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Fatwa CenterHanging amulets is prohibited regardless of the person's intention
Question
Asalamalaikum rahmatuallahi wa barakatuhu. I know that the "hand of fatima"/Khamsa is haram-shirk if used for protection. Can you pls tell me if it's haram if used purely for decoration. Barakallahu feeki
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and messenger.
It is impermissible to hang the "Khamsah" amulet (also known as Al-Kaff, i.e. a hand-shaped amulet) to repel the evil eye and the like. It may be considered an act of minor or major Shirk (idolatry) depending on the doer’s belief.
Ibn ‘Uthaymeen 
said: “With regard to wearing Halaqah bracelets and the like of amulets, if the one who wears it believes that it has any effect in itself independently from Allaah, then he has committed major Shirk (associating partners with Allaah) with regard to Tawheed Ar-Ruboobiyyah (the Oneness of Lordship), because he believes that there is another creator with Allaah. However, if he believes that it is a means but it does not have any effect in itself, then he has committed minor Shirk, because by believing that something is a means when it is not, he has made himself a partner with Allaah, Exalted is He, in deciding that this thing is a means although Allaah has not made it a means.” [Al-Qawl Al-Mufeed]
For more benefit, please refer to Fataawa 14282 and 23861.
As for hanging such an amulet for decoration without the intention that it has any effect in itself independently of Allaah, then such an act should be avoided so as to be clear of imitating those who hold such a belief. Other reasons to avoid this are to block the possibility of being imitated by others in this regard or for others having evil thoughts about him. This may even lure the doer into believing that this amulet has some effect in itself independently of Allaah. In fact, the "Khamsah" amulet is intended actually for that purpose, i.e. warding off the evil eye. So, it is the same as other amulets. Some scholars deemed it forbidden to hang amulets for decoration. Shaykh Saalih Aal Ash-Shaykh said, “Hanging amulets with the intention of warding off evil and harm while believing that they have any effect in themselves independently of Allaah is considered an act of minor Shirk. It is also forbidden to hang them merely for decoration because such an act involves imitating those who commit the act of minor Shirk. Hence, it is impermissible to hang such amulets in all cases whether the person believes that the amulet has any effect in itself independently of Allaah or not. This is because in the former case, he would fall into the abyss of minor Shirk, and in the latter, he would be imitating and following the example of those who commit Shirk. The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: “Whoever imitates a people is one of them.” [At-Tamheed li Sharh Kitaab At-Tawheed]
Shaykh ‘Abdul Rahmaan As-Suhaym was asked, “There are hangings in the shape of a hand, and they may be gold or accessories; what is the ruling on buying and hanging them for decoration only without believing that they can benefit the person?” He replied, “It is impermissible to purchase or hang such objects so as to eliminate whatever means that may lead to evil. Moreover, wearing or hanging such amulets opens the way for evil and Shirk. The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, 'protected the integrity of Tawheed' in many issues. He 
prohibited things for the sake of avoiding Shirk, even though they do not constitute Shirk in themselves. He, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was keen to preserve people’s belief in the unique Oneness of Allaah. For instance, a man took a vow to slaughter a camel at Bawaanah [name of a place] and said, “I have taken a vow to sacrifice a camel at Buwaanah. The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, asked: “Did the place contain any idol that had been worshipped in pre-Islamic times?” They [the people] said, “No.” He, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, asked: “Was any pre-Islamic festival observed there?” They replied, “No.” The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: “Fulfill your vow. Verily, a vow to do an act of disobedience to Allaah must not be fulfilled. Similarly, a vow to do something over which a human has no control must not be fulfilled, either.” [Ahmad and others]
This means that if this place [Buwaanah] had normally been a site for polytheistic celebrations in the pre-Islamic era, it would have been impermissible for the man to fulfill his vow and slaughter the animal sacrifice in that same place, though he did not hold the intention of engaging in any of the polytheistic celebrations of the pre-Islamic era. This is because such an act would have constituted participation in and revival of celebrations that are not prescribed in the Sharee‘ah.
Allaah Knows best.
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