Is it permissible to draw and decorate circles, considering them Islamic ornaments unrelated to Buddhism, despite the known similarity between them and mandalas?
The prohibition of drawing mandalas stems from their association with pagan beliefs. There is no harm in drawing geometric shapes like circles and squares, unless the drawing is a symbol of disbelievers, or is associated with a corrupt belief like the mandala, or the drawer intends to imitate disbelievers, or the evidence indicates the drawer's intention to glorify what disbelievers glorify. Otherwise, there is no harm in it, and such decorative patterns have spread in Muslim drawings. Not everything that resembles a cross is considered a cross; rather, it has a specific shape and certain indicators. It is permissible to draw decorative shapes without intending to draw mandalas or imitate their practitioners.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 21372
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy