Answer (Hanafi Fiqh)

Wa Alaikumus Salam wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh

Dear brother, first of all, do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Your fear itself is a sign of Iman (faith) and taqwa. Let me address your concern point by point with clear evidence.

1. You Are NOT a Mushrik

Shirk (associating partners with Allah) requires belief (i'tiqad) that someone or something shares Allah's attributes, power, or divinity. You have explicitly stated:

• You never considered Itachi as God.
• He was merely an anime character you liked.
• The title "god of genjutsu" was a fictional/cultural label, not a theological claim.

Allah says in the Qur'an:

"Allah does not burden a soul beyond that it can bear." (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:286)

"And there is no sin on you for that in which you erred, but what your hearts deliberately intend." (Surah Al-Ahzab 33:5)

Since your heart never intended shirk, you are not a mushrik. Using an image of a fictional character — even one with a fictional title — does not constitute shirk unless one believes in that title as reality.

Imam Ibn Abidin (Radd al-Muhtar, Kitab al-Jihad, Bab al-Murtad): Kufr and shirk are established by belief and statement of the tongue, not by mere usage of an image without belief.

2. The Ruling on Anime/Character Images

Yes, there are concerns in Hanafi fiqh about tasweer (images of animate beings), and scholars advise avoiding them. However:

• This is a matter of sin (gunah), not kufr or shirk.
• Fatawa Usmani (Mufti Taqi Usmani, Vol. 3) and Imdad al-Fatawa (Vol. 4) discuss digital images; the emphasis is on avoiding them, not declaring the user a mushrik.
• Bahishti Zewar (Ashraf Ali Thanwi) mentions that keeping images of animate beings is impermissible but does not make one a disbeliever.

So at most, this was a sin of ignorance, which you have already repented from.

3. You Have Repented — That Is Sufficient

Allah says:

"Say: O My servants who have transgressed against themselves, do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful." (Surah Az-Zumar 39:53)

"And He it is who accepts repentance from His servants and pardons evil deeds." (Surah Ash-Shura 42:25)

Hadith (Sahih Muslim, Kitab al-Tawbah, Hadith 2749):

The Prophet ﷺ said: "Allah is more pleased with the repentance of His servant than one of you who found his lost camel in the desert."

Imam al-Tahawi (Sharh Ma'ani al-Athar) and Imam Anwar Shah Kashmiri (Fayd al-Bari) emphasize that sincere tawbah erases the sin completely — it is as if it never happened.

4. You Cannot Access the Account — You Are Excused

Islamic law does not burden you with what you cannot do.

Qur'an:

"Allah does not burden a soul beyond its capacity." (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:286)

Al-Hidayah (Kitab al-Ikrah): "What is beyond one's ability is not obligated."

Ibn Abidin (Radd al-Muhtar, Vol. 6): A person is only accountable for what is within his power (maqdur).

Since you genuinely cannot access the account, you bear no sin for the picture remaining there. Your intention and effort to remove it are recorded as good deeds.

5. Practical Steps You Should Take

1. Try your best to recover the account (password reset, Facebook support, report the old profile). If you succeed, delete the picture.
2. If you truly cannot, make du'a asking Allah to remove its harm, and do not obsess over it.
3. Report the old account to Facebook as inactive/compromised if possible.
4. Do not let Shaytan destroy your Iman with waswas (whisperings). This fear you feel is from Shaytan trying to make you despair.
5. Continue your life normally — your akhirah is not destroyed. Allah's mercy is vast.
6. Give sadaqah and make istighfar as ongoing good deeds.

6. A Warning Against Despair

Hadith (Sahih Bukhari, Hadith 6345):

"None despairs of the mercy of Allah except the disbelieving people." (referencing Surah Yusuf 12:87)

Your despair is a trick of Shaytan. Do not let him win. You are a Muslim, you repented, and Allah has forgiven you.

Conclusion

| Question | Answer | |----------|--------| | Are you a mushrik? | No. No belief of shirk existed. | | Was it a sin? | At most a minor sin of ignorance regarding images. | | Is your tawbah accepted? | Yes, sincerely repented — sin erased. | | Are you accountable for the picture remaining? | No, you cannot access it. | | Will you be in hellfire forever? | No. That is only for those who die upon kufr/shirk. |

Go live your life with hope in Allah. Your akhirah is safe, in sha Allah.

‍ allah know best