There are genuine discussions on the differences between digital photographs and hand-drawn images as well as 2D images and 3D statues. There are lots of details contained in the arguments and even a cursory reading into the subject will reveal that the matter is far more nuanced than a simple black and white, yes or no. But if the images lead to more benefit than harm, such as those used for the purpose of education or play, then these scholars deem them to be permissible. There is a spectrum of scholarly opinions on the matter, ranging from those who consider image-making to be strictly prohibited with a few exceptions, to those considering image-making to be permissible so long as they do not fall foul of general Islamic guidelines.Īnd as you’d expect, there’s a body of scholars in the middle of the two sides who argue that only certain types of images are prohibited particularly those that open an avenue to shirk (associating partners with Allah) such as statues or portraits invariably crafted with the intent of veneration. Having said that, modern developments in photography, videography and the digital arts have given the issue new life among contemporary scholars. This matter has been part of classical scholarly discourse, so it’s nothing new. If you’re interested in the topic, we encourage you to do your own research, and if you do so with determined effort, the details will become clear to you. We’ll summarise what we found, but we won’t go into the details with names and references because that’s not the purpose of this article. This process occurred over several years and still continues till today.īear in mind that we were just researchers with a student mindset seeking a better understanding of a small area of enquiry related to our field of work. We discussed the matter personally with scholars. We tried to widen the angle of enquiry by looking at how scholars of opposing conclusions reasoned their arguments. We gathered all the hadith and evidence we could find related to the matter. We did what any thorough researchers would do. So naturally, this situation compelled us to look into the Islamic legal ruling in further detail. Sometimes, you just can’t tell without facial expressions. Showing Emotions: Is she happy or sad? She could be either.

But that certainly didn’t mark the end of the challenge… But we managed nonetheless and through the support of body language and context, we were able to get by. Trying to convey that a character is happy, angry, upset or pensive without the use of eyes, a mouth and a nose is undoubtedly inhibiting. The nature of the product demanded the expression of animated human emotion. One of the first products to feature characters was the Box of Manners which was first produced in 2006. But this decision wasn’t without challenge, and it didn’t take long for the struggles to manifest themselves… It was also the norm among publishers in Muslim majority countries at the time to draw faceless characters, and we followed suit when Learning Roots first started and it became part of our brand identity. So, we understood these hadith at face-value without much further research, depth or commentary. No-one in their right mind would want to risk facing such punishment. Ibn ‘Abbas (R) narrated: “I heard the Messenger of Allah (S) say, ‘Whoever makes an image in this world will be told to breathe life into it in the Day of Resurrection, and he will not be able to do so.’” (Bukhari & Muslim). Why so? Because we were aware of hadith such as the following:Ību Talhah (R) narrated: “I heard the Prophet (S) say: ‘The angels do not enter any house in which there is a dog or an image.’” (Muslim). The characters were drawn with blank faces. To understand the change, we have to go back to 2006 when Learning Roots first featured characters in its products. It reflects the development of our company’s journey with the matter, and so what you’re about to read will trace those experiences and reflections. It’s not something taken lightly and not without consequences. And here it is…įirst of all, this decision was taken after much research, discussion, debate and deliberation. At the very least, an explanation is due.

These are some of the comments we’ve heard from our customers in recent times since we’ve started to illustrate our characters with facial features. “Is this part of a premeditated conspiracy, to water-down the deen of our children?” “I’m surprised and disappointed with this move.” “I liked the fact that you were one of few publishers that didn’t show facial features.

“Why do your character illustrations show facial features now?”

Faceless head emotions activity