Muslim

Hadith Commentary: Benefits and Issues: The purpose of this hadith is that a human being cannot create even inanimate objects, such as a speck or a grain of wheat, because he only sows it in the earth; it is Allah Ta'ala alone who brings it into existence. So how can he dare to depict living beings? If he has the courage, then let him put life into them.

Hadith Commentary:
In this hadith, there is an indication that creating an animal is indeed very difficult; so then, let them produce even a grain or a fruit from the category of plants, which is lesser than an animal.
When they are unable to create even plants, then how could they possibly create an animal?

Hadith Commentary:
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In this hadith, there is an indication that creating an animal is extremely difficult; let them produce even a grain or a barley seed from the category of plants.
When they are unable to create plants, how could they possibly create animals?
The purpose here is sometimes to render them powerless regarding the creation of animals—let them create an ant—and sometimes to render them powerless regarding the creation of inanimate things—let them try to create even a single grain of barley.

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Imam Bukhari rahimahullah’s intent is that attributing creation to them is only to render them powerless, whereas they themselves are created beings, and Allah, the Exalted, is their Creator. In fact, He alone is the Creator of their actions and deeds as well. Since they perform their actions by their own choice, on this basis they are deserving of reward and punishment.
And Allah knows best.

Hadith Commentary:
Abu Hurairah radi Allahu anhu appears to have derived from this hadith—which states that on the Day of Resurrection, the people of my ummah will be raised with radiant foreheads and radiant hands and feet due to ablution (wudu)—that the radiance will extend as far as the limbs are washed in ablution. Or, he may have derived it from this verse: يُحَلَّوْنَ فِيهَا مِنْ أَسَاوِرَ ( Al-Kahf: 31), meaning that in Paradise, the people of Paradise will be adorned with garments of gold.

The name of Abu Hurairah is Abdur Rahman bin Sakhr.

He embraced Islam in the year of the Battle of Khaybar and would always remain in the service of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.

He passed away in Madinah in the year 59 AH at the age of 75.

He was the memorizer of 5,274 prophetic hadiths.

Hadith Commentary:
(1)
The general wording of the hadith includes every kind of image, whether it is three-dimensional (sculpted) or two-dimensional (not sculpted). The image that Abu Hurairah radi Allahu anhu saw, upon which he narrated this hadith, was a non-sculpted image that an artist was drawing on the ceiling. Among us, some people consider images on cloth to be permissible and only regard those images as impermissible which have a solid body. This hadith refutes their view, because the images drawn on the ceiling did not have any solid body.

(2)
In one hadith, it is mentioned that the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam ordered Umar ibn al-Khattab radi Allahu anhu, on the occasion of the conquest of Makkah, to go into the Ka'bah and erase all the images present in it. Accordingly, the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam did not enter the House of Allah until they had been removed.
(Sunan Abi Dawud, Al-Libas, Hadith: 4156)

An image may be kept in two ways:
One is that its head is cut off and it is made to resemble a tree; the second way is that it is trampled underfoot, as mentioned in a hadith.
(Sunan Abi Dawud, Al-Libas, Hadith: 4158)

Cloth with images on it may also be used in such a manner that it expresses disrespect for the images, for example:
It may be made into a sheet to spread on a bed, or into cushions for sitting on chairs, etc.

And Allah knows best.