Images and decorations

4-2-2002 | IslamWeb

Question:

I work in a carpet store where the rugs include some animal designs. In addition we sell toys in images of bears and the alpaca, the animal whose wool we use in the rugs. My religious friend told me that the animal's designs is example of creation of Allah and he said that there's more problem because some customers buy this rugs not only for the floor but also sometimes to hang like picture on the wall and my friend told me that sometimes the customer buy toys for decoration not for kids so it is like (Tamatheel) Asnam. So I don't know what to do.

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Answer:

Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the World; and may His blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his Family and Companions.

Pictures or images are of three kinds:
1) Three-dimensional figures of living creatures made by any solid material. Such images are forbidden in Sharia according to the consensus of the Muslim scholars.
2) Pictures or images of non-living objects such as pictures of trees, rivers, etc. They are permissible without any difference of opinion among the Muslim scholars.
3) Making pictures of living beings or drawing them on clothes or papers. The majority of the Muslim scholars are of the opinion that this act is also forbidden unless such pictures are used degradingly.
4) Photography by camera or video. The contemporary Muslim scholars have two different opinions concerning this matter. The majority of them believe that it is permissible provided the pictures are not used for any Haram act.
In spite of that, we advise Muslims to avoid photographing by video or camera to follow the safest way, except if they are in need to do so. Therefore, you may understand that making shapes and embodied objects of living beings is forbidden with the exception of toys for children since the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) permitted it to Ayisha (Radiya Allahu Anha) as recorded in Sahih Bukhari.
As for the image made in rugs it is better to avoid drawing or making pictures of living beings to avoid the disagreement of scholars. However, if you want to draw or make such pictures in rugs then you should not sell them to the one who honours such pictures and hangs them. Instead you may sell them to those who despise them and humiliate them by use as floor cover or the like.
Allah knows best.