While I was with Ibn ʿAbbas a man came and said, "O father of ʿAbbas! My sustenance is from my manual profession and I make these pictures." Ibn ʿAbbas said, "I will tell you only what I heard from Messenger of Allah ﷺ . I heard him saying, 'Whoever makes a picture will be punished by Allah till he puts life in it, and he will never be able to put life in it.' " Hearing this, that man heaved a sigh and his face turned pale. Ibn ʿAbbas said to him, "What a pity! If you insist on making pictures I advise you to make pictures of trees and any other unanimated objects."

يَا أَبَا عَبَّاسٍ إِنِّي إِنْسَانٌ إِنَّمَا مَعِيشَتِي مِنْ صَنْعَةِ يَدِي وَإِنِّي أَصْنَعُ هَذِهِ التَّصَاوِيرَ فَقَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ لاَ أُحَدِّثُكَ إِلاَّ مَا سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُهُ يَقُولُ مَنْ صَوَّرَ صُورَةً فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ مُعَذِّبُهُ حَتَّى يَنْفُخَ فِيهَا الرُّوحَ وَلَيْسَ بِنَافِخٍ فِيهَا أَبَدًا فَرَبَا الرَّجُلُ رَبْوَةً شَدِيدَةً وَاصْفَرَّ وَجْهُهُ فَقَالَ وَيْحَكَ إِنْ أَبَيْتَ إِلاَّ أَنْ تَصْنَعَ فَعَلَيْكَ بِهَذَا الشَّجَرِ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ لَيْسَ فِيهِ رُوحٌ قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ سَمِعَ سَعِيدُ بْنُ أَبِي عَرُوبَةَ مِنَ النَّضْرِ بْنِ أَنَسٍ هَذَا الْوَاحِدَ

I was sitting with Ibn 'Abbas when he gave religious verdicts but he did not say that it was Messenger of Allah ﷺ who had said that. However when a man said to him (Ibn 'Abbas): I am the painter of these pictures. Ibn 'Abbas said: I heard Messenger of Allah ﷺ as saying: He who painted pictures in the world would be compelled to breathe soul in them on the Day of Resurrection, but he would not be able to breathe soul (in them).

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ حَتَّى سَأَلَهُ رَجُلٌ فَقَالَ إِنِّي رَجُلٌ أُصَوِّرُ هَذِهِ الصُّوَرَ فَقَالَ لَهُ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ ادْنُهْ فَدَنَا الرَّجُلُ فَقَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ مَنْ صَوَّرَ صُورَةً فِي الدُّنْيَا كُلِّفَ أَنْ يَنْفُخَ فِيهَا الرُّوحَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَلَيْسَ بِنَافِخٍ

[AI] I was with Ibn Abbas while he was giving fatwas to the people without referring to the Prophet ﷺ. Until a man from the people of Iraq came to him and said, "I am a man from the people of Iraq, and I make these images." Ibn Abbas told him to bring them closer, either two or three times. Then he said, "I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say, 'Whoever makes an image will be ordered on the Day of Resurrection to breathe life into it, and he will not be able to.'"

كُنْتُ عِنْدَ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ وَهُوَ يُفْتِي النَّاسَ لَا يُسْنِدُ إِلَى نَبِيِّ اللهِ ﷺشَيْئًا مِنْ فُتْيَاهُ حَتَّى جَاءَهُ رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْعِرَاقِ فَقَالَ إِنِّي رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْعِرَاقِ وَإِنِّي أُصَوِّرُ هَذِهِ التَّصَاوِيرَ فَقَالَ لَهُ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ ادْنُهْ إِمَّا مَرَّتَيْنِ أَوْ ثَلاثًا فَدَنَا فَقَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ مَنْ صَوَّرَ صُورَةً فِي الدُّنْيَا يُكَلَّفُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ أَنْ يَنْفُخَ فِيهِ الرُّوحَ وَلَيْسَ بِنَافِخٍ

[AI] He (Abdullah ibn Abbas) witnessed that the man gave religious rulings to the people without mentioning the Messenger of Allah ﷺ . Then a man came and said, "I am a man from Iraq, and I make these images (referring to idols). He (Abdullah ibn Abbas) said, "Lower your voice twice or thrice. I heard Muhammad ﷺ or he said, I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saying, 'Whoever makes a picture will be commanded on the Day of Resurrection to breathe life into it, but he will not be able to do so.'"

أَنَّهُ شَهِدَ عَبْدَ اللهِ بْنَ عَبَّاسٍ أَفْتَى النَّاسَ وَلَا يَذْكُرُ فِي فُتْيَاهُ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ حَتَّى جَاءَ رَجُلٌ فَقَالَ إِنِّي رَجُلٌ عِرَاقِيٌّ وَإِنِّي أُصَوِّرُ هَذِهِ التَّصَاوِيرَ؟ فَقَالَ ادْنُهْ مَرَّتَيْنِ أَوْ ثَلَاثًا سَمِعْتُ مُحَمَّدًا ﷺ أَوْ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ مَنْ صَوَّرَ صُورَةً فِي الدُّنْيَا كُلِّفَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ أَنْ يَنْفُخَ فِيهَا الرُّوحَ وَلَيْسَ بِنَافِخٍ

[AI] I heard from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saying: "Whoever creates an image, Allah, the Almighty and Glorious, will punish him on the Day of Judgment until he gives life to it, and he will never be able to give life to it." A man then asked the Prophet, startled and his face turning pale, "What if it is only a small figure?" Ibn Abbas said to him, "Woe to you! If you insist on making something, then choose a tree or anything that does not have a soul in it."

سَمِعْتُ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ مَنْ صَوَّرَ صُورَةً فَإِنَّ اللهَ ﷻ مُعَذِّبُهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ حَتَّى يَنْفُخَ فِيهَا الرُّوحَوَلَيْسَ بِنَافِخٍ فِيهَا أَبَدًا قَالَ فَرَبَا لَهَا الرَّجُلُ رَبْوَةً شَدِيدَةً فَاصْفَرَّ وَجْهُهُ فَقَالَ لَهُ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ وَيْحَكَ إِنْ أَبَيْتَ إِلَّا أَنْ تَصْنَعَ فَعَلَيْكَ بِهَذَا الشَّجَرِ وَكُلِّ شَيْءٍ لَيْسَ فِيهِ رُوحٌ

[AI] "I am a man whose livelihood depends on these images," so Ibn Abbas said, "I heard Muhammad ﷺ saying, 'Whoever creates pictures will be punished by Allah until he breathes life into them, but he will not be able to do so.' So his face turned yellow, and he said, 'If you really must do so, then create plant images, for they do not possess a soul.'"

إِنِّي رَجُلٌ مَعِيشَتِي مِنْ هَذِهِ التَّصَاوِيرِ فَقَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ سَمِعْتُ مُحَمَّدًا ﷺ يَقُولُ «مَنْ صَوَّرَ صُورَةٍ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ يُعَذِّبُهُ حَتَّى يَنْفُخَ فِيهِ الرُّوحَ وَلَيْسَ بِنَافِخٍ» فَاصْفَرَّ لَوْنُهُ فَقَالَ إِنْ كُنْتَ لَابُدَّ فَعَلَيْكَ بِالشَّجَرِ وَمَا لَيْسَ فِيهِ رُوحٌ

[AI] I am a human and my livelihood comes from the work of my hands. I create these images. Ibn Abbas said, "I only have what I have heard from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ , who said, 'I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say, "Whoever makes a picture, Allah will punish him on the Day of Resurrection, until he breathes life into it, and it will never be given life."' The man became pale and his face turned yellow, then he said, 'Woe to you! If you insist on creating, then create something without a soul.'"

إِنِّي إِنْسَانٌ إِنَّمَا مَعِيشَتِي مِنْ صَنْعَةِ يَدَيَّ وَأَنَا أَصْنَعُ هَذِهِ التَّصَاوِيرَ فَقَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسَ لَا أَجِدُ لَكَ إِلَّا مَا سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ «مَنْ صَوَّرَ صُورَةً فَإِنَّ اللهَ يُعَذِّبُهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ حَتَّى يَنْفُخَ فِيهَا وَلَيْسَ بِنَافِخٍ فِيهَا أَبَدًا» قَالَ فَرَبَا لَهَا الرَّجُلُ رَبْوَةً شَدِيدَةً وَاصْفَرَّ وَجْهُهُ ثُمَّ قَالَ «وَيْحَكَ إِنْ أَبَيْتَ إِلَّا أَنْ تَصْنَعَ فَعَلَيْكَ بِهَذَا الشَّجَرِ وَكُلِّ شَيْءٍ لَيْسَ فِيهِ رَوْحٌ»

[AI] Ibn Abbas, while giving people fatwas, did not attribute any of his fatwas to the Prophet ﷺ . A man came to him and said, "I am from the people of Iraq, and I make these drawings." Ibn Abbas said to him, "Come closer, come closer, two or three times." Then he said, "I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say, 'Whoever makes a picture in this world will be commanded on the Day of Resurrection to breathe life into it, and he will not be able to do so.'"

ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ ؓ وَهُوَ يُفْتِي النَّاسَ لَا يُسْنِدُ شَيْئًا مِنْ فُتْيَاهُ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ إِذْ جَاءَهُ رَجُلٌ فَقَالَ إِنِّي مِنْ أَهْلِ الْعِرَاقِ وَإِنِّي أُصَوِّرُ هَذِهِ التَّصَاوِيرَ فَقَالَ لَهُ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ ؓ ادْنُهُ ادْنُهُ مَرَّتَيْنِ أَوْ ثَلَاثًا فَدَنَا فَقَالَ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ مَنْ صَوَّرَ صُورَةً فِي الدُّنْيَا كُلِّفَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ أَنْ يَنْفُخَ فِيهَا الرُّوحَ وَلَيْسَ بِنَافِخٍ