Stuffing Animals and Birds
Question:
By using a technique involving cotton, salt, and other materials, some people stuff animals and then put them up for display and adornment in their sitting rooms. What is the Islamic ruling for this practice?
Answer:
This practice is not allowed because it is a waste of money, and because it leads to being attached to this stuffed animal and believing that it has powers to ward off evil, as some ignorant people believe. Also, because it leads to people hanging pictures of living creatures, reasoning that the stuffed animal is like a picture, so they can think that they are following people who have stuffed animals. The Permanent Committee for Scientific Researches and Religious Verdicts, with myself heading it and participating in this ruling, has already promulgated this ruling.
Shaykh `Abdul-`Azeez Bin Baz
Fatawa Islamiyah Vol. 8 Page 157
