Are Ivory Bead Misbahas Permissible to Use?
Hanafi Fiqh
Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel
Question
I have been told that elephant parts are impermissible to consume, and their parts are impure (najis) since the tusks count as fangs. If this is the case, can I use an ivory rosary? What about praying with a rosary on my body?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate
Hanafi School
Bones of all animals other than pigs are ritually pure (tahir), regardless of whether the animal was slaughtered or not. Therefore, prayer beads made from elephant tusks, ivory, or bones from other animals is permissible.
The hair of unslaughtered animals and their bones are ritually pure. [ ‘Ala’ al-Din ‘Abidin, al-Hadiyya al-‘Ala’iyya]
The reason is they are not considered to be characterized by life. This is because life is considered to relate to flesh and blood, as the scholars explain.
Also, performing a prayer with an ivory rosary inside your pocket, around your wrist, or neck will be permissible.
Other Schools of Fiqh
However, bone or tusks of unslaughtered animals are considered impure in some other madhhabs, so if someone wanted to be cautious, it would be better to avoid them because it is praiseworthy and recommended, not obligatory to avoid the difference of opinion of other madhhabs.
Bead Misbahas from Ethically Sourced Ivory
One should buy bead misbahas that are made from ethically sourced ivory. One should try to contact the seller and ask if they are made from buying from such sources.
Check these links:
Traffic| Ivory Trade
Ethical Sourcing – What? How? Everything You Should Know In 2022
Ethically Sourced Network
Why not begin your search for knowledge by signing up for a course on SeekersGuidance?
SeekersAcademy (seekersguidance.org)
I pray this helps with your question.
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Mawlana Ilyas Patel is a traditionally-trained scholar who has studied within UK, India, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan and Turkey.
He started his early education in UK. He went onto complete hifz of Qur’an in India, then enrolled into an Islamic seminary in UK where he studied the secular and Alimiyyah sciences. He then travelled to Karachi, Pakistan.
He has been an Imam in Rep of Ireland for a number of years. He has taught hifz of the Qur’an, Tajwid, Fiqh and many other Islamic sciences to both children and adults onsite and online extensively in UK and Ireland. He was teaching at a local Islamic seminary for 12 years in the UK where he was a librarian and a teacher of Islamic sciences.
He currently resides in UK with his wife. His personal interest is love of books and gardening.
