When the Prophet advised his companions, and all Muslims, to avoid certain actions, he always made his advice short and precise. He neither dwelt too long over descriptions, nor used two sentences where one was sufficient. But he might link two or three pieces of advice together, seeking to establish such a link by different means, even though the points he tackled might be widely diverse. However, his description was always very clear, graphic and life-like.
An example may be given quoting a short Hadith that speaks of image-making, false claims and eavesdropping. Ibn Abbas quotes the Prophet as saying: “Whoever makes a likeness will be required to blow spirit into it, and will be punished as he will never be able to blow spirit. Whoever claims to have seen a dream will be required to tie two pieces of hair together, and will be punished as he will never be able to tie them. And whoever eavesdrops on people who try to be away from him will have melted lead poured into his ears.” (Related by Al-Bukhari, Muslim and Al-Nassaie).
The first point the Prophet warns against is that of making a likeness. This is a reference to making images of living things, such as people or animals. This is clearly understood from the reference to his being asked to breathe spirit into the image or likeness he has made, so as to make it a living one. Obviously, he will never be able to do so, because the spirit is breathed into the living by God alone.
But what sort of likeness the Prophet is here speaking about? The Arabic words used in the Hadith are the same we use today for photography and photocopying. Needless to say, the Prophet was not talking about these, because they were not known during his lifetime, and for many centuries later. Some people say that this Hadith, and others prohibiting likeness-making, refer to photography, but such a view is mistaken, because the Prophet could not speak about something that was not known by mankind during his lifetime. Even if God tells him about it, his audience would not understand his meaning. God describes both the Qur’an and the messenger to whom it was revealed, i.e. Prophet Muhammad, as “making things clear.” He could not make things clear if he were to speak of things unknown to his audience. Therefore, we have to look at the usage of the word during the Prophet’s lifetime so as to associate it with what the Prophet’s companions could associate it with. When we do so, we discover that the term used here means “to shape, mold, fashion, etc.”
Moreover, when we take this Hadith with others addressing the same topic, we conclude that the Prophet speaks about making something so much life-like that people may think it real. In a sacred, or qudsi, Hadith, the Prophet quotes God as saying: “Who can do more wrong than one who tries to create something like my creation! Let such people create a speck, or a seed, or a seed of barley.” (Related by Muslim). The wording of this Hadith is so strong, leaving us in no doubt as to the strict prohibition of making anything with the intention of leading people to think that it is comparable to what God creates.
It is particularly this sort of likeness that is strongly forbidden, whether it comes in the form of a statue, or in any other form. As for photography, it does not come into this category, because a photograph is nothing more than a print of a reflection in a lens. As such it is not different from a reflection in a mirror, which is indeed more true than a printed photo.
Because the attempt to produce a likeness of this sort seeks to imitate God’s creation, the person who tries it will be required to breathe life into it. Needless to say, no person can do that. Hence, he will be punished for his deed.
The second point the Prophet warns against is to make a false claim of a dream a person did not see. Why should this be so serious? First of all, it is a lie, and telling lies is viewed very seriously by Islam. Islam simply makes no allowance for what people term as a “white lie,” or a “lie of convenience.” All lies are false and falsehood is strongly shunned.
Secondly, a dream is an aspect of God’s creation. It may have no substance as far as we are concerned, but it takes place by God’s will. Any dream seen by any of us occurs by God’s will and as He determines. Therefore, a false claim of having seen a particular dream, and relating such a false dream to others, means that one is lying to God Himself. As such, this action has a linkage with the previous one of creating a likeness of a living thing. Both are false and lies — one in words and the other in action. Both are required to do something akin to their claims. The one who lies about his dream is required to tie up two small hairs so as to make them look like one, which is practically impossible. As he fails, he is punished for his sin.
Thirdly, the Prophet warns against eavesdropping on people. He makes a graphic picture of such a person who tries to hear others talking, but they are trying to hide away from him. Such a person would raise his hand to his ear in order to hear people’s whispers. This is totally unacceptable from the Islamic point of view and earns a severe punishment.
We have to realize that this punishment is earned for trying to overhear others, even though the attempt to do so fails and that person cannot hear other people’s conversation. It is the intention that earns such a person his or her punishment. A similar case is that of one who spies on people through a hole in the door or in a wall, or through a window, etc. If any of us is in his home and realizes that he is being spied on in this way, he may use a stick to hit the spy in his eye. If that person loses his eyesight as a result, he has no claim to make against the house owner who hit him, because the initial fault is his own.
Similarly, the punishment for an eavesdropper is incurred by his very attempt to eavesdrop, even though he does not manage to hear anything being said. The Prophet describes the punishment graphically, as he tells us that melted lead is poured into that person’s ears. Needless to say, he would lose his hearing faculty as a result, but such a loss is only one aspect of his punishment.
Arab News Islam 22 August 2003
