❀ 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.
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?
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.
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.”
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)
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)
