(a) Silk is haram for men — nowadays the sherwanis that men wear at weddings, is this correct?

(b) Keeping in houses statues in human form which have no eyes etc., but from the bodily structure a man/woman/child is recognisable — is it permissible?

(c) "Take my name, but do not take my kunyah" — can the name and kunyah both be kept together today?

(a) Natural silk is absolutely haram for men: "These two things (gold and silk) are haram for the males of my Ummah and halal for its females" (Sunan Abi Dawud). Most present-day sherwanis are of artificial silk (polyester/nylon/viscose) — they are not silk in the Shariah, and wearing them is permissible. If it is pure natural silk (from the silkworm), it is haram even on the wedding day. Advice: also avoid clothing in which extravagance, effeminacy or pride appears — simplicity is part of faith.

(b) The basic principle: the pivot of the prohibition is the features of the head and face — in the hadith qudsi, Jibril, peace be upon him: "فَمُرْ بِرَأْسِ التِّمْثَالِ فَلْيُقْطَعْ، فَيَصِيرَ كَهَيْئَةِ الشَّجَرَةِ" (Order that the head of the statue be cut off, so that it becomes like the form of a tree) (Sunan at-Tirmidhi). In the view of Ibn 'Uthaymin, may Allah have mercy on him, if the face is completely flat it does not come under the ruling of the prohibited image/statue. Nevertheless, the demand of caution and piety is that such statues should not be kept in houses: imitation of the non-Muslim style of decoration, the impression of a living being at first sight, and the suspicion of an obstacle to the angels of mercy coming.

(c) The command: "تَسَمَّوْا بِاسْمِي وَلَا تَكْتَنُوا بِكُنْيَتِي" (Take my name, but do not take my kunyah) (Sahih al-Bukhari). The reason for the prohibition was confusion in the era of the Prophet ﷺ (in the market, at the call "O Abu al-Qasim", he ﷺ turned his attention, whereas someone else had been called). The preponderant position (the Companions, the Tabi'in, Imam Malik and the major muhaddithun): after his death the prohibition ended — Sayyiduna 'Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, named his son "Muhammad" and gave him the kunyah "Abu al-Qasim" (Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah). Summary: today both the name "Muhammad" and the kunyah "Abu al-Qasim" are permissible; not keeping them out of caution is piety.

Translated from the original Urdu fatwa.