Is It Permissible to Keep a Statue of the Human Body without Facial Features?

Answered by Shaykh Abdullah Anik Misra

Question

I bought the statue for my husband for our anniversary, thinking it would be fine because the head has no face. There are no eyes, nose, or mouth, only hair on the head.

It was a statue of a man and woman – both faceless. Is it okay to keep this or put it up anywhere?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful and Compassionate

A statue that is a representation of an animate lifeform, such as a statue of a human being, would not be permitted to create or display. Even though the exact facial details are not clear, the rest of the statue is clearly an embodied lifeform. Yes, if something that is vital to its being a lifeform was not included or removed, such as the head, then legally this would make the rest of the figurine permissible. [Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]

Wassalam,
[Shaykh] Abdullah Anik Misra
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat

Shaykh Abdullah Anik Misra was born in Toronto, Canada, in 1983. His family hails from India, and he was raised in the Hindu tradition. He embraced Islam in 2001 while at the University of Toronto, from where he completed a Bachelor of Business Administration. He then traveled overseas in 2005 to study the Arabic language and Islamic sciences in Tarim, Yemen, for some time, as well as Darul Uloom in Trinidad, West Indies. He spent 12 years in Amman, Jordan, where he focused on Islamic Law, Theology, Hadith Sciences, Prophetic Biography, and Islamic Spirituality while also working at the Qasid Arabic Institute as Director of Programs. He holds a BA in Islamic Studies (Alimiyya, Darul Uloom) and authorization in the six authentic books of Hadith and is currently pursuing specialized training in issuing Islamic legal verdicts (ifta’). He holds a certificate in Counselling and often works with new Muslims and those struggling with religious OCD. He is an instructor and researcher in Sacred Law and Theology with the SeekersGuidance The Global Islamic Seminary. Currently, He resides in the Greater Toronto Area with his wife and children. His personal interests include Indian history, comparative religion, English singing, and poetry.