9384 – Are animal toys or decorations with visible eyes allowed in a child’s bedroom?

Question: Is the use of toys/decorations featuring animals (specifically with regards to the eyes) permitted for children or in a child’s bedroom?

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
الحمد لله رب العالمين والصلاة والسلام على سيد المرسلين وعلى اله و اصحابه اجمعين

Answer: The Answer with the Help of the Sovereign, the Bestower.

It is permissible to buy toys for children to play with. The prohibition regarding images of living beings and toys made in their shape applies when they are kept out of reverence or respect. In the case of children’s toys, this does not apply, because children play with them, break them, and throw them around; this is not reverence but rather the opposite. Therefore, it is permissible to give children toys for playing. As mentioned in the Hadith:

قدم رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم من غزوة تبوك او حنين وفي سهوتها ستر فهبت ريح فكشفت ناحية الستر عن بنات لعائشة لعب فقال:«ما هذا يا عائشة؟» قالت: بناتي وراى بينهن فرسا له جناحان من رقاع فقال:«ما هذا الذي ارى وسطهن؟» قالت: فرس  قال:«و ما الذي عليه؟»قالت: جناحان قال:«فرس له جناحان؟»قالت: اما سمعت ان لسليمان  خيلا لها اجنحة؟قالت:فضحك حتى رايت نواجذه

“The Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) returned from the expedition of Tabuk or Hunayn, and there was a curtain over a shelf in the house of Aisha (رضي الله عنها). A wind blew and lifted the side of the curtain, revealing dolls belonging to Aisha. He said, ‘O Aisha, what is this?’ She replied, ‘My dolls.’ Among them he saw a horse made of cloth with two wings. He said, ‘What is this that I see among them?’ She replied, ‘A horse.’ He asked, ‘And what is on it?’ She replied, ‘Two wings.’ He said, ‘A horse with two wings?’ She replied, ‘Have you not heard that Sulayman (عليه السلام) had horses with wings?’ She said: So he smiled until I could see his molar teeth.”

(Mishkat al-Masabih, Vol. 3, p. 230)

However, specifically keeping toys shaped like animals displayed in the home for decoration is not correct, because that involves an aspect of reverence, and due to this, it is not permitted in Shari‘ah. Keeping toys in the form of living beings out of reverence is not permissible, as Sayyidi A‘la Hazrat (رحمة الله تعالى عليه) states:

“تصویر کی  توہین مثلاً فرش پراس انداز میں ہونا  کہ اس پر چلیں  پاؤں رکھیں یہ جائز ہےاور مانع ملائکہ نہیں۔۔۔ ۔۔ ترک اہانت بوجہ تصویرہی ہومگرتصویر کی خاص تعظیم مقصود نہ ہوجیسے جہال زینت وآرائش کے خیال سے دیواروں پرتصویریں لگاتے ہیں یہ حرام ہے اور مانع ملائکہ علیہم الصلٰوۃ والسلام کہ خود صورت ہی کا اکرام مقصود ہوا اگرچہ اسے معظم وقابل احترام نہ مانا۔”

(Fatawa Ridawiyyah, Vol. 24, p. 640, Raza Foundation)

And Allah Almighty knows best.

Answered by the Hafiz-e-Millat team

Verified by Maulana Nazim Qadri

Important Note: The question and answer will be translated into Dutch. Join our WhatsApp community for updates. Click on the following link to participate:

Click here