IMAGINE going into a toy store and finding teddy bears and dolls segmented off in a non-halal section. Well, that could very well be the case if a certain popular preacher is to be taken at his word.
In a video of a lecture by Ustaz Azhar Idrus, parents were warned against allowing young children to sleep with dolls and teddy bears. He claimed that this was haram.
“Currently, many young girls sleep with these toys, it is forbidden, not permissible. These toys are only for children to play with,” proclaimed the Muslim cleric.
“Why do our young women aged 18 to 20, sleep with ‘bear’ or dolls on their heads? It’s because they see it from celebrities. Fathers, when you look into your daughter’s room, if there are such toys, it is considered forbidden.”
As reported in Kosmo, Azhar claimed that homes with such toys would not be visited by angels.
“These toy figures are only allowed for children who have not reached puberty. Only young children are allowed to play with these toys.
“Furthermore, hanging toy figures in cars such as monkey or spider figures are not allowed. Only place them on the seat for young children to play with so that they do not disturb us while driving,” he elaborated.
The above assertions seem disingenuously similar to the proclamation from certain religious figures that it was un-Islamic to wear football jerseys belonging to certain teams.
It does seem that periodically, someone somewhere will make utterances that are designed to create an uproar, especially on social media.
Perhaps it is a diversionary tactic as the powers that be want to distract Malaysians from more pressing issues.
If only such preachers would concentrate on bona fide haram practices such as corruption and smoking, perhaps they would be helping society move in the right direction.
At the time of writing, JAKIM (Department of Islamic Development) has yet to clarify the above matter. – Jan 9, 2024
