Little Girls Playing With Dolls

[bamalli]

Little Girls Playing With Dolls
On the authority of Aisha (RA), who said:
I used to play with dolls in the presence of the Prophet (SAW).  And I had girl-friends (playmates) who played along with me.  They would hide (feeling shy) from him (SAW) whenever he entered.  But, he (SAW) would send for them to join me and they would play with me. (Sahih Bukhari & Muslim)
The last sentence of this hadith has been translated, in the book of Yusuf al-Qaradawee The Lawful and the Prohibited in Islam, as: "...he (SAW) was in fact very happy to see them with me."  This mistaken translation is based on the mistake in the original Arabic text of the book.
Shaykh Albani (ra), commenting on this mistake in the Arabic text of the book, says:  The hadith is authentic, but with the words:  "...fayusarribuhunna ilayya, fa-yal'abna ma'ee."  This is the wording as is came in Bukhari, Ahmad, and also Muslim, except that the words:  "...fa-yal'abna ma'ee" are not in Muslim.
As for the wording, in the book (of Yusuf Qaradawee):  "...yasurru li-maji'ihinna" ("he was in fact very happy to see them with me") - it is a corruption/distortion (of the Arabic text), originally: "yusarribuhunna" ("he would send them or call them to me"). This is an old distortion which is also present in the second edition of the book [Arabic Printing, pg.76]. (Ghaayah al-Maraam)
Al-Haafidh Ibn Hajar said in Fath al-Baaree (Fath al-Baaree, no. 6130, Kitaab:  al-Adab, Baab: al-Inbisaat ilaa an-Naas):  This Hadith has been used as a proof for the permissibility of possessing (suwar - of) dolls and toys for the purpose of the little girls playing with them.  This has been especially exempted from the general prohibition of possession of images (suwar).
Al-Qaadee 'Iyaad has stated this position with definiteness, and transmitted it as the position of the Majority (Jumhoor) of the Scholars; and that they declared permissible the selling of toys/dolls (al-lu'ab) for little girls, to train them from childhood for the household responsibilities and child-rearing.
He (al-Qaadee 'Iyaad) then says:  Some of the scholars hold that this permission is abrogated (mansookh).  Ibn Battaal was inclined to this opinion.  It was also narrated from Ibn Abi Zaid, from Maalik that he disliked (kariha) that a man would buy for his daughter images (suwar) [dolls].  From this ad-Daawoodee considered stronger the opinion that this permission is abrogated.
Ibn Hibban entitled the chapter:  "The Allowance (Ibaahah) of Young Women [perhaps the meaning here of "young women" is young girls who married at an early age, as was the cause with Aisha (RA), whose marriage to the Prophet (SAW) was contracted at the age of six and consumated at the age of nine. (Bukhari)] To Play With Toys (al-lu'ab) [dolls]."
An-Nasaa'ee entitled the chapter:  "A Man's Allowing His Wife To Play With Dolls (al-banaat)."  He didn't restrict it to childhood, and this (on his part) is questionable.
Al-Bayhaqee [As-Sunan al-Kubraa, Kitaab:  ash-Shahaadaat, Baab:  Ma Jaa Fi al-Lu'ab bi-Bannat (Edition of Ibn Turkamaanee)] - after narrating this Hadith and its sources (takhreej) - said:  "The prohibition of possessing images (suwar) is firmly established.  Therefore, the permission give to Aisha (RA) in this matter should be understood to have been before the prohibition (and therefore abrogated)."  Ibn al-Jawzee has firmly stood on this position.
[Here al-Haafidh quotes from al-Mundharee:]  al-Mundharee said:   If the toys (dolls) were like that which  has body (like statues), then it would have to had been before the prohibition.  Otherwise, it is possible to call that which does not have body a lu'ab (toy) [other than dolls].
Al-Haleemee has stated this position with certainty and confidence.  He said:  If they (the toys) were like the idols (three dimensional, like statues), then it would not have been permissible.  Otherwise (if it was not three dimensional), then is was permissible.
It has (also) been said:  The (words of the) hadith "Kuntu al'ab bi-l-banaat" means "al-lu'ab ma'a-l-banaat" - i.e., its meaning is:  "playing with young girls" instead of "playing with dolls."  Al-banaat (which could mean girls or dolls) here having the meaning of al-Jawaaree (young girls); and the preposition "baa" (meaning:  to play using the dolls) here having the meaning of the preposition "ma'a" (meaning to play along with with girls).  This has been quoted by Ibn Teen as being the statement of ad-Daawoodee, then he (Ibn Teen) refuted it.
I (al-Haafidh) say:  He is further refuted by what is reported by Ibn Uyainah in al-Jaami, in the narration of Sa'eed Ibn Abdur-Rahmaan al-Makhzoomee from him, from Hishaam ibn 'Urwah, concerning this very hadith:  "The young girls ('jawaaree') use to come to play with them (i.e., the dolls) along with me."
Also, the narration of Jareer, from Hishaam (containing the words of Aisha):  "I used to play with al-banaat (which could mean girls or dolls) and they were al-lu'ab (toys/dolls)."  It is reported by Abu 'Awaanah and others.
Al-Haafidh goes on to say (Fath al-Baaree, Kitaab, Baab, related to Hadith no. 6130):  Abu Daawood and An-Nasaa'ee have narrated with another chain (wajh aakhar) from Aisha (RA) that she said:
The Messenger of Allah (SAW) returned from the battle of Tabook or Khaibar..."  Here he mentioned the Hadith about his (SAW) tearing down the curtain which she (RA) attached to her door.  She (RA) said:  "Then the side of the curtain which was over the dolls of Aisha (RA) was uncovered.  He (SAW) said:  What is this, O Aisha?  She said: My dolls. She then said:  then he (SAW) saw amongst them a winged horse which was tied up.  He (SAW) said:  What is this?  I said: A horse.  He said:  A horse with two wings?  I said:  Didn't you hear that Sulaiman (Solomon, AS) had horses with wings?  Then he (SAW) laughed. [Abu Daawood, An-Nasaa'iee as-Sunan al-Kubraa, Albani (ra) says the chain of narrators of an-Nasaa'ee is authentic (Saheeh).  As for the chain of narrators of Abu Daawood, Albani (ra) has also declared it to be authentic (saheeh)]
This is clearly showing that the intended meaning of "al-lu'ab" is not humans (young girls). [It is clearly referring to dolls].
Al-Khattaabee said:  From this hadith it is understood that playing with dolls (al-banaat) is not like the amusement from other images (suwar) concerning which the threat (wa'eed) of punishment is mentioned.  The only reason why permission in this was given to Aisha (RA) is because she had not, at that time, reached the age of puberty.
[al-Haafidh says:] I say:  To say with certainty, (that she was not yet at the age of puberty) is questionable, though it might possibly be so.  This, because Aisha (RA) was a fourteen year old girl at the time of the battle of Khaibar, either exactly fourteen years old, or having just passed her fourteenth year (and entering into the fifteenth year), or approaching it (the fourteenth year).
As for her age at the time of the Battle of Tabook, she had by then definitely reached the age of puberty.  Therefore, the strongest view is that of those who said:  "It was in Khaibar" (i.e., when she was not yet at the age of puberty), and made reconciliation (jam') [between the apparent contradictory rulings, of permissibility of dolls, in particular, and the prohibition of images, in general] with what al-Khattaabee said (all young girls).  This, because to reconcile (make jam') is better than to assume the ahaadith to be in contradiction (at-ta'aarud). [End of quotation from al-Haafidh Ibn Hajar]. (Fath al-Baree)
This hadith is also reported by Abu Daawood and Ibn Majah abridged, and al-Humaidee in his Musnad with it's full text. (Ghaayah al-Maraam)
The test in Abu Daawood is as follows:  "Narrated Aisha (RA):
I used to play with dolls (banaat).  So, whenever the Messenger of Allah (SAW) came to me and the young girls (friends) were with me, when he came in, they went out, and when he (SAW) went out, they re-entered." [Awn al-Mabood Sharh Sunan Abu Daawood, Shaykh Albani (ra) declared it to be authentic (Saheeh)]
Shaykh Muhammad Shams al-Haqq al-'Adheem Aabaadee, in his sharh (explanation) of Sunan Abu Daawood, says:  "Chapter:  Playing With Dolls (al-banaat)."  Al-banaat is the plural of bint (girl), but the intended meaning here is the dolls which the children play with.
He goes on to say:  The words "When he (SAW) came in , they went out, " meaning the young girls would go out because of shyness and awe [of the Messenger of Allah (SAW)].
It has been said that the meaning of (the words of) this hadith is:  playing with banaat, i.e. young girls (instead of:  playing with dolls); and the Arabic particle "baa" here having the meaning of the particle "ma'a" (with). (Awn al-Mabood)