I need advice from muslims please?

Question

I became muslim a year ago. I just came across some old items of mine that are of no relevance and that may be sinful or idolotrous to keep, such as a framed picture of Jesus (as) and other things. What do i do with them? donate to goodwill, throw away, or what?

Also my grandmother (who doesn't knwo that i'm muslim, and who sent the picture of Jesus) keeps sending things like this- so what do i do with the items? usually i give them to my mother.

I will probably get a lot of hate messages from so-called christians. I just wanna make it clear that i mean no offense, i'm just trying to do the best thing that would please God.

vicsikis- sure. i like to see different points of view.

40 Glock- with all due respect, i do follow the teachings of the Bible, as it is a revealed book of islam. I however disagree with your stance that that is the way to please God.

"Thou shalt not make for yourselves an image" - one of the ten commandments in the bible.

There are several good answers to this question here...it's gonna be hard to just choose one! Thanks to all the brothers and sisters who gave me words ofadvice and encouragement, especially those who obviously spent more time writing a more lengthened answer. May Allah reward you all for your good deeds! Thanks again and Salaam. :)

Answer 1

All praise is due to Allah and peace and blessings be upon the beloved Prophet Muhammad. My sister, you must throw away these pictures and idols. First, you will have to stand before Allah and he is going to ask you about those things. Allah will ask you to follow those idols into the hell-fire. There is also a hadith narrated by 'Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her):

The Prophet entered upon me while there was a curtain having pictures (of animals) in the house. His face got red with anger, and then he got hold of the curtain and tore it into pieces. The Prophet said, "Such people as paint these pictures will recieve the severest punishment on the Day of Ressurrection."
-Bukhari Vol.8, 73:130

You can imagine what will be said to someone who possesses a false picture or idols of a Prophet. Secondly, these images and idols are not even what Issa (peace be upon him) really looks like anyway. My family is all Catholic and they have images and idols galore! I am always reminding my grandparents about them and they really don't understand that it is idolatary. If you are afraid to tell your grandmother you are Muslim, just tell her what you said in the question: "I'm just trying to do the best thing that would please God." Taking false gods, be it pictures, idols, etc., is breaking one of their commandments anyways, relay it to them.
Do not give them to your mother either, don't give them to anybody. What you are saying in so many words is that idols are not good for yourself but they are good for everybody else. As Muslims, we should all forbid evil and embrace the good. Remember when Ibrahim (pbuh) destroyed all the Idols with an ax in the temple except one and he laid the ax on that idol. When those who worshiped those idols entered the temple they asked Ibrahim (pbuh), "who did this!" Ibrahim (pbuh) pointed to the Idol and told them to ask him.
May Allah make it easy for you and keep it up sister! Do your best to please Allah. Allah knows best.

Answer 2

i think u should tell your family that u became Muslim.Especially u should tell your grandmother.U should tell her to stop sending u jesus pictures.I think she will understand your problem.and 1st of all this is very important that which religion u want to follow?I think u even cannot clearly decided.1st make it clear.Just always try to obey Allah's rules and commands whether u r muslim or christian.And the rest is up to u what u will do.

Bye dear i think ur such a good human being.
Best of Luck

Answer 3

Alhamdulillah that you understand more about Islam and you are looking to correct your believe ,which is good.
Know that the prophet (as) told us that pictures or statues are forbidden specially at home because the Angels don't enter a home where there is pictures.....
Also , don't worry about what the Christians tell you, because it is a form of idolatry to have these things because these things open the door for satan to play his games and to push people to start believing in these things having power or luck, while in Islam we know that only God has power and can help you .

I think, the right think to do is to cut the pictures < it's not Jesus (as) > and brake the statues and throw them away, but without telling it to nobody, so you don't offend them. Know that you will have reward for that. and don't give them to your mother or anybody because it may be a sinful thing.

The Christians give so much importance to pictures and idols in their churches , this is innacceptable in Islam.

Know that in doing so, you are pleasing God inshaallah and don't worry about others, worry about yourself, it is you who will be judged for your actions in the day of judgment, nobody will save you but Allah.

Try to convey the message of Islam to your familly in a nice way. but have knowlege first. you need to learn about your deen first, then you can answer people's questions.

Alhamdulillah that Allah guided us, may Allah keep it that way until we die. Alhamdulilah that we worship him only without having to have pictures or idols of any created things.

May Allah guide us all
Ameen

Answer 4

One should realize that the prohibition of picture making is EXTREMELY SEVERE, that it is counted among the enormities, and the threats against doing it are very emphatic. Imam Bukhari and Imam Muslim relate that a man came to Ibn Abbas (Allah be well pleased with him and his father) and said, “My livelihood comes solely from my hands, and I make these pictures. Can you give me a legal opinion about them” Ibn Abbas told him, “Come closer,’ and the man did. “Closer,” he said, and the man did, until he put his hand on the man’s head and said: “Shall I tell you what I heard from the Messenger of Allah, Prophet Muhammed (Allah bless him and give him peace) I heard the Messenger of Allah say, “Every maker of pictures will go to the fire, where a being will be set upon him to torment him in hell for each picture he made. So if you must, draw tress and things without animate life in them.”

And Imam Tirmidhi relates that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “On the Day of Judgment, part of the hell fire will come forth with two eyes with which to see, two ears with which to hear, and a tongue with which to speak, saying, ‘I have been ordered to deal with three: he who holds there is another god besides Allah, with every arrogant tyrant, and with makers of pictures.”

And Bukhari, Tirmidhi, and Imam Nasa’i relate the prophetic hadith form Ibn Abbas, “Whoever makes a picture, Allah shall torture him with it on the Day of Judgment until he can breathe life into it, and he will never be able to.”

The reason for the unlawfulness of pictorial representation is that it imitates the creative act of Allah Most High, as is indicated by the hadith related by Imam Bukhari and Imam Muslim that A’isha (Allah be well pleased with her) said, “The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) returned from a trip, and I had draped a cloth with picture on it over a small closet. When he saw it, he ripped it down, his face colored, and he said, “A’isha, the people most severely tortured by Allah on the Day of Judgment will be those who try to imitate what Allah has created,”

The foregoing hadiths show that producing representation is unlawful under any circumstances, and just as making a picture is unlawful, so too is procuring one, because the threat that pertains to the users, for pictures are only made to be used.

The determining factor in the prohibition of procuring images is the purposes for which they are procured. For example, someone who buys cookies with the shape of animals is not doing wrong if his purpose is to eat, though the maker of them is doing wrong. And similarly with books containing pictures, if the buyer intends obtaining the text, then the presence of pictures is the fault of the printer, not the buyer. The same holds for photographs required for official documents: the authorities are responsible for the sin, not the individual forced to comply.

Answer 5

Salams sister :) I think you should do what feels right as a Muslim. If I were you I would probably just discard them cos I don't think God would mind, but this isn't about me. Just go with your instincts.

Answer 6

While I'm not Muslim, I am Wiccan and had a similar circumtance happen to me.

I, always, thanked the person who gave me something such as you've described, and put these things away as a keep-sake to remind me of the person who gave them to me, with their love, so that I would always have something from that person, (i.e. in case they passed on, etc.) in order to honor them and to have special loving memories of that person.

Have a lovely rest of the evening. Bright Blessings.

Answer 7

No hate messages from me.But obviously you haven't heard of the Vinnies or the Salvos.Hmm! I wonder why.

Answer 8

Nobody knows how to please God. Everything we supposedly know about God is all flawed and man-made baloney. If I were you, I would separate myself from all religion. That may even cause less animosity among all your relatives since you will be seen as not taking any religious sides.

Answer 9

You want Christians or atheists to tell you what to do with it?
You're just trying to do the best thing that would please God? You need advice?

Answer 10

You should accept it without rejection but do not hang it. I am not very smart at that issue so I'll leave it to the smart