Is the form that does not resemble living beings represented by making facial features in the form of circles and lines, or by changing the form of the body? And did scholars infer the permissibility of unclear and small images from the engravings on the Companions' rings, or did they permit them because they are not worshipped?

Summary of the Answer:

Contemporary scholars have stated that facial features that fundamentally lack eyes, a nose, or a mouth are not considered an imitation of Allah's creation. As for replacing eyes and a nose with circles or lines, there is no explicit text from them on this matter. However, the more probable opinion is that it does not imitate Allah's creation, nor does it clearly define the facial features.

Some jurists have cited the permissible nature of indistinct and small images by referencing the engravings on the rings of the Companions, such as: the engraving on Hudhayfah's ring with two cranes, the engraving on Anas's ring with a couchant lion, the engraving on Al-Ash'ari's ring with a lion between two men, the engraving on Imran ibn Husayn's ring with the statue of a man girded with a sword, the engraving on Al-Nu'man ibn Muqarrin's ring with a deer, and the engraving on Ibn Mas'ud's ring with two flies.

They also reasoned that small images are not worshipped, nor are they visible from a distance, nor do they embody the meaning of veneration and resemblance to those who worship images. Furthermore, adopting them does not resemble those who worship idols.