Question
I would like to know what is the ruling with regard to children having dolls, how exactly should the doll be in terms of permissibility with regards to facial features? Also, many babies are given comfort toys to help them sleep better… (many times it is a teddy bear without any facial features) and they become very attached to these toys and can’t fall off to sleep without it. Would this kind of attachment be permissible?
I’ve heard that children shouldn’t become so attached to the doll that they can’t eat, sleep etc without it.
Answer
The current day dolls available on the market with facial features resembling a living being are not permitted in Shariah. It is therefore best that one refrains totally from purchasing any such dolls for their children. However, if a parent had purchased such dolls in the past due to not knowing the above mentioned ruling and the kids have now become accustomed to playing with them, then it is necessary that the head of the doll is completely removed. This will be the only way possible for one to keep the doll, but then too the ideal thing to do is to get rid of the doll since it is moulded in the shape of the human being.
We haven’t come across any such ruling that states that kids shouldn’t become so attached to the doll that the child is unable to survive without it. Nevertheless, our advice once again is that one should refrain from purchasing such dolls /figurines particularly when there are so many toy-alternatives in the market.
The dolls that Aisha Radiallahu Anha possessed and have been mentioned in the Ahadith, were not like the ones of today, but rather they were of a different type, perhaps something simple made of rags which did not have any specific life-like shape and features.
Hadhrat Moulana Allamah Anwar Shah Saheb Kashmiri Rahimahullah, in his book Faidhul Bari vol. 4 pg. 395 has mentioned the following;
وكانت حقيقتها في القديم أنهم كانوا يأخذون ثوبا ، و يشدّونه من الوسط فكانت لا تحكي عن صورة و شكل ، و لم تكن كبناتنا اليوم فإنها تماثيل كالأصنام فلا تجوز قطعاً. إن كلامه من فيض الباري شرح البخاري
Translation: “The reality of the dolls of previous times is that people used to take a cloth and tie it in the middle. It did not have a face or a shape. It was not like the dolls of today because they are statuettes like idols which are definitely not permissible.
Checked and Approved By:
Mufti Muhammed Saeed Motara Saheb D.B.