What is the ruling on taxidermied animals for decoration?
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The questioner : May Allah forgive us and you, O honorable Shaykh. What is the ruling on taxidermied animals, such as those found in schools? Is it permissible to keep them in the home as ornaments and decorations?
The Shaykh : As for taxidermied animals, if they are of a type that is eaten and were slaughtered without having their heads cut off, and then were taxidermied, there is no harm in that and no issue with it. This is because the waste of wealth in this case is a trivial amount that does not harm the wealth. The wealth that is lost to a person if he taxidermies it is a trivial amount that does not cause harm. Perhaps the benefit derived from it leads to this not being considered a waste of wealth. However, if they are from the forbidden things, then if they are taxidermied, they will remain ritually impure; they will remain ritually impure. And keeping what is ritually impure is not permissible, because what is required regarding the ritually impure is to remove it and get rid of it. Furthermore, if one keeps it and touches it while it is wet, it becomes ritually impure, or if he touches it while it is wet, it becomes ritually impure. So there is no benefit in it.
The questioner : So what is the ruling on placing them?
The Shaykh : But they are not in the form of an image as some people think. They think that these are like the image of a human being that is drawn, but that is not the case. They are the creation of Allah (Mighty and Majestic).
The questioner : So what about placing them in the home, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh : As I told you, and what is the benefit in them?The questioner : For decoration only.
The Shaykh : For decoration only, from an animal that is eaten or not eaten, do you understand?
The questioner : From this and from that.
The Shaykh : The one that is eaten, as I told you, if it is slaughtered and its head is not cut off, and then it is taxidermied, there is no harm, because it is now pure and not ritually impure.
But the one that is not eaten is ritually impure. Yes, it is ritually impure, except that the scholars have excluded what does not live except in water, for its carrion is pure. They have also excluded from what lives on land that does not have flowing blood, saying that its carrion is pure, based on evidence that has been reported regarding that.
The Shaykh : As for taxidermied animals, if they are of a type that is eaten and were slaughtered without having their heads cut off, and then were taxidermied, there is no harm in that and no issue with it. This is because the waste of wealth in this case is a trivial amount that does not harm the wealth. The wealth that is lost to a person if he taxidermies it is a trivial amount that does not cause harm. Perhaps the benefit derived from it leads to this not being considered a waste of wealth. However, if they are from the forbidden things, then if they are taxidermied, they will remain ritually impure; they will remain ritually impure. And keeping what is ritually impure is not permissible, because what is required regarding the ritually impure is to remove it and get rid of it. Furthermore, if one keeps it and touches it while it is wet, it becomes ritually impure, or if he touches it while it is wet, it becomes ritually impure. So there is no benefit in it.
The questioner : So what is the ruling on placing them?
The Shaykh : But they are not in the form of an image as some people think. They think that these are like the image of a human being that is drawn, but that is not the case. They are the creation of Allah (Mighty and Majestic).
The questioner : So what about placing them in the home, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh : As I told you, and what is the benefit in them?The questioner : For decoration only.
The Shaykh : For decoration only, from an animal that is eaten or not eaten, do you understand?
The questioner : From this and from that.
The Shaykh : The one that is eaten, as I told you, if it is slaughtered and its head is not cut off, and then it is taxidermied, there is no harm, because it is now pure and not ritually impure.
But the one that is not eaten is ritually impure. Yes, it is ritually impure, except that the scholars have excluded what does not live except in water, for its carrion is pure. They have also excluded from what lives on land that does not have flowing blood, saying that its carrion is pure, based on evidence that has been reported regarding that.