The Ruling on Three-Dimensional Figures of Living Creatures Among Children's Toys
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Question:
What is the authenticity of the following hadith from Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), who said: “I used to play with dolls, and sometimes the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) would enter while the maids were with me. When he entered, they would leave, and when he left, they would come back.” How do we reconcile this hadith with the prohibition of three-dimensional figures of living creatures? And is it permissible to keep three-dimensional children's toys on the basis that they are treated with contempt?
Answer:
The scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) differed on this issue. Some of them permitted it, citing the hadith of Aisha and the toys she had. They said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) approved of her, and he does not approve of falsehood, which indicates that he allowed girls to play with toys so that they could practice serving boys and raising boys by practicing with these toys. Also, because they are considered to be treated with contempt and degradation, they granted a dispensation for them.
Others said: This was before the prohibition, before his (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibition of images, before his cursing of the image-makers, and before his command to obliterate images. Therefore, it is not permissible for them to do so. They said: They are only permitted things that do not contain an image, such as ordinary toys made of sticks and bones, or wearing some clothes that are not an image but rather a likeness of an image that girls used to be accustomed to previously without being drawn. This opinion is plausible and is the more cautious, but the opinion of those who said it is permissible for girls to play with toys is a strong opinion.
The original principle is the absence of abrogation, and the texts are reconciled by stating that girls' toys are considered to be treated with contempt; and because they provide training for them in serving children and raising children, this becomes an exception to the general hadiths that prohibit keeping images and command their obliteration. These would be in the category of images found on carpets and cushions, which have the ruling of being treated with contempt.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good.
What is the authenticity of the following hadith from Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), who said: “I used to play with dolls, and sometimes the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) would enter while the maids were with me. When he entered, they would leave, and when he left, they would come back.” How do we reconcile this hadith with the prohibition of three-dimensional figures of living creatures? And is it permissible to keep three-dimensional children's toys on the basis that they are treated with contempt?
Answer:
The scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) differed on this issue. Some of them permitted it, citing the hadith of Aisha and the toys she had. They said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) approved of her, and he does not approve of falsehood, which indicates that he allowed girls to play with toys so that they could practice serving boys and raising boys by practicing with these toys. Also, because they are considered to be treated with contempt and degradation, they granted a dispensation for them.
Others said: This was before the prohibition, before his (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibition of images, before his cursing of the image-makers, and before his command to obliterate images. Therefore, it is not permissible for them to do so. They said: They are only permitted things that do not contain an image, such as ordinary toys made of sticks and bones, or wearing some clothes that are not an image but rather a likeness of an image that girls used to be accustomed to previously without being drawn. This opinion is plausible and is the more cautious, but the opinion of those who said it is permissible for girls to play with toys is a strong opinion.
The original principle is the absence of abrogation, and the texts are reconciled by stating that girls' toys are considered to be treated with contempt; and because they provide training for them in serving children and raising children, this becomes an exception to the general hadiths that prohibit keeping images and command their obliteration. These would be in the category of images found on carpets and cushions, which have the ruling of being treated with contempt.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.