Question 488: What is the ruling on praying in a room that contains statues and images of living beings?
Answer
✅Answer:
Please pay attention to the following narrations:
1 عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ يَحْيَى عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ الْحُسَيْنِ عَنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ مَحْبُوبٍ عَنِ الْعَلَاءِ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ مُسْلِمٍ قَالَ: قُلْتُ لِأَبِي جَعْفَرٍ أُصَلِّي وَ التَّمَاثِيلُ قُدَّامِي وَ أَنَا أَنْظُرُ إِلَيْهَا قَالَ لَا اطْرَحْ عَلَيْهَا ثَوْباً وَ لَا بَأْسَ بِهَا إِذَا كَانَتْ عَنْ يَمِينِكَ أَوْ شِمَالِكَ أَوْ خَلْفِكَ أَوْ تَحْتِ رِجْلِكَ أَوْ فَوْقِ رَأْسِكَ وَ إِنْ كَانَتْ فِي الْقِبْلَةِ فَأَلْقِ عَلَيْهَا ثَوْباً وَ صَلِّ.
📚 Al-Tahdhib, Vol. 2, p. 226
Muhammad ibn Muslim says: I said to Imam Al-Baqir (peace be upon him): Should I pray while a statue and an image (of a living being) are in front of me and I am looking at them? The Imam said: No, throw a cloth over it, and if it is to your right, left, behind you, under your feet, or above your head, there is no problem. But if it is in the direction of the qibla, throw a cloth over it and pray.
2 عَلِیُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِیمَ عَنْ أَبِیهِ عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِی عُمَیْرٍ عَنْ بَعْضِ أَصْحَابِهِ عَنْ أَبِی عَبْدِ اللَّهِ فِی التِّمْثَالِ یَکُونُ فِی الْبِسَاطِ فَتَقَعُ عَیْنُکَ عَلَیْهِ وَ أَنْتَ تُصَلِّی قَالَ إِنْ کَانَ بِعَیْنٍ وَاحِدَةٍ فَلَا بَأْسَ وَ إِنْ کَانَ لَهُ عَیْنَانِ فَلَا.
📚 Al-Kafi, Vol. 3, p. 392
Imam Al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) said regarding an image that is on a rug and your eye falls upon it while praying: If it has one eye, there is no problem, but if it has two eyes, then no.
3 عَنْ فَضَالَةَ عَنِ الْعَلَاءِ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ مُسْلِمٍ عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ قَالَ: لَا بَأْسَ أَنْ تُصَلِّيَ عَلَى كُلِّ التَّمَاثِيلِ إِذَا جَعَلْتَهَا تَحْتَكَ.
📚 Al-Tahdhib, Vol. 2, p. 363
Imam Al-Baqir (peace be upon him) said: There is no problem in praying on all images (of living beings), as long as you place them under your feet.
4 وَ بِالْإِسْنَادِ قَالَ: وَ سَأَلْتُهُ عَنِ الدَّارِ وَ الْحُجْرَةِ فِيهَا التَّمَاثِيلُ أَ يُصَلَّى فِيهَا قَالَ لَا تُصَلِّي فِيهَا وَ شَيْ ءٌ مِنْهَا مُسْتَقْبَلُكَ إِلَّا أَنْ لَا تَجِدَ بُدّاً او تَقْطَعَ رُءُوسَهَا وَ إِلَّا فَلَا تُصَلِّي.
📚 Qurb al-Isnad - 87
Ali ibn Ja'far says: I asked Musa ibn Ja'far about a house or a room that has statues and images (of living beings) in it, whether prayer is performed there? He said: Do not pray in it if something of it is in front of you, unless you have no other choice or their heads are cut off, otherwise do not pray (there).
5 وَ بِالْإِسْنَادِ قَالَ: وَ سَأَلْتُهُ عَنْ رَجُلٍ كَانَ فِي بَيْتِهِ تَمَاثِيلُ أَوْ فِي سِتْرٍ وَ لَمْ يَعْلَمْ بِهَا وَ هُوَ يُصَلِّي فِي ذَلِكَ الْبَيْتِ ثُمَّ عَلِمَ مَا عَلَيْهِ قَالَ لَيْسَ عَلَيْهِ فِيمَا لَا يَعْلَمُ شَيْ ءٌ فَإِذَا عَلِمَ فَلْيَنْزِعِ السِّتْرَ وَ لْيُكَسِّرْ رُءُوسَ التَّمَاثِيلِ.
📚 Qurb al-Isnad, p. 87
Ali ibn Ja'far says: I asked Imam al-Kazim (peace be upon him) about a person who has statues and images (of living beings) in his room or on a curtain, and he is not aware of them, and he prays there; the Imam said: He is not responsible for what he is not aware of, so when he becomes aware, he must remove the curtain and break the heads of the statues.
6 عَنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ الْعَلَوِيِّ عَنْ سَهْلِ بْنِ جُمْهُورٍ عَنْ عَبْدِ الْعَظِيمِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الْعَلَوِيِّ عَنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ الْحُسَيْنِ الْعُرَنِيِّ عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ جُمَيْعٍ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ أَبَا جَعْفَرَ عَنِ الصَّلَاةِ فِي الْمَسَاجِدِ الْمُصَوَّرَةِ فَقَالَ أَكْرَهُ ذَلِكَ وَ لَكِنْ لَا يَضُرُّكُمْ ذَلِكَ الْيَوْمَ وَ لَوْ قَدْ قَامَ الْعَدْلُ لَرَأَيْتُمْ كَيْفَ يُصْنَعُ فِي ذَلِكَ.
📚 Al-Kafi, Vol. 3, p. 369
Amr ibn Jami' says: I asked Imam al-Baqir (peace be upon him) about praying in mosques that have pictures; the Imam said: I dislike it, but today it does not harm you, and when justice is established, you will see how it is dealt with!
✅ Regarding images and statues
Refer to this as well:
اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَی مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ
وَ عَجِّلْ لِوَلِیِّکَ الْفَرَجَ وَ الْعَافِیَةَ وَ النَّصْرَ
In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
✅ One of the best and most comprehensive farewell supplications for the month of Ramadan is the 45th supplication of Al-Sahifa Al-Sajjadiyya, which is highly recommended for all believers to read on the 29th and 30th nights of Ramadan.
In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
The supplication for every night of the last ten days of Ramadan
✅ Imam Al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: In the last ten days of Ramadan, say this supplication every night:
أَعُوذُ بِجَلَالِ وَجْهِکَ الْکَرِیمِ أَنْ یَنْقَضِیَ عَنِّی شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ أَوْ یَطْلُعَ الْفَجْرُ مِنْ لَیْلَتِی هَذِهِ وَ لَکَ قِبَلِی ذَنْبٌ أَوْ تَبِعَةٌ تُعَذِّبُنِی عَلَیْهِ
📚 Al-Kafi, Vol. 4, p. 160
اَللّهُمَّ عَجِّل لِوَلیِّکَ الفَرَجَ وَ العافیَةَ وَ النَّصرَ
In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
The supplication for the last night of Ramadan
✅ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ یَحْیَی عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ أَحْمَدَ عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ الْحَسَنِ عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ سَعِیدٍ عَنْ مُصَدِّقِ بْنِ صَدَقَةَ عَنْ عَمَّارِ بْنِ مُوسَی عَنْ أَبِی عَبْدِ اللَّه قَالَ: إِذَا کَانَتْ آخِرُ لَیْلَةٍ مِنْ شَهْرِ رَمَضَانَ فَقُلِ...
Imam Al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: When it is the last night of the month of Ramadan, say:
اللَّهُمَّ هَذَا شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ الَّذِی أَنْزَلْتَ فِیهِ الْقُرْآنَ وَ قَدْ تَصَرَّمَ وَ أَعُوذُ بِوَجْهِکَ الْکَرِیمِ یَا رَبِّ أَنْ یَطْلُعَ الْفَجْرُ مِنْ لَیْلَتِی هَذِهِ أَوْ یَتَصَرَّمَ شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ وَ لَکَ قِبَلِی تَبِعَةٌ أَوْ ذَنْبٌ تُرِیدُ أَنْ تُعَذِّبَنِی بِهِ یَوْمَ أَلْقَاکَ.
📚 Al-Kafi, Vol. 4, p. 165
اَللّهُمَّ عَجِّل لِوَلیِّکَ الفَرَجَ وَ العافیَةَ وَ النَّصرَ