Q: I am a young man. In the past my hobby was producing calligraphy, decoration, and plastic arts such as painting, etching, drawing pictures and portraits etc. Praise be to Allah, Allah guided me to the right path and I am now committed to the orders of Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him). I found out that it is not permissible to draw portraits of humans, because - according to the Prophet's Hadith - the people who will receive the severest punishment from Allah on Doomsday will be the picture makers. My question is, what should I do with the paintings which are more than a hundred paintings? Should I burn them or give them as gifts to other people, or should I sell them especially since I have invested much money in them and I am in dire need for money? Or should I distort them for the Sake of Allah with hope that Allah will compensate me for doing so? What should I do with the camera with which I used to take photos in the past? What is the ruling on the Atari, a video game device, for passing time? I also have a lute. Should I sell it and make use of its value especially since I bought it with my money or what should I do? I appreciate your advice!