❀ Ruling on Selling Gold Adorned with Images and Figures ❀
Source:
This article is derived from the book “500 Questions and Answers for Women” based on the fatwas of the scholars of the Haramain, translated by Hafiz Abdullah Saleem.
❖ Question:
What is the Shar‘i ruling on selling gold jewelry that has various images or shapes, such as a butterfly, snake head, or other figures?
❖ Answer:
It is ḥarām (forbidden) to buy, wear, or sell gold or silver jewelry that contains images of animals or living beings.
This is because it is obligatory upon a Muslim to remove and obliterate images, not promote or preserve them.
❖ Evidence from the Sunnah:
It is narrated from Abū al-Hayyāj that ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib (رضي الله عنه) said:
“ألا أبعثك على ما بعثني عليه رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم؟ أن لا تدع صورة إلا طمستها، ولا قبرًا مشرفًا إلا سويته.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim]
“Shall I not send you on the same mission for which the Messenger of Allah ﷺ sent me? That you should not leave any image without erasing it, and not leave any elevated grave without leveling it.”
And the Prophet ﷺ also said:
“إن الملائكة لا تدخل بيتًا فيه صورة”
[Agreed Upon]
“The angels do not enter a house in which there is a picture.”
❖ Conclusion:
Due to these clear instructions:
✔ It is obligatory for Muslims to avoid the purchase, sale, and wearing of such jewelry.
✔ Any form of promotion or preservation of images—especially in items like gold—is religiously impermissible.
(By: Shaykh Muhammad ibn Ṣāliḥ al-‘Uthaymīn رحمه الله)
