It is generally agreed upon among jurisprudents that it is forbidden to make a whole statue of a being that has a spirit, which is not the case for a part of it, such as the head, hand, or leg which is permissible. They base their ruling on the fact that these statues resemble the idols that signified gods that people used to worship. Moreover, some have imagined that these statues were the basis of idolism. Thus, the forbiddance of making the whole body a sculpture aims at putting a decisive end to this industry that might, once more, lead to idolism. Some have even asserted that the sculptor would be so fascinated by his own sculpture that he might worship it…
We do not have any proof of the validity of this interpretation and analysis, for the religious texts mention that this prohibition is derived from the prohibition of assuming the role of the Ultimate Creator in creating beings with all their organs that one cannot turn into a statue let alone originate them. This is supported by several traditions, which state: “Whoever makes a picture in this world will be held responsible for breathing a spirit into it, and he would not be able to do so.”
We have reservations about deriving absolute prohibition from these traditions and about justifying this prohibition on the basis of assuming the role of the Creator. Apparently, the prohibition has to do with the sculptor himself, who makes sculptures of animals and human beings with a creation mentality that exaggerates his ego in a way that he would picture himself as a creator. Thus, Allah’s command to him to breathe a spirit into it is more like a challenge and an implication that creation is not merely about making a form of a body, but rather, it is about breathing spirit into that body…
On another level, if the sculptor is a believing Muslim who acknowledges the Creator and His magnificence, and professes that He is the One and Only God and Lord, yet he makes sculptures for other human, artistic or social goals, this does not represent an attempt to assume the role of the Creator, defy Him, or share with Him the ability to create. Rather, it is a case that we do not often find among sculptors.
Had the matter been related to assuming the role of the Creator by creating the being’s whole body, it would have also been forbidden to make sculptures of parts of the body, such as the head, which entails the utmost level of creativity in the body…
It is worth mentioning that the narrated traditions on owning sculptures confirm that this act is permissible, and jurisprudents unanimously agree on its permissibility. However, they consider it abominable to place them before the prayer attendant. This suggests that the problem does not lie in the sculpture itself, but in the sculptor, who might indulge in his ego that entailsand develop a sense of the ability to create when making statues. However, if this is not how he views the matter, then there remains no negative aspect for him…
In other words, actual ugliness is manifested when the sculptor deliberately intends to do something that contradicts belief, not when it contradicts the nature of the statue itself. Another important point worth mentioning is that Jesus Christ (p.) said: “That I determine for you out of dust like the form of a bird, then I breathe into it and it becomes a bird with Allah's permission.” Surah Al-Imran (3:49). If making a statue were impermissible, Jesus Christ would not have done it, even in the course of performing a miracle. Moreover, it is odd that jurisprudents have generally prohibited the drawing of pictures of humans and animals based on the exclusivity of the texts, but have permitted photography.
In light of this, we have reservations about forbidding sculpture-making in cases other than assuming the role of the Creator. If the Muslim sculptor prefers to be precautious with regard to making sculptures of human and animals, then this is acceptable…
Indeed, we encourage the creative Islamic art in all fields of art that the Muslim artists were ingenious at, having bequeathed us a legacy of arts that handle all the aspects of life. However, the Muslim artist ought to abide by the moral principles that Islam wants the people to follow and that do not encourage pornography or the glorification of tyrannical or perverted personalities…
We call on the experts in the fields of science, arts or philosophy to be creative as they deal with the issue of struggle between nations, so as to provide the nation with the power needed in its pursuit of the role of becoming the leading nation…
Source: [The answer of His Eminence, the late Religious Authority, Sayyed Muhammad Hussein Fadlullah (ra), to a jurisprudential question regarding the legitimacy or not of sculpture in Islam]
It is generally agreed upon among jurisprudents that it is forbidden to make a whole statue of a being that has a spirit, which is not the case for a part of it, such as the head, hand, or leg which is permissible. They base their ruling on the fact that these statues resemble the idols that signified gods that people used to worship. Moreover, some have imagined that these statues were the basis of idolism. Thus, the forbiddance of making the whole body a sculpture aims at putting a decisive end to this industry that might, once more, lead to idolism. Some have even asserted that the sculptor would be so fascinated by his own sculpture that he might worship it…
We do not have any proof of the validity of this interpretation and analysis, for the religious texts mention that this prohibition is derived from the prohibition of assuming the role of the Ultimate Creator in creating beings with all their organs that one cannot turn into a statue let alone originate them. This is supported by several traditions, which state: “Whoever makes a picture in this world will be held responsible for breathing a spirit into it, and he would not be able to do so.”
We have reservations about deriving absolute prohibition from these traditions and about justifying this prohibition on the basis of assuming the role of the Creator. Apparently, the prohibition has to do with the sculptor himself, who makes sculptures of animals and human beings with a creation mentality that exaggerates his ego in a way that he would picture himself as a creator. Thus, Allah’s command to him to breathe a spirit into it is more like a challenge and an implication that creation is not merely about making a form of a body, but rather, it is about breathing spirit into that body…
On another level, if the sculptor is a believing Muslim who acknowledges the Creator and His magnificence, and professes that He is the One and Only God and Lord, yet he makes sculptures for other human, artistic or social goals, this does not represent an attempt to assume the role of the Creator, defy Him, or share with Him the ability to create. Rather, it is a case that we do not often find among sculptors.
Had the matter been related to assuming the role of the Creator by creating the being’s whole body, it would have also been forbidden to make sculptures of parts of the body, such as the head, which entails the utmost level of creativity in the body…
It is worth mentioning that the narrated traditions on owning sculptures confirm that this act is permissible, and jurisprudents unanimously agree on its permissibility. However, they consider it abominable to place them before the prayer attendant. This suggests that the problem does not lie in the sculpture itself, but in the sculptor, who might indulge in his ego that entailsand develop a sense of the ability to create when making statues. However, if this is not how he views the matter, then there remains no negative aspect for him…
In other words, actual ugliness is manifested when the sculptor deliberately intends to do something that contradicts belief, not when it contradicts the nature of the statue itself. Another important point worth mentioning is that Jesus Christ (p.) said: “That I determine for you out of dust like the form of a bird, then I breathe into it and it becomes a bird with Allah's permission.” Surah Al-Imran (3:49). If making a statue were impermissible, Jesus Christ would not have done it, even in the course of performing a miracle. Moreover, it is odd that jurisprudents have generally prohibited the drawing of pictures of humans and animals based on the exclusivity of the texts, but have permitted photography.
In light of this, we have reservations about forbidding sculpture-making in cases other than assuming the role of the Creator. If the Muslim sculptor prefers to be precautious with regard to making sculptures of human and animals, then this is acceptable…
Indeed, we encourage the creative Islamic art in all fields of art that the Muslim artists were ingenious at, having bequeathed us a legacy of arts that handle all the aspects of life. However, the Muslim artist ought to abide by the moral principles that Islam wants the people to follow and that do not encourage pornography or the glorification of tyrannical or perverted personalities…
We call on the experts in the fields of science, arts or philosophy to be creative as they deal with the issue of struggle between nations, so as to provide the nation with the power needed in its pursuit of the role of becoming the leading nation…
Source: [The answer of His Eminence, the late Religious Authority, Sayyed Muhammad Hussein Fadlullah (ra), to a jurisprudential question regarding the legitimacy or not of sculpture in Islam]