The currency in most of the countries display the images of the head of the state. Would this practice be allowed when the head of state is an Ahmadi? Also, if a country elected to install a statue of an Ahmadi dignitary, what would be the attitude of the Jamaat? And would an Ahmadi head of state allow such statues being put up? Could Huzoor kindly advise us about the teachings of Islam on these matters? No, the question is twofold.
As far as the teachings of Islam are concerned, I can answer this question positively. But as far as this hypothetical question is concerned, that what would happen in future, I don’t know whom are you talking about. A wrong-minded person would react differently and a right-minded person would react differently. So how can I answer this hypothetical question when nothing has taken shape so far? And I don’t know anything about those future kings and monarchs and the models of statues and everything. So it’s just absurd for me to answer that question because that won’t be common sense at all.
As far as the first part is concerned, statue making for the sake of idolatry is positively prohibited, there is no doubt about it. Also it is prohibited when there is a danger that although the modeler does not, or the sculptor, I should say, does not model his statue for the sake of idolatry, but there is an inherent danger that this would ultimately lead people to that. In both these cases, it is un-Islamic and it is very strongly condemned and rejected. But if these two dangers are, I mean there is no danger of such possibilities, these two which I have mentioned, in that case modeling by itself, in itself, is not prohibited if it serves some purpose.
The only purpose for which this is prohibited is the purpose of idolatry, or as I have mentioned, if such an act may ultimately lead to idolatry. So in the modern times, I don’t think this sculpture making has any connotation of idolatry at all, at least mostly it doesn’t have, except in the Christian themes, where of course it has that. So if a king’s picture is created, his silhouette is created, his shape is given to a stone, and nobody can ever misunderstand what is meant from this, or even you go to, you see, visit Madame Tussauds, there the wax figures of so many people are so beautifully carved. Now if it had been haram, you shouldn’t have gone there at all, to visit that haram.
As you know, the purpose is so different, it is just to introduce, almost like live, the pictures of some important people, both famous and notorious, so because that purpose in itself is not wrong, so no objection is taken to that, so it all depends from place to place and situation to situation, the same thing may be declared wrong, and the same thing may be declared right, according as it is found to occur.
