Decorating the Houses

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص‌ أَتَانِي جَبْرَئِيلُ وَ قَالَ يَا مُحَمَّدُ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ يُقْرِئُكَ السَّلَامَ وَ يَنْهَى عَنْ تَزْوِيقِ الْبُيُوتِ قَالَ أَبُو بَصِيرٍ فَقُلْتُ مَا تَزْوِيقُ الْبُيُوتِ فَقَالَ تَصَاوِيرُ التَّمَاثِيلِ.

“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 a

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص‌ إِنَّ جَبْرَئِيلَ ع أَتَانِي فَقَالَ إِنَّا مَعَاشِرَ الْمَلَائِكَةِ لَا نَدْخُلُ بَيْتاً فِيهِ كَلْبٌ وَ لَا تِمْثَالُ جَسَدٍ وَ لَا إِنَاءٌ يُبَالُ فِيهِ.

‘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.”””

إِنَّ جَبْرَئِيلَ ع قَالَ إِنَّا لَا نَدْخُلُ بَيْتاً فِيهِ صُورَةٌ وَ لَا كَلْبٌ يَعْنِي صُورَةَ الْإِنْسَانِ وَ لَا بَيْتاً فِيهِ تَمَاثِيلُ.

“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.’”

مَنْ مَثَّلَ تِمْثَالًا كُلِّفَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ أَنْ يَنْفُخَ فِيهِ الرُّوحَ.

“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.’”

إِنَّ عَلِيّاً ع كَرِهَ الصُّورَةَ فِي الْبُيُوتِ.

“Abu ‘Abd Allah, Alayhi al-Salam, has said that Ali, Alayhi al-Salam, disliked the existence of pictures in houses.’”

سَأَلْتُهُ عَنِ الْوِسَادَةِ وَ الْبِسَاطِ يَكُونُ فِيهِ التَّمَاثِيلُ فَقَالَ لَا بَأْسَ بِهِ يَكُونُ فِي الْبَيْتِ قُلْتُ التَّمَاثِيلُ فَقَالَ كُلُّ شَيْ‌ءٍ يُوطَأُ فَلَا بَأْسَ بِهِ.

‘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.’”

وَ اللَّهِ مَا هِيَ تَمَاثِيلَ الرِّجَالِ وَ النِّسَاءِ وَ لَكِنَّهَا الشَّجَرُ وَ شِبْهُهُ.

“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.’”

لَا بَأْسَ بِأَنْ يَكُونَ التَّمَاثِيلُ فِي الْبُيُوتِ إِذَا غُيِّرَتْ رُءُوسُهَا مِنْهَا وَ تُرِكَ مَا سِوَى ذَلِكَ.

‘The existence of al-Tamathil (pictures or statues) in a house is not harmful if their heads are changed and the rest is left.’”

سَأَلْتُهُ عَنِ الدَّارِ وَ الْحُجْرَةِ فِيهَا التَّمَاثِيلُ أَ يُصَلَّى فِيهَا فَقَالَ لَا تُصَلِّ فِيهَا وَ فِيهَا شَيْ‌ءٌ يَسْتَقْبِلُكَ إِلَّا أَنْ لَا تَجِدَ بُدّاً فَتَقْطَعَ رُءُوسَهَا وَ إِلَّا فَلَا تُصَلِّ فِيهَا.

“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

قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع‌ ثَلَاثَةٌ مُعَذَّبُونَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ رَجُلٌ كَذَبَ فِي رُؤْيَاهُ يُكَلَّفُ أَنْ يَعْقِدَ بَيْنَ شَعِيرَتَيْنِ وَ لَيْسَ بِعَاقِدٍ بَيْنَهُمَا وَ رَجُلٌ صَوَّرَ تَمَاثِيلَ يُكَلَّفُ أَنْ يَنْفُخَ فِيهَا وَ لَيْسَ بِنَافِخٍ‌[1].

“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.

قَالَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ع‌ بَعَثَنِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص فِي هَدْمِ الْقُبُورِ وَ كَسْرِ الصُّوَرِ.

"Rasulullah (sw) sent on an expedition to demolish the graves and destroy pictures."

قَالَ جَبْرَئِيلُ ع يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنَّا لَا نَدْخُلُ بَيْتاً فِيهِ صُورَةُ إِنْسَانٍ وَ لَا بَيْتاً يُبَالُ فِيهِ وَ لَا بَيْتاً فِيهِ كَلْبٌ.

“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.’”

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص‌ قَالَ جَبْرَئِيلُ ع إِنَّا لَا نَدْخُلُ بَيْتاً فِيهِ تِمْثَالٌ لَا يُوطَأُ. الْحَدِيثُ مُخْتَصَرٌ.

“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.’”

قَالَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ع‌ بَعَثَنِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص إِلَى الْمَدِينَةِ فَقَالَ لَا تَدَعْ صُورَةً إِلَّا مَحَوْتَهَا وَ لَا قَبْراً إِلَّا سَوَّيْتَهُ وَ لَا كَلْباً إِلَّا قَتَلْتَهُ.

"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.'"