(2/41), through another route from Saʿīd ibn Abī al-Hasan, who said:
“I was with Ibn Abbas when a man came to him and said, ‘Abu Abbas, I earn my living solely through the work of my hands, and I make these images.’ Ibn Abbas replied, ‘I will tell you only what I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, say. I heard him say: “Whoever makes an image will be punished by Allah until he breathes a soul into it, yet he will never be able to do so.”’ The man gasped heavily, and his face went pale. Ibn Abbas then said, ‘Woe to you! If you insist on making images, then confine yourself to trees and everything that has no soul.’”
It will appear later in this book at (164).
It has a third route in al-Bukhārī (4/361–362) and Ahmad (1/246), from Ikrima, from Ibn Abbas, traced back to the Prophet with the same wording, but without the additional passage. Al-Nasā’ī (2/301) likewise narrated it from Ikrima, and also from Ikrima, from Abu Hurayra.
I say: This hadith also shows that its scope includes images that are not three-dimensional. This is because its wording is unrestricted and because its narrator, Ibn Abbas, did not understand it as being limited to three-dimensional images. Had it been restricted to such images, he would not have imposed such stringent limitations upon the questioner. Rather, he would plainly have permitted him to make non-three-dimensional images of animate beings as well. A Companion’s understanding constitutes authoritative evidence, especially when he is the narrator of the hadith, when it is supported by the principles of Islamic legal theory—as it is here—and when it is corroborated by the other texts cited above. Imam al-Nawawī therefore decisively declared invalid the view of those who permit images that cast no shadow—that is, images that are not three-dimensional. I shall quote his words under hadith (134).
121 — (The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Those who make these images will be punished on the Day of Resurrection. It will be said to them, ‘Bring to life what you created.’” Agreed upon.) p. 99
Authentic. It is the hadith of Abdullah ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both. It was narrated by—