The Ruling on Selling and Keeping Taxidermied Animals

Q: A questioner from Unaizah and a brother whose name is abbreviated as: M. N. S. from Tabuk in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in their question, say: We hope that Your Eminence will issue a ruling for us regarding the ruling on keeping taxidermied animals and birds? What is the ruling on selling what was mentioned? Is there a difference between what is forbidden to keep alive and what is permissible to keep alive in the case of taxidermy? And what should the muhtasib do regarding this phenomenon?

A: Keeping taxidermied birds and animals, whether it is what is forbidden to keep alive or what is permissible to keep alive, involves wasting money and extravagance and squandering in the costs of taxidermy. Allah has forbidden extravagance and squandering, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade wasting money. Also, because that is a means to making images of birds and other living creatures and hanging them up and displaying them in homes, offices, and elsewhere, and that is forbidden. Therefore, it is not permissible to sell them or keep them.
The muhtasib should make it clear to the people that they are forbidden and should prevent the phenomenon of their circulation in the markets.
Shirk (associating partners with Allah) occurred among the people of Noah because of making images of Wadd, Suwa', Yaghuth, Ya'uq, and Nasr. They were righteous men among the people of Noah who died in a close period of time. So Satan made it attractive to their people to make images of them and display them in their gathering places, and they did so. So shirk occurred among the people of Noah because of that, as al-Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned in his Sahih from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), and others among the exegetes, hadith scholars, and historians mentioned it. May Allah be sought for help, and there is no power and no strength except in Allah, the Exalted and Majestic.