Inscription Of The Prophet
Answered by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat
Question: Salams, I bought a hat that has a print that I thought was a general ancient ottoman painting. I did some research and apparently the print is actually a 14th-century picture depiction of the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, with facial features shown. How do I dispose of it?
Answer: Wa ‘alaykum as-salam wa rahmatullah wa barakatuh
I pray you are well.
There is no specific, prescribed manner of disposing of the hat. The image is not a likeness of the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, despite the intention of the artist. You can dispose of it as you wish.
It’s unfortunate that people have tried to imitate the likeness of the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace. Firstly due to it being impermissible for many reasons; one of them being the door of disrespecting him is opened thereby. Please refer to this answer for more information.
Secondly, because no matter how skilled they were they would always fall short of describing him. Or as Ibn al Farid, the Sultan of the Lovers, said, “Despite the expertise of those who describe his beauty, time will come to an end with much in him left undescribed.”
May Allah fills our hearts with love and veneration for him, Allah bless him and grant him peace. Amin
[Shaykh] Abdul-Rahim Reasat
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat began his studies in Arabic Grammar and Morphology in 2005. After graduating with a degree in English and History he moved to Damascus in 2007 where, for 18 months, he studied with erudite scholars such as Shaykh Adnan Darwish, Shaykh Abdurrahman Arjan, Shaykh Hussain Darwish, and Shaykh Muhammad Darwish. In late 2008 he moved to Amman, Jordan, where he continued his studies for the next six years in Sacred Law (fiqh), legal theory (Usul al-fiqh), theology, hadith methodology, hadith commentary, and Logic with teachers such as Dr. Ashraf Muneeb, Dr. Salah Abu’l-Hajj, Dr. Hamza al-Bakri, Shaykh Ahmad Hasanat, Dr. Mansur Abu Zina, and others. He was also given licenses of mastery in the science of Qur’anic recital by Shakh Samir Jabir and Shaykh Yahya Qandil. With Shaykh Ali, he was able to study an extensive curriculum of Qur’anic sciences, tafsir, Arabic grammar, and Arabic eloquence.
