48/113. Chapter:
Sunan an-Nasai 5359 — Whoever Makes an Image and the Soul Warning
What the Image-Makers Will be Commanded to Do on the Day of Resurrection
Whoever Makes an Image Hadith: The Soul Warning
Sunan an-Nasai : 5359
Sunan an-NasaiHadith Number 5359
أَخْبَرَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا حَمَّادٌ، عَنْ أَيُّوبَ، عَنْ عِكْرِمَةَ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " مَنْ صَوَّرَ صُورَةً عُذِّبَ حَتَّى يَنْفُخَ فِيهَا الرُّوحَ وَلَيْسَ بِنَافِخٍ فِيهَا " .
Ibn 'Abbas Narrated from:
The Messenger of Allah [SAW] said: 'Whoever makes an image will be punished until (he is commanded) to breathe a soul into it, and he will not be able to do so.'
Reference : Sunan an-Nasa'i 5359In-book reference : Book 48, Hadith 320English translation : Vol. 6, Book 48, Hadith 5361
Summary of Sunan an-Nasai Hadith 5359
This hadith from Ibn 'Abbas states the warning in a very compact way: whoever makes an image will be punished until he is commanded to breathe a soul into it, and he will not be able to do so. The main search term is whoever makes an image hadith. The message is plain and serious. Image-making is connected here to a command on the Day of Resurrection that the person cannot fulfill. The hadith does not give a list of exceptions, materials, or modern examples. It simply places the act of making an image beside the reality that only Allah gives life. A careful explanation should keep that focus and avoid adding more than the narration says.
What we learn from this hadith
- The hadith gives a direct warning about making an image.
- The person is commanded to breathe a soul into it.
- The narration states that he will not be able to do so.
- The warning highlights that giving life is not within human power.
