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Fatwa CenterRuling on Sand Drawings
Question
What is the religious ruling on sand drawings on a board (or canvas)? Please provide evidence from the Quran and Sunnah.
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.
What we know about sand drawings is that a painter uses sand in his paintings in order to achieve the natural color of sand. If this is what you mean, then it takes the same rulings related to images in Islam in their generality.
There are two kinds of image-making, one is permissible and the other is not. According to the opinions of Muslim scholars, it is permissible to draw inanimate objects such as trees and the like.
As for drawing animate beings such as animals and birds, there are many religious texts underlining that it is forbidden. For instance, the following was reported about Ibn ‘Abbas 
:
A person came and said, “I am a painter who paints these (types of) images, so give me a religious verdict about them.” Ibn ‘Abbas 
said to him, “Come near me.” He approached him and Ibn ‘Abbas said again, “Come near me (even more).” The man came near him so much so that he placed his hand upon his head and said, “I am going to narrate to you what I heard from the Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. I heard him say, ‘All makers of images will be in the fire of Hell. A soul will be breathed into every image prepared by him and it shall punish him in the Hellfire.’” Ibn ‘Abbas added “If you must do so, then paint images of trees and inanimate objects.” [Muslim]
Moreover, ‘A'ishah 
reported that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, entered upon her and that there was a curtain which had images (of animals) in the house. His face became red with anger, and he took hold of the curtain and tore it into pieces. He, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, then said, “The most grievous torment for people on the Day of Resurrection will be for those who make these (types of) images.” [Al-Bukhari]
There are many religious texts in the same vein indicating the prohibition of making images of animate beings, even if these pictures are not revered or respected later on.
The Shafi‘i scholar, Shaykh Zakariya Al-Ansari 
wrote:
It is impermissible to draw animals on the ground or on clothing even if these pictures will be trodden beneath the feet (as a gesture of not revering them) as long as this is considered image making because the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, cursed image makers. [Asna Al-Matalib]
Therefore, it is impermissible to draw pictures of birds and animals using sand or any other (material) on boards or any other (platform). However, it is permissible to draw pictures of inanimate objects using sand or any other material.
Allah knows best.
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