Islam is very sensitive in matters which concern the unity of Allah. The statue is a direct attack on this, because this is how people began the tradition of idols. The most important thing is to not give these figures greater pride or honor than they deserve. Various rulings exist for different kinds of statues or pictures.
Islam forbids the keeping of statues in the home, because with the presence of statues in one’s home he misses all of the blessings of the angels entering his home. The angels don’t enter a home with statues in it. It is also not permissible for Muslims to make or manufacture figures. The main reason, as I mentioned before, is the safeguard of Tawheed, or the Oneness of Allah. Statues are a direct attack against Islam’s teaching of the worship of only one god, therefore, it has banned it and even mentioned the wisdoms behind it. The second reason it is prohibited is that when a sculptor makes a figure, he feels intense pride in it, and sometimes even makes it like he has creating something out of nothing. Muslims are also not allowed to do this, because sometimes it gets into pictures of forbidden things, which we are not even allowed to look at. The last reason is that statues are signal of royalty and the upper class. These people constantly have statues inside their homes to represent their immense wealth and love for the arts. Therefore, we see that the prohibition on complete statues has much wisdom behind it.
There are many exceptions to this rule. Children’s toys, dolls, or stuffed animals are all allowed because they present no threat to Islam or its values in any way. They are not made to be venerated, but are made for children to play with them. Incomplete and Defaced statues are allowed because looking at them does not generate any feelings of respect or pride. Angel Jibrael said about this that statues should have their head cut off so they resemble the trunk of a tree. Concerning the paintings and one-dimensional pictures there is no absolute ruling for this, so we must look at the nature of the picture and what it represents. Any picture which is venerated and given high respect is unlawful to put on your wall. Any picture which represents another religious holy symbols, idols, or beliefs is forbidden. Also forbidden is the making of a figure to compete with Allah. Portraits of kings, high-class people, and tyrants are all forbidden, because these pictures are created for the purpose of venerating them. Any picture of an inanimate object is permissible to keep on your wall, because there is no harm in that. And lastly, figures which are debased and can never be given any respect are permissible to keep.
Basically, anything which is offensive the Islam and its teachings is forbidden, while things which aren't offensive are permissible. One should remember that always there are different opinions to each matter, so we should respect others views and opinions. The statue issue is a very serious issue and should be cleared up immediately.
Date: 12/9/03
