Is it permissible to keep as a trophy the stuffed head of a wild animal?

Answer

The fatwa of a Mufti is not necessary for such a simple issue. In a matter of this kind, your heart is a sufficient Mufti. Rasulullah (Sallallahu alayhi wasallam) said: "Seek a fatwa from your heart." One only requires sincerity and to be concerned with the truth. Then the directive will be inspired into the heart with clarity by Allah Ta'ala.

Even if the stuffed head is not a drawn or photographed or a digital picture, the Mu'min's intelligence dictates that for whatever evil Allah Ta'ala has prohibited pictures of animate objects, such evil exists manifold and in a magnified state in stuffed heads of animals. Such images are akin to idols.

Furthermore, the animal's stuffed head will exercise an undetectable athr (effect/influence) on the house and the members of the household. It invites the shayaateen, expels the Malaaikah of Rahmat and exercises effects of animality which subtly pervade its surroundings. The skins of all animals beside the pig, when treated and all moisture is expelled will be taahir (pure/paak). It is permissible to use such skins as musallas on which to perform Salaat. However, despite the permissibility, Rasulullah (Sallallahu alayhi wasallam) forbade sitting on the skins of wild animals. Surely, there is valid and good reason underlying this prohibition. Apart from the Fiqhi category of the prohibition, at least there is a moral obligation to uphold this prohibition and not to sit on the skins of wild animals.

The reason for this prohibition is quite clear. There remains the effects of bestiality in the skins and this will be transferred to the person sitting on these skins. Once when a Buzrug passed by a village, the people brought an earthenware jug with water to him. The water was quite hot. They explained that regardless of seasons, whenever the jug was filled with cold water, it would quickly heat up. The Buzrug asked of the source of the clay from which the jug was made. They said that the clay was from the precincts of a grave. The Buzrug told them to leave the jug with him overnight. The next morning when they came, they found the water was cold. They were mystified. The Buzrug explained that the inmate of that grave was undergoing severe punishment with fire, and this had an effect on the surroundings. Thus, the effect of the figure was in the clay from which the jug was made, hence the heat was transferred to the water.

During the night, the Buzrug had made prolonged dua of maghfirat (forgiveness) for the inmate of the grave who was being punished. Allah Ta'ala accepted his dua and the punishment was terminated. Thereafter the water in the jug always remained at the normal temperature.

Imam Abu Hanifah (Rahmatullah alayh) had a material/fabric shop. Once a young man entered and as he was about to sit on a chair, Imaam Abu Hanifah (Rahmatullah alayh) said: "Young man, do not sit on that chair. A lady had just now vacated it." The effect of ghair mahramiyyat was still in the chair and this can exercise a morally harmful effect on a man occupying it soon after the woman had vacated it.

The Rahmat of Allah descending on the grave of a Buzrug benefits all the graves in the nearby surroundings. There is an effect in everything. There are moral and spiritual harms and dangers in the writings and presence of fussaaq, fujjaar and kuffaar, and conversely there is great benefit in the works and presence of the Sulaha.

A BAATIL FORUM OF FISQ, FUJOOR AND KUFR

Please comment on this new forum:

Below are a couple of links summarizing a forum that was recently held in Abu Dhabi, UAE regarding promoting peace in Muslim societies. It was setup at a government level with ministers attending and it was presided by Shaykh Abdullah Bin Bayyah of Mauritania. The unfortunate elements in the forum were:

1) Inclusion of modernists, secularists in the panel. I could only see Mufti Rafi Usmanis name from Pakistan as the only deobandi scholar - not aware if he attended or gave a speech because I didn't watch the forum or the pictures however his name and picture was on the advertisement poster.

2) Even female speakers were invited on stage to give speeches.

3) Statements such as bay't is an idiotic ideology and Khilafah is not compulsory in Islam.

4) Inclusion of Qadiani representatives in the panel. http://m.thenational.ae/uae/ heritage/peace-must-be-pathfor-muslims-abu-dhabi-forumhears http://www.wam.ae/en/news/ emirates-arabinternational/1395304834422.html

COMMENT The evil of this forum is self-evident. A Muslim in possession of sound Aql can readily understand the evil of this forum of fisq, fujoor and kufr. Such functions are all part of the prelude to Qiyaamah. Baatil will be on the increase. Daily new fitan are unravelling. Islam is become stranger by the day to even the molvis and sheikhs. Islam has truly entered the phase of its existence predicted by Rasulullah (Sallallahu alayhi wasallam) in the following Hadith:

"Islam began ghareeb (forlorn, friendless and shunned). Soon shall it return ghareeb. Glad tidings (and congratulations) for the Ghuraba (i.e. those who are holding on to the Deen)."

About the Ghuraba, Rasulullah (Sallallahu alayhi wasallam) further said: "Then there will dawn a time when holding on to the Deen will be like holding a burning coal."