Is it permissible to sell the severed head of an ancient statue after the the original statue has been cut into pieces for the purpose of sale and to avoid legal impermissibility?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
Scholars have differed concerning the ruling on images if their heads are severed. Some hold that such an image does not fall under the prohibition if what life cannot subsist without, like the head, is removed from it. This is the view of the Malikis, Hanbalis, and Shafi'is. Whereas Sheikh Ibn Baz is of the opinion that if the lower part of an image is cut off while its head remains, it continues to be forbidden due to the persistence of the face, which contains the wondrous creation. The more cautious approach is not to leave the head as it is, but rather to divide and fragment it until its form is obliterated.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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- 123237
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