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Is it permissible to use images that depict headless bodies, or half-heads, or parts of the body, for teaching the Arabic language to non-native speakers, as long as a complete soul is not depicted?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Drawing images of living beings is strictly forbidden, as the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "Those who make these images will be punished on the Day of Resurrection; it will be said to them: 'Give life to what you have created.'" It should be avoided, and one should seek educational means free from it. However, if there is a need for it, there is no harm in cutting off the head or obscuring the facial features, as he, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "The image is the head, so if the head is cut off, there is no image."

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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