Question Summary:
I know that the drawing and displaying of animate objects is haraam in our shariah. However, is it permissible to wear a t-shirt that has only an outline of an animate object eg a dark blue coloured object in the shape of a horse.

Question Detail:

I know that the drawing and displaying of animate objects is haraam in our shariah. However, is it permissible to wear a t-shirt that has only an outline of an animate object eg a dark blue coloured object in the shape of a horse. The polo shirts have a small logo of a horse (just the  outline), will this be permissible to wear?

Answer :

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
Assalaamu `alaykum waRahmatullahi Wabarakatoh
It is not permissible to wear a shirt with the outline of a polo horse logo as the logo represents an animate object. Merely outlining the picture of an animate object without having the eyes is equivalent to having the picture with eyes as the existence of the animal/animate object is not dependent upon the eyes and furthermore it is possible to find an animal or animate object without eyes. Based on this principle the Fuqahaa rule, that if the head of the animate object is removed or covered, it will be permissible to wear the garment (Tahtaawi 1/363)
Therefore, if you remove/cover the head of the horse in the polo logo, it will be permissible to wear the shirt.
And Allah knows best
Wassalam
Muhammed Zakariyya Desai,
Checked and Approved by:
Mufti Ebrahim Desai
Darul Iftaa, Madrassah In'aamiyyah