What is your opinion regarding the doctor's objection to your fatwa concerning Islamic currency, and his reliance on the sayings of Al-Maqrizi which mention that Umar ibn Al-Khattab and Uthman minted coins bearing images of Persian kings, and that Mu'awiyah minted dinars bearing his own image, and that Al-Hajjaj minted dirhams bearing Surat Al-Ikhlas and an image, and that the Companions only objected to the engraving that contained an image?

The point of contention in the previous fatwa has no bearing on the issue. Al-Maqrizi mentioned the prevalence of fulus (copper coins) in the context of discussing the causes of calamities, and his intent was not to define the physical form of currency. Furthermore, Al-Maqrizi did not state in his treatise on currency, "And the image is the image of the king, not the image of 'Umar." Rather, he mentioned that the remaining Companions only objected to the image on the coins, and there are discrepancies in Al-Maqrizi's own writings regarding the engraving of dirhams.

The correct view, stated by scholars, is that coinage was not struck during the Prophetic era or the Rashidun Caliphate. Rather, it began during the caliphate of 'Abd al-Malik. Ibn Taymiyyah, Ibn al-'Iraqi, and Al-Shawkani all mentioned that 'Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan was the first to strike dirhams.

It is not permissible to use the images that were on dirhams or dinars as evidence in the matter of image-making, due to necessity and dire need, and because they were debased through spending and transactions. The evidence from the authentic and established Sunnah traditions remains the fundamental principle in the issue of image-making.