Fatwa ID: 06547
Answered by: Muftiyah Habiba Akhtar
Question:
A person asked if he can buy animal figures out of icing ready-made and then put them on a cake like this.
I am thinking it could be OK since the person doesn’t actually make the figures himself and they could be considered ممتهن by being placed on a cake to be eaten. (like how it would be OK to have a picture on a pillow etc). Does this reasoning make sense?
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
The general Islamic ruling towards pictures of animate objects is that it is impermissible and disliked.
It does not suit a Muslim to take that which is portraying animate objects and definitely not being the creator of pictures of animate objects.
The Prophet SAW showed a dislike to entering a home with images.
Consider the following hadith:
Narrated Abu Talha:
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Angels do not enter a house that has either a dog or a picture in it.”(1)
The food that is in the form of an animate object is not in the form of a picture or image that can be used to show respect or honour and due to this, it will not be impermissible to eat something with images of animate objects as eating is an insult rather than showing honour and respect. (2)
Hence, in response to your query, it would not be impermissible to eat that which has animate objects if its ingredients are halal but it wouldn’t be appropriate and should be avoided due to the impermissibility of actually drawing or keeping pictures of animate objects.
Only Allah knows best
Written by Muftiyah Habiba Akhtar
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
(1)
حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ، قَالَ حَفِظْتُهُ مِنَ الزُّهْرِيِّ كَمَا أَنَّكَ هَا هُنَا أَخْبَرَنِي عُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ عَنْ أَبِي طَلْحَةَ ـ رضى الله عنهم ـ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ “ لاَ تَدْخُلُ الْمَلاَئِكَةُ بَيْتًا فِيهِ كَلْبٌ وَلاَ صُورَةٌ ”.
Sahih al-Bukhari 3322
(2)
وَرُوِيَ عَنْ عَائِشَةَ – رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهَا – أَنَّهَا قَالَتْ: «دَخَلَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ – صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ – فِي بَيْتِي وَأَنَا مُسْتَتِرَةٌ بِسِتْرٍ فِيهِ تَمَاثِيلُ، فَتَغَيَّرَ لَوْنُ وَجْهِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ – صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ – حَتَّى عَرَفْتُ الْكَرَاهَةَ فِي وَجْهِهِ، فَأَخَذَهُ مِنِّي وَهَتَكَهُ بِيَدِهِ فَجَعَلْنَاهُ نُمْرُقَةً أَوْ نُمْرُقَتَيْنِ» وَإِنْ كَانَتْ الصُّوَرُ عَلَى الْبُسُطِ وَالْوَسَائِدِ الصِّغَارِ وَهِيَ تُدَاسُ بِالْأَرْجُلِ لَا تُكْرَهُ لِمَا فِيهِ مِنْ إهَانَتِهَا، وَالدَّلِيلُ عَلَيْهَا حَدِيثُ جِبْرِيلَ – صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ – وَعَائِشَةَ – رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهَا
(Badai Sanai, Volume 1, page 116, Dar Kutub Ilmiyyah)
