What is the ruling on buying dolls and figurines for a small child, given that they are in the exact form of a human?
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The questioner : May Allah reward you. A questioner says: I love you for the sake of Allah. What is the ruling on buying dolls or figurines for a small child, even though they are in the exact form of a human?
The Shaykh : Yes, the precaution is not to buy these dolls for the small children that are in the exact image of a human. The precaution for them is not to buy them. And there are alternatives found now: dolls that are not in the exact same image. So one dispenses with these and uses those instead. What is permitted for small children is not permitted for adults, because a small girl believes that this doll is her daughter. She finds herself protecting it, placing it in front of the air conditioner, and turning on the air conditioner over it to cool it in the summer and warm it in the winter. She believes it is her daughter. And the small girl speaks to it when she sees two dolls facing each other; she comes and speaks, saying: "What is it like? How is the marriage? And how is this? And how is that?" Meaning, she believes it is a real matter. And this teaches her what is not in her future affairs. Therefore, what is permitted for small children in this matter is not permitted for adults.
But as I told you first, one should dispense with these images that mimic the exact form of a human with other images made of cotton, wool, and the like, and that is sufficient.
The Shaykh : Yes, the precaution is not to buy these dolls for the small children that are in the exact image of a human. The precaution for them is not to buy them. And there are alternatives found now: dolls that are not in the exact same image. So one dispenses with these and uses those instead. What is permitted for small children is not permitted for adults, because a small girl believes that this doll is her daughter. She finds herself protecting it, placing it in front of the air conditioner, and turning on the air conditioner over it to cool it in the summer and warm it in the winter. She believes it is her daughter. And the small girl speaks to it when she sees two dolls facing each other; she comes and speaks, saying: "What is it like? How is the marriage? And how is this? And how is that?" Meaning, she believes it is a real matter. And this teaches her what is not in her future affairs. Therefore, what is permitted for small children in this matter is not permitted for adults.
But as I told you first, one should dispense with these images that mimic the exact form of a human with other images made of cotton, wool, and the like, and that is sufficient.