Rules regarding prayers

Society Religion & Philosophy
1

Assalamalaikum everyone,

To my understanding, we are not allowed to pray in a room with pictures
everywhere. We are supposed to turn them down or somehow cover them before
we commence praying either they be facing the Qibla or not. However, when a
sunni friend of mine asked her molvi sahab about that, he told her that as
long as the pictures and photographs are not in front of her or towards the
direction of Qiblah and they do not distract her then she is permitted to
pray in that room. But if the pictures are towards the direction of Qiblah,
then they should be removed from there.

Can someone explain to me if this is only a sunni belief or do shias also
believe that as well? To my understanding we are not supposed to pray in a
room if there are any pictures in it at all. We are supposed to cover up the
picture or turn it over and it doesn’t matter if they are facing us or the
Qibla. Please be specific and use direct quotes if possible.

Thank you,

Anila

[email protected]
http://surf.to/anila

The highest virtue here may be the least in another world.
-excerpt from Sand and Foam, by Kahlil Gibran

2

Salam Anila,

From my limited knowledge & logic, I think it is okay to read Namaz in a room where the pictures are as long as they are not in front of you. In other words, it shouldn't seem like that you are kneeling down or praying to a photo/picture or any image. I think that is the main reason behind this rule. So if the pictures are in the room, so be it, its not like you are praying to them.

I think you would get the best advice from Alim or any representative of Mujtahid who you follow for Fiqah.

3

Sister Anila & Brother Imran.
The Maulvi did not give the best possible answer in this situation. You are not allowed to pray in a room with pictures because the Angels do not enter the house which has pictures. In this matter, the opinions vary of scholars.

But the general opinion is that there should be no pictures of Idols. Meaning, like sports stars, movie starts, or wehatever. Pictures of family members are not considered forbidden. This is to the best of my knowledge and I maybe wrong. But I do know that the Maulvi was not entirely right in his answer. Seek the help of a Aa'lim.

In any case, if the picture is in front of you then you are suppose to cover it. That is correct.

4

Assallaamu 'alaikum sister Anila,

As brother HomiD pointed out, your friend was misinformed by the maulvi sahab. There are 3 opinions amongst the scholars regarding the issue of pictures and photographs. In short, the 3 opinions are as follows:

i) no pictures permitted in Islaam at all
ii) pictures and photographs only allowed in situations of necessity e.g. passports, ID cards etc
iii) some photographs are permissible as long as they are not displayed.

These are the 3 opinions held amongst the scholars. As you can see, neither of them support the displaying of pictures and photographs. And as brother HomiD stated, angels do not enter the house in which there are images displayed.

Amongst several ahadeeth, there is one particular one that comes to mind which will help understand the issue more clearly Insha'Allaah. On an occasion, the Angel Jibra'eel (alaihi'sallaam) came to the house of the Prophet (and his daughter Faatima, and his 2 grandsons), but when the Prophet (salallaahu 'alahi wassallam) invited Jibra'eel in, he refused to enter because of 3 things that were present in the house: a dog; a statue; and curtains displaying pictures of creatures. So the Prophet(salallaahu 'alaihi wassallam) let out the dog, he then chopped the head off of the statue, and he pulled down the curtains and asked Faatima to make cussions from them, so they are no longer displayed. Only after this, did Angel Jibra'eel enter the house.

This hadeeth clearly shows that it is not permissible to display pictures in the house or in the room.

We often forget, that Islaam is not based on personal opinions. It is a religion of facts and trying our best to adhere to this reality. We can only differ where the scholars have differed, because their understanding of the religion is far greater than that of the public at large, and as the Messenger (salallaahu 'alaihi wassallam) said, the scholars are the inheritors of the Prophets. The righteous scholar will never base his opinions on personal desires or objectives, but contract them from various Islamic sources (e.g. Qur'aan, Sunnah, and the understanding of the Companions).

As long as the understanding of the scholars do not contradict the Sunnah as understood by the Companions (radhi'Allaahu unhum), we can take the opinion that sounds the most appropriate and convincing, and should not resort to a 4th opinion.

So by taking the understanding of the companions, the question now remains, should pictures be displayed? And we clearly see from the Sunnah, that the answer to this question is no - it is not allowed in Islaam to display pictures in the house or the room. This is also supported by the above 3 opinions. Thus from these analysis we can draw the conclusion, that if one wishes to perform worship in a room, any displayed pictures should be removed altogether.

And Allaah (Subhaan wat'alla) Knows Best.

One further point that I would like to make. Islaam is not about differences between Sunnis and Shee'ahs. If one is sincere in striving for the truth, then Islaam is about following the Qur'aan, the Sunnah, and the way of the Companions. And opinions derived by scholars should only be taken, if they are upon this methodology, otherwise there is a danger of being led astray.

... And may Allaah (SWT) protect us from such deviations that take us away from His path and consequently His Mercy.

I hope this is helpful Insha'Allaah

wassallaam

[This message has been edited by Hasnain (edited March 05, 1999).]