Decorating the Houses

1. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from Muhammad ibn Khalid and al-Husayn ibn Sa‘id from al-Qasim ibn Muhammad al-Jawhariy from Ali ibn abu Hamzah from abu Basir who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, has said, ‘Once Jibril came to me and said, “O Muhammad, your Lord sends you greeting of peace and prohibits you to decorate the houses.’” Abu Basir has said, ‘I asked what is decorating the house?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘It is pictures and statues.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

2. Abu Ali al-Ash‘ariy has narrated from Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Jabbar from Safwan ibn Yahya from ibn Muskan from Muhammad ibn Marwan who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah, Alayhi al-Salam, has stated this Hadith. ‘The Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, has said, “Once Jibril came to me and said, ‘We the community of angels do not enter a house in which there is a dog, statues or a pot in which people urinate.”””

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

3. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from ‘Abd Allah ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from Ali ibn al-Hakam from Aban ‘Uthman from abu Basir who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah, Alayhi al-Salam, has said that Jibril has said, ‘We do not enter a house in which there are pictures, or a dog, that is, pictures of human beings or a house in which statues exist.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

4. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Ibn Abi ‘Umayr from a man who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah, Alayhi al-Salam, has said, ‘If one forms a statue, he on the Day of Judgment will be held responsible to blow the spirit in it.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

5. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Ibn Abi ‘Umayr from al-Muthanna’ who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah, Alayhi al-Salam, has said that Ali, Alayhi al-Salam, disliked the existence of pictures in houses.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

6. A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Khalid from ‘Uthman ibn ‘Isa from Sama‘ah from abu Basir who has said the following: “I once asked abu ‘Abd Allah, Alayhi al-Salam, about the pillow or furnishings which have pictures on them. He (the Imam) said, ‘It is not unlawful if it is in the house.’ He (the Imam) then said, ‘Anything with pictures which is used under the feet is not harmful.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

7. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad and ‘Abd Allah sons of Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from Ali ibn al-Hakam from Aban ibn ‘Uthman from abu al-‘Abbas who said: “About the meaning of the words of Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, ‘...they made for him whatever he wanted like prayer niche, statues...’ (34:13). He (Abu ‘Abdillah (as)) said, ‘They (statues), by Allah, were not the statues of man and women, they, however, were of trees and similar things.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

8. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Ibn Abi ‘Umayr from Jamil ibn Darraj from Zurarah ibn ’A‘yan who has said the following: “Abu Ja‘far (a.s.), has said, ‘The existence of al-Tamathil (pictures or statues) in a house is not harmful if their heads are changed and the rest is left.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

9. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from al-‘Amrakiy ibn Ali from Ali ibn Ja‘far who has said the following: “I asked abu al-Hassan (a.s.), about the house or a room in which there are pictures; if Salat (prayer) can be performed there. He (the Imam) said, ‘Do not perform Salat (prayer) where in front of you there is something (as such), unless you have no choice then you must cut their heads, otherwise, do not perform Salat (prayer) there.”’

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

10. Abu Ali al-Ash‘ariy has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad and Humayd ibn Ziyad has narrated from al-Hassan ibn Muhammad ibn Sama‘ah all from Ahmad ibn al-Hassan al-Mithamiy, from Aban ibn ‘Uthman from al-Husayn ibn al-Mundhir who has said the following: “Abu ‘ Abd Allah (a.s.), has stated this Hadith. ‘Three kinds of people will be in suffering on the Day of Judgment. Of such people, one is a man who lies about his dream. He will be held responsible to form a knot between two pieces of barley grains and he will never be able to do so. One is a man who builds statues. He will be held responsible to blow the spirit in it and he will never be able to do so.’” (The third according to al-Saduq is one who listens to a people who do not like him. Lead will be poured in his ears.)

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

11. A number of our people have narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad from Ja‘far ibn Muhammad al-Ash'ari from Ibn al-Qaddah that Abu 'Abdillah (al-Sadiq) (as) said that Amir al-Mu'minin (as) said: "Rasulullah (sw) sent on an expedition to demolish the graves and destroy pictures."

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

12. Humayd ibn Ziyad has narrated from al-Hassan ibn Muhammad ibn Sama‘ah from more than one person from Aban ibn ‘Uthman from ‘Amr ibn Khalid who has said the following: “Abu Ja‘far (a.s.), has said that Jibril (a.s.), once said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, we do not enter a house in which picture of human beings exists or a house in which people urinate or a house in which a dog exists.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

13. Abu Ali al-Ash‘ariy has narrated from Muhammad ibn Salim from Ahmad ibn al-Nadr from ‘Amr ibn Shamir from Jabir from ‘Abd Allah ibn Yahya al-Kindiy from his father who provided water for ’Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s.), for his wudu who has said the following: “Amir al-Mu’minin, has said, that the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, has said that Jibril (a.s.), has said, ‘We do not enter a house in which a picture on which feet are not set exists . . . Hadith in brief.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

14. Ali ibn Ibrahim narrated from his father from al-Nawfaliy from al-Sakuniy that Abu 'Abdillah (al-Sadiq) (as) said that Amir al-Mu’minin (as) has said: "Once Rasulullah (sw) sent me to Medina saying, 'Do not leave any picture without effacing it, any grave without levelling it and any dog without killing it.'"

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.