I sometimes watch a form of cartoons called anime. Once, I remarked that these animated characters are even more beautiful than humans. Is it haram to say so given that humans are the creation of Allaah? If a person draws something and I think or say that what has been drawn is even more beautiful than reality, is it sinful?

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.

It seems – and Allah knows best – that there is no harm in this statement; the most that can be said about it is that it expresses the beauty of these cartoon drawings, not that it implies preferring what humans made to what Allah, The Exalted, created. Moreover, the one who makes these drawings is a creation of Allah who was inspired in drawing them by what Allah created.

In order to draw your attention to the obligation of observing the conditions of the Shariah in watching animated cartoons and other material, please, refer to fatwas 325957, 87864 and 90027.

Finally, the Muslim should spend his time in what benefits him regarding his worldly and religious affairs. Verily, time is a precious blessing about which we shall be held accountable before Allah on the Day of Judgment. Abu Barzah Al-Aslami reported that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said, “The feet of the son of Adam shall not move on the Day of Judgment until he is asked about his life and how he spent it, his knowledge and what he did with it, his wealth and how he earned it and what he spent it on, and his body and what he wore it out in.” [At-Tirmithi]

Allah knows best.