A man found an antique piece in the form of a statue with a head, and it is very expensive. Is it permissible for him to sell it and benefit from it?
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The questioner : He says: An antique piece of very precious material and of very high value fell into the hands of him or someone he knows, but it is in the form of a statue.
The Shaykh : A statue.
The questioner : In the form of, meaning an image of the upper half of a head, and it is of raw material, meaning a material that is not a drawing. So I said to him: If the head were cut off, would the value remain in the material, or is the value in the image? He said: No, the value disappears; meaning, if the head is cut off, that value does not remain for it. So he asks: What should I do with it? What does the Shari'ah permit me to benefit from this piece?
The Shaykh : The matter is clear, may Allah reward you. As you know, if he is a true believer, he is told: Buy a room in Paradise with it and smash it, following the example of your Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) when he smashed the idols that were in Makkah. The truth is that the role of antiquities today, which are spreading, and what I fear most is that it will reach the Kingdom of Tawhid, meaning the establishment of fighting Tawhid, because this celebration and care for idols as old antiquities means opposing the guidance of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). And all of this is from material antiquities, because indeed they have value from the material aspect that cannot be estimated by price, but Islam gives no weight at all to material things in comparison to spiritual things, if the expression is correct. Therefore, this man is advised with two pieces of advice, one of which is more beneficial to him than the other, and it is what I mentioned earlier: that he break this idol and seek reward from Allah (Mighty and Majestic). That is better and more lasting. The second piece of advice is what you indicated to him, which is that he break the head and smash the head thoroughly, and present this statue without the head. If it brings him material benefit, so be it; otherwise, the Hereafter, as we said, is better and more lasting.
The Shaykh : A statue.
The questioner : In the form of, meaning an image of the upper half of a head, and it is of raw material, meaning a material that is not a drawing. So I said to him: If the head were cut off, would the value remain in the material, or is the value in the image? He said: No, the value disappears; meaning, if the head is cut off, that value does not remain for it. So he asks: What should I do with it? What does the Shari'ah permit me to benefit from this piece?
The Shaykh : The matter is clear, may Allah reward you. As you know, if he is a true believer, he is told: Buy a room in Paradise with it and smash it, following the example of your Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) when he smashed the idols that were in Makkah. The truth is that the role of antiquities today, which are spreading, and what I fear most is that it will reach the Kingdom of Tawhid, meaning the establishment of fighting Tawhid, because this celebration and care for idols as old antiquities means opposing the guidance of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). And all of this is from material antiquities, because indeed they have value from the material aspect that cannot be estimated by price, but Islam gives no weight at all to material things in comparison to spiritual things, if the expression is correct. Therefore, this man is advised with two pieces of advice, one of which is more beneficial to him than the other, and it is what I mentioned earlier: that he break this idol and seek reward from Allah (Mighty and Majestic). That is better and more lasting. The second piece of advice is what you indicated to him, which is that he break the head and smash the head thoroughly, and present this statue without the head. If it brings him material benefit, so be it; otherwise, the Hereafter, as we said, is better and more lasting.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.