(305) Chapter: Prohibition of Drawing Portraits

'Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) said: Jibril (Gabriel) (ﷺ) made a promise with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) to come at a definite hour; that hour came but he did not visit him. There was a staff in the hand of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). He threw it from his hand and said, "Never does Allah back out of His Promise, nor do His messengers." Then he noticed a puppy under his bed and said, "O 'Aishah, when did this dog enter?" She said: "By Allah, I don't know." He then commanded that it should be turned out. No sooner than had they expelled it, Jibril came and the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to him, "You promised to visit me. I waited for you but you did not come." Whereupon he said: "The dog kept me from coming. We do not enter a house in which there is a dog or a picture." [Muslim]. Commentary: This Hadith has an elaboration of the preceding Hadith and tells us that a puppy had entered the house of the Prophet (PBUH) and he did not know about it. The presence of the puppy in the house obstructed the visit of Jibril (Gabriel). It is a pity that now many Muslims keep dogs in their houses in imitation of the Europeans and also display in their showcases photographs of animals, or their own family members, or pictures of their deceased parents, or their mentor, or some saint for the sake of blessing, little knowing that such pictures deprive one of the Blessings of Allah rather than bestowing it upon them.