[Q 412] Ruling on selling items with Animal Faces

QUESTION:

What do the honourable scholars say regarding this issue:
Zaid owns a perfume shop. He purchases perfume bottles from a company and sells them to his customers. The issue is that these perfume bottles have the shapes of living beings—such as human faces or snakes—moulded onto the top, in which the faces are clearly visible. These figures cannot be removed because doing so would make the bottles unsightly and defective, due to which customers do not buy them. In this situation, is it permissible for Zaid to buy and sell these perfumes?

ANSWER:

بسم اللہ الرحمن الرحیم
الجواب بعون الملک الوھاب اللھم ھدایة الحق والصواب

Yes, it is permissible in the Shari’ah to buy and sell such perfumes on which the figure or image of a living being is present, because the actual object being bought and sold is the product itself, not the image or sculpture. However, remember, that independently buying or selling images or statues of a living being is not permissible and a sin.

The detailed explanation of this matter is that according to Islamic legal principles, buying and selling actual images or statues of living beings is impermissible and sinful. However, if the image or statue is attached to a permissible object in such a way that its position is merely secondary or incidental, and the intended sale is that of the actual permissible product—not the image or statue—then the transaction is permitted.

As the juristic principle states:

“كم من شيئ يثبت ضمنا، ولا يثبت قصدا”
(“Many things are valid when included as a subsidiary, but not when intended independently.”)

Soaps, shampoos, and many daily-use items are commonly sold with such incidental images. Their trade is also considered permissible because the image is only incidental, and the item itself is the objective of the sale, not the image.

Badr al-Ulema, Mufti Ajmal Qadri رحمۃ اللہ علیہ writes in Fatawa Ajmaliyah:

“In newspapers, books, matchboxes, cigarettes, shoes, etc., it is clear that the intended sale is of these items themselves, and the images are included only incidentally. The existence of images as secondary in such sales is a self-evident fact that no intelligent person can deny. Neither the seller considers the image the sold item, nor does the buyer. Therefore, in terms of the image, the fundamental component of sale—exchange of property—is not even applicable. As such, the image is not sold independently but rather incidentally, and such incidental sale is permissible.”

(Fatawa Ajmaliyah, Vol. 3, p. 469, Shabbir Baradaraam, Lahore)

Mufti-e-Azam Pakistan, Mufti Waqaruddin رحمة اللہ علیه, while discussing the ruling on selling books with images, writes:

“In the given case, selling such books is permissible because the transaction involves selling books, not images. However, selling an image independently is haram (حرام – forbidden).”

(Waqar al-Fatawa, Vol. 1, p. 218, Bazm-e-Waqaruddin, Karachi)

Important Note: It is impermissible and sinful to decorate or keep an image or statue of a living being in a way that the face is clearly visible—such that if it is placed on the ground and viewed while standing, the facial features are distinguishable—because in Hadith, we are commanded to dishonour (such) images, whereas decorating them implies reverence.

However, if such an image is part of a permissible object, and that image is not the main intention, and the object is being displayed due to necessity—not to honour the image—then in such a case, displaying the object is permitted. The objective is not to glorify the image, but simply to display the item. This is why even if the image were not there, the item would still be displayed.

Now, the full translation of the quoted section from Fatawa Rizwiyah is below:
It is not permissible to keep, by way of reverence, those items that have images of live beings, as mentioned by Sayyidi Imam Ahmed Raza عليه الرحمة, in Fatawa Ridawiyah:

“To keep something that has an image on it without dishonouring it—provided that this lack of dishonour is not due to the image, but for some other reason, such as keeping money—not throwing it on the ground, this is not due to the image but because it is wealth. If the coin had no image, it would still be protected in the same way. In such a case, keeping it is allowed out of necessity—just as in currency: the respect shown is not intended for the image, and currency without an image would not be in circulation. And if one removes the image from it, the currency becomes invalid:
“الضرورات تبيح المحظورات”
(“Necessities permit the prohibited.”)
Similarly, postage stamps and seals that have images—if those images are small enough that when placed on the ground and viewed while standing, the facial details are not visible—like gold coins and stamps, then keeping these is permissible anyway, as the images on them are that small.
And (to keep such items) without necessity, this act becomes disliked (makruh), even if the avoidance of dishonour is due to another reason, it still becomes associated with the image, and we have been commanded to dishonour images:
“نحن امرنا باهانتھا”
(“We have been commanded to humiliate images.”)
Therefore, not dishonouring the image becomes a form of not obeying that command, and if there is no necessity, then that is not allowed.
Knives and other tools that bear images fall under the same ruling—if the image is large, it should be erased or covered with paper, etc. Otherwise, it is makruh (disliked). This is also only if the user needs the object itself, and the image is not the reason for keeping it.”

(Fatawa Ridawiyah, Vol. 24, p. 640, Raza Foundation, Lahore)

Mufti Amjad Ali A’azmi رحمة اللہ علیه states:

“Due to necessity, the scholars have permitted keeping coins, currency notes, and money which have images. In such cases, the purpose for keeping these items is not to honour the image.”

(Fatawa Amjadiyyah, Vol. 2, Part 4, p. 173, Maktabah Razawiyyah, Aram Bagh, Karachi)

Note: Remember that drawing or printing images of live beings is not permissible and a sin, when done without Shar’i need. Therefore, if there is no need then there is absolutely no permission to make or print such images.

Sayyiduna Sa‘id ibn Abu al-Hasan رضي الله عنه narrates:

“كنت عند ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما، إذ أتاه رجل فقال: يا أبا عباس، إني إنسان إنما معيشتي من صنعة يدي، وإني أصنع هذه التصاوير، فقال ابن عباس: لا أحدثك إالا ما سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول: سمعته يقول: »من صور صورة، فإن الله معذبه، حتى ينفخ فيها الروح وليس بنافخ فيها أبدا، فربا الرجل ربوة شديدة، واصفر وجهه الخ”

Translate: “I was with Ibn ‘Abbas رضي الله عنهما when a man came and said: O Ibn ‘Abbas, I am a man who earns my living with the work of my hands, and I create these images. Ibn ‘Abbas replied: I will tell you only what I heard from the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم. I heard him say: “Whoever makes an image, Allah will punish him until he blows a soul into it—and he will never be able to blow a soul into it.”
The man then trembled violently, and his face turned pale….”

(Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 3, p. 82, Hadith No. 2225, Dar al-Tawq al-Najah, Beirut)

Mirqat al-Mafatih, commentary on Mishkat al-Masabih, under the this very hadith:

“Our scholars and others have said: Drawing images of animals is Haram, severely prohibited and among the major sins, because the severe warning regarding it is clearly mentioned in Hadith.”

(Mirqat al-Mafatih, Vol. 7, p. 2848, Dar al-Fikr, Beirut)

In Habib al-Fatawa, a question was asked to Mufti Habibullah Naeemi رحمة اللہ علیه:

“Nowadays, utensils and vessels are decorated with images of humans and animals, like birds, peacocks, fish, etc. Around 75% of the craftsmen in Muradabad, who are Muslims, are involved in this trade. Is the income earned from this trade permissible?”

He replied:

“The Shari’ah has declared it absolutely ḥarām and impermissible to make the facial images of any living being—whether it is made on cloth, paper, iron, brass, copper, alloy, glass, or clay. Islam has abolished idol worship and everything that leads towards it forever. Since making images or photos of living faces is ḥarām, earning from this and adopting it as a profession is also impermissible.”

(Habib al-Fatawa, Vol. 4, p. 78, Shabbir Brothers, Lahore)

Answered by: Mufti Sajid Attari
Translation checked by: Muhammad Aqib Attari
Date: 3rd May 2025