Is it permissible to pray in clothes with pictures on them?

According to the Hanafi madhhab, it is considered makruh (disliked) to pray in clothes that have images of living beings on them [1].

A hadith narrated from Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) states:

قَامَ رَسولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عليه وسلَّمَ يُصَلِّي في خَمِيصَةٍ ذَاتِ أعْلَامٍ، فَنَظَرَ إلى عَلَمِهَا، فَلَمَّا قَضَى صَلَاتَهُ قالَ: اذْهَبُوا بهذِه الخَمِيصَةِ إلى أبِي جَهْمِ بنِ حُذَيْفَةَ، وائْتُونِي بأَنْبِجَانِيِّهِ، فإنَّهَا ألْهَتْنِي آنِفًا في صَلَاتِي

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) once prayed in a garment with markings on it, and his gaze fell upon them. After finishing his prayer, he said: “Take this garment to Abu Jahm ibn Hudhayfa and bring me a plain one instead, for it distracted me just now during my prayer” [2].

In another narration:

كُنْتُ أَنْظُرُ إِلَى عَلَمِهَا وَأَنَا فِي الصَّلاَةِ فَأَخَافُ أَنْ تَفْتِنَنِي

“While praying, my eyes kept falling on its markings, and I feared it might distract me from my prayer” [3].

The renowned scholar Mulla Nuruddin Ali ibn Sultan, in his commentary Fath Bab al-Ghina on Imam Ubaydullah ibn Mas‘ud’s work al-Nuqaya, discusses the makruh acts in prayer and says: “If there is an image of an animal on one’s clothing, on the place of prostration, or on the front, right, or left side (but not the bottom or back), it is makruh. If the image is extremely small and barely visible, or if its head is erased, then it is not makruh” [4].

Imam al-Marghinani states: “Praying in clothes with images is makruh, because it resembles carrying an idol. Although praying in such clothes is makruh, the prayer is still valid, as all its conditions and pillars are fulfilled” [5].

Therefore, it is better not to pray in clothes with images or writing on them. If one has already prayed in such clothes, the prayer is still valid. There is no issue if one covers the clothes with images by wearing a plain garment over them during prayer.

Aitugan Toibazar,

Fatwa specialist for North Kazakhstan region

• [1] Hashiyat al-Tahtawi, 362.

• [2] Muslim, No. 556.

• [3] Sahih Bukhari, No. 373.

• [4] Fath Bab al-Inayah bi Sharh Kitab al-Niqayah, 1/311-312.

• [5] Marghinani, al-Hidaya, 1/166.