Answered by Shaykh Jamir Meah
Question: Assalamu alaykum
Close friends of mine play games with miniatures in them.
Part of the hobby is to paint these miniatures.
A) My understanding is that to paint inanimate objects is permissible.
B) I have also heard that painting toys is allowed. Is this correct?
C) Regarding painting the characters: Is it permissible for my friends to paint them?
Answer: Wa’alaykum assalam. Jazakum Allah khayr for your questions. May Allah reward you for seeking out the answers in such affairs, and for being concerned about your friend’s religion and general happiness.
Islam certainly encourages people to be productive and busy, and there is no objection to a person having leisurely hobbies if it assists them in performing their other, more important, tasks of the day. The Prophet ﷺ said, ‘Be avid for that which benefits you’ so any hobbies should be beneficial, and time limited.
3 Dimensional Figures
An obvious condition for any hobby is that it has to be permissible. Statue and picture making is particular problematic due to the Prophet’s ﷺ severe warnings against it, such as ‘The people who will be the most severely punished before Allah on the Day of Resurrection will be the image makers.’ [al Bukhari]
‘Picture makers’ refers to both drawn pictures and 3 dimensional figures. In regards to 3 dimensional statues or figures, there is no difference of opinion on their prohibition, regardless of their size, and even if they are fantasy.
Specific Answers
A. Yes, that is correct, it is permissible to make or paint inanimate objects.
B. Yes, the scholars have permitted making toys/dolls/figures for children as there is a particular developmental benefits to them for children.
In regards the rest of your questions, the hobby of painting miniature figures is problematic from many angles, not just the painting of particular parts. I have listed the three main issues below:
1. It is unlawful to buy, possess, or sell, prohibited objects. As such, one is not permitted to buy the figures in the first place and keep them (unless for a child), or take/receive them for in order to paint them.
2. The general rule in regards figures is that it is permissible to have a figure if it is missing a part of the outward body without which it cannot survive, such as if the head is cut off, or some other part. Imam Ibn Hajr held this opinion, so this could also include a full figure without a face, though he did not explicitly say this and it was only inferred by other scholars. However, even then, it is still problematic because the figures have a face and one is merely painting over them.
3. It is not permitted to get non-Muslims to buy the items for a Muslim, or to ask them to paint the prohibited parts.
Given the above, and especially because it is not permissible to buy and keep the figurines, it would be highly recommended to not continue with this particular hobby and find one that does not pose so many issues. There are other intricate and artisan crafts one could explore that would be permissible.
[Tuhfa al Muhtaj, Nihaya al Muhtaj, Tarshi al Mustafidin]
Insha’Allah, your friends can take heart in the words of the Prophet ﷺ, ‘Verily, you will never leave anything for the sake of Allah, the Exalted, but that Allah will replace it with something better.’ [Musnad Ahmad]
Warmest salams,
[Shaykh] Jamir Meah
Shaykh Jamir Meah grew up in Hampstead, London. In 2007, he traveled to Tarim, Yemen, where he spent nine years studying the Islamic sciences on a one-to-one basis under the foremost scholars of the Ribaat, Tarim, with a main specialization and focus on Shafi’i fiqh. In early 2016, he moved to Amman, Jordan, where he continues advanced studies in a range of Islamic sciences, as well as teaching. Jamir is a qualified homeopath.