When Is It Permissible to Pray Wearing a Shirt With a Picture?


Hanafi Fiqh

Answered by Ustadh Tabraze Azam

Question: Assalam’aleykum,

1. Is it permissible to pray wearing a shirt with a picture of a skull?

2. Is it permissible to wear (or have) pictures without eyes (a bear without eyes, for example)?

Answer: Wa alaikum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,

I pray that you are in the best of health and faith, insha’Allah.

The interdiction is in praying in clothing which contains depictions of animate life because of the clear prohibitions relating to avoiding such pictures.

However, if such a depiction is small such that its features aren’t clearly discernible, or is missing a vital limb or has its head effaced, then the dislikedness would no longer remain.

[ShaykhiZada, Majma` al-Anhur]

Please also see: Is It Permissible to Wear Items With Animal Logos on Them? and: How Can I Avoid Worshipping a Picture While Praying? and: Can I Have Pictures in my House? Can I Pray in a Room having Pictures in it? and: Praying in a Room with Pictures

And Allah alone knows best.

في مجمع الأنهر: (ولُبْسُ ثَوْبٍ فِيهِ تَصَاوِيرُ ) وَهُوَ فِي نَفْسِهِ مَكْرُوهٌ لِأَنَّهُ يُشْبِهُ حَامِلَ الصَّنَمِ فَكَيْفَ فِي الصَّلَاةِ …( إلَّا أَنْ تَكُونَ صَغِيرَةً ) جِدًّا بِحَيْثُ ( لَا تَبْدُو لِلنَّاظِرِ ) إلَيْهَا إلَّا بَعْدَ تَدْقِيقٍ ، ( أَوْ لِغَيْرِ ذِي رُوحٍ ) مِثْلُ الْأَشْجَارِ وَالْأَزْهَارِ ( أَوْ مَقْطُوعَةَ الرَّأْسِ ) أَيْ مَمْحُوَّةً فَإِنَّهَا إذَا كَانَتْ كَذَلِكَ لَا تُعْبَدُ فَلَا
تُكْرَهُ اهـ

wassalam,

Tabraze Azam

Checked & Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Photo: Vera & Jean-Christophe