actually lies in a tradition inherited from the past. In the past, when idolworship was widespread, some rulers took measures against making statuettes in order to prevent people from worshiping idols. These measures, intended to avert potential dangers in these societies in the past, were literally propagated as a commandment of the faith, even though there is no such prohibition in the Qur'an. That is one of the worst pieces of damage caused by some people who prefer their traditions to the Qur'an.

We do not deprive ourselves of fire or the Sun just because Magians worship fire and other people worship the Sun, or we don't kill cows just because Hindus have sacred cows, so it is a genuinely primitive way of thinking to ban all statues just because there are some pagans who worship idols. What is wrong is to deify objects and other entities, and people who do that are those who commit unlawful deeds, not the objects themselves.

The technological world and all forms of scientific progress that make life more comfortable for us are all copies of works of art in nature. God creates the originals in nature and technological copies of them as blessings for us.

The arts of painting and sculpture that the fanatics prohibit for Muslims are most definitely not unlawful according to the Qur'an, the Book that is the guide for all Muslims. God loves art and causes His servants to love it; He has created the whole universe with art. There are no verses in the Qur'an that make fine arts such as painting and sculpture unlawful. On the contrary, works of art are praised in the Qur'an.

Statues and works of art praised as examples of majesty in the palace of the Prophet Solomon (pbuh) appear as follows in the Qur'an:

They made for him anything he wished:

high arches and statues, huge dishes like cisterns, great built-in cooking vats. "Work, family of David, in thankfulness!" But very few of My servants are thankful.

Qur'an, 34:13

The fanatics who ban these arts – despite these verses of the Qur'an – need to say what they think about the Prophet Solomon (pbuh), who had extraordinarily lovely statues in his palace.

These peddlers of superstition have wreaked great damage on Islamic societies. The Islamic world never managed to develop after the spread of such superstition about sculpture and painting. Societies that cannot develop art remain frozen, soulless and atrophied; they are closed to novelty. They gradually lose their creativity, their ability to think practically and their understanding of detail. Coldness and lack of taste are reflected in the places where they live and the way in which they behave toward one another. As a result of their turning their backs on art, monotony, coldness and lack of taste, devoid of grace, predominate in the dark world of the fanatics.