Selling Items That Have Animal Face on Them

4-5-2023 | IslamWeb

Question:

Selling items that have an animal face in them will it be halal? Like: A mug that has the face of a Sloth in it. The face is not even complete cause it doesn't even have ears. And I will be selling this to the non-muslims.

---

Answer:

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 is His slave and Messenger.

We don’t see any harm with selling those products that have pictures on them – either for Muslims or non-Muslims – for two reasons:

Firstly, the cut-out image that removed part of the body without which life is impossible, it is permissible to acquire it according to the view that we adopt here in Islamweb.

The book Kash-Shaaf Al-Qinaa’ reads on what is permissible from images:

“Or what is essential for it (the animate being) to remain alive is removed from the image, such as cutting the head, the chest, or stomach, or made an image without the head, chest, or stomach, or that he made a head which is separated from the body, or an image of a head without a body, then it is not disliked because that was not included in the prohibition.”

Secondly, If the picture is despised, it is permissible to acquire it according to the view of most scholars.

The Fiqh Encyclopedia reads:

“If you owned a picture – and it is despised – then there is nothing wrong with that according to the view of the majority of scholars, as when it was on the ground, or a spread-out rug, or a mattress, or something like that.” [End of quote]

The images on the cups are despised images that are circulated around by hand, many drinks are drunk from it, and are washed.

Allah knows best.