Dilemma

[abu sayed]

Asalamu Alaikum,

I have recently come across the fact that hanging pictures or even keeping pictures of animate beings is haram. But, no matter how much I tell my family to get rid of them they insist on leaving them in their place, even the ones in my room. My main point of concern is whether or not prayer in a room with pictures is accepted? (they are behind me during salah but this is only due to necessity)

Also what can I tell my family regarding this issue so they can realize how big of an issue this is? I have already shown them the hadiths that pertain to this.

Jazakallah Khayran

 

[Janaan]

Wa`alaikim salaam warahmatullaah!

We have so much threads on this subject, subhanallah!

Brother, as you said, you Have shown your parents the Ahaadeeth concerning images so I assume YOU have also read it. If you have, you'd see the solution is quite simple really. Either destroy all the pictures or deprive yourselves of the Angels' presence in your home.

Explain to your parents of what they're missing out on. This really is a big deal wallah. If the Angels can't enter your house, there's no barakah there at all Subhanallah! AND it's Ramadhaan..!
And also as your sister in Islaam, I would suggest you pray at the Masjid with yor fellow brothers rather than being cooped up in a room with pictures...

"The Angels Do NoT enter any house in which there's image" (Muslim & Bukhari)

 

[abu sayed]

Thank you for your reply sister. I have explained to them that angels do not enter a house where there are pictures but their reply is always that the hadith is 'weak' with no evidence on their behalf while I told them its from Bukhari. I feel like I can't convince them anymore because they get angry everytime I mention the topic and I do not want to be on bad terms with my parents.

 

[Um Ibrahim]

I had the same problem with a family member!

:salam2:

I used to have the same problem like yours, a close family member would hang pictures on the wall, and I kept telling her to stop and that it is haraam, but NO! she insisted it's not. I would even physically remove the pictures from the walls myself and hide them from her, but she would always find them and get angry with me and then hang them back up. I told her about all hadiths, no angels in the house, and how jinns/shaytans can get attracted to a house with pictures hanging all around it, but she kept telling me that I didn't know nothing. Well, alhamdulilah, I got her to speak with another person, an imam and another brother who is much older and knows the deen very well and he told her everything I told her and that was the end of hanging pics on the wall for us! alhamdulilah.

Sometimes family members just don't think you know anything, and are just making stuff up or being too extereme, etc. Involve someone else, an imam at your local masjid, a Quran teacher, or someone more knowledgeable than you are and who is older than you so they can trust that person more.

 

[xAllahKnowsBestx]

:/ I know how you feel. My family does the same thing, and it hurts when they label you an extremist when you try to make them understand.

Alhamdulillah, we have no pictures hanging on the walls in my house, but what about photo albums? I have some of my old childhood photos and I was wondering if that falls under the same ruling.. Should I throw them away..?

 

[Precious Star]

I think you should ask yourself seriously why hanging pictures is haraam.

Depictions of animate objects was forbidden when Islam first came to Arabia. The holy Prophet pbuh forbade them. This was necessary, because the biggest threat to Islam at the time was paganism, as was the case with each Prophet (i.e. Jesus was born in Roman-occupied Palestine). Remember, before islam returned to Arabia, the kaaba was filled with idols!

That is why statues, pictures, etc were prohibited - but for a period of time only.

However, over time, the holy Prophet relaxed the rule and allowed pictures in the home, so long as such pictures remained out of mosques and places of worship. In fact, if you go to parts of the middle east such as JOrdan, Syria, etc, you will see buildings from the late islamic era with such carvings on the walls.

Be realistic. Having a framed photograph of your mother or your daughter in your home does not mean that you are idolizing her or that you are revering that photograph. Do you really think that it will lead to a backward slide into paganism or even shirk? We are muslims - we are not hindu's, who display photographs of loved ones and adorn the photographs with garlands and pray before them. In the latter situation you would clearly be in violation of Islam.

 

[Um Ibrahim]

I think you should ask yourself seriously why hanging pictures is haraam.

Depictions of animate objects was forbidden when Islam first came to Arabia. The holy Prophet pbuh forbade them. This was necessary, because the biggest threat to Islam at the time was paganism, as was the case with each Prophet (i.e. Jesus was born in Roman-occupied Palestine). Remember, before islam returned to Arabia, the kaaba was filled with idols!

That is why statues, pictures, etc were prohibited - but for a period of time only.

However, over time, the holy Prophet relaxed the rule and allowed pictures in the home, so long as such pictures remained out of mosques and places of worship. In fact, if you go to parts of the middle east such as JOrdan, Syria, etc, you will see buildings from the late islamic era with such carvings on the walls.

Be realistic. Having a framed photograph of your mother or your daughter in your home does not mean that you are idolizing her or that you are revering that photograph. Do you really think that it will lead to a backward slide into paganism or even shirk? We are muslims - we are not hindu's, who display photographs of loved ones and adorn the photographs with garlands and pray before them. In the latter situation you would clearly be in violation of Islam.

:salam2:

dearest sister I really hope you understand the grave sin of attributing something to the Prophet that is not from him or without providing proofs. There is a hadith in which the Prophet says, “FALSELY ATTRIBUTING SOMETHING TO ME IS NOT LIKE FALSELY ATTRIBUTING SOMETHING TO ANYONE ELSE. LET THE ONE WHO KNOWINGLY LIES ABOUT ME TAKES A SEAT IN HELLFIRE.” Narrated by Muslim

With that said, Can you please share with us the hadith which shows that the Prophet(PBUH) "relaxed the rule and allowed pictures in the home"?

Even if it wasn't haraam what is the benefit of having a framed picture on the wall of our loved ones? What benefit does it give us? None at all. And remember that it is always better to be safe than sorry, so staying away from anything in which there is doubt is better than just following your own wishes and desires.

W:salam2:

 

[Seeking Allah's Mercy]

Asalmaolaikom wa rahmatullahi wa barakaatuhu. . .

One of our sisters had similar problems. Please read the replys to her thread.

I'll agree with sister suhaanah, take the pictures down and destroy them. At least, the one in your "own" room. They'll be "really" mad at you for this. But one needs to be stubborn to stand by what is right, if those who stand by what is wrong are stubborn. Keep advising them at appropriate times, and change they way you advice them.

Be polite and respectful. Give them space. Incase you destroy the images in your room or throw them out of your room. Don't argue when they are angry. Give a simple explaination. Last but not the least, pray pray and pray again, for yourself and them.

 

[Aapa]

Assalaam walaikum,

It was a steady process. I decided I had enough of the photographs. So I put them away. It saved me from dusting.

I hung landscapes for a while. I took those down because it saved on housework.

I just got an excuse to be lazy.

 

[Tabassum07]

Wa`alaikim salaam warahmatullaah!


Brother, as you said, you Have shown your parents the Ahaadeeth concerning images so I assume YOU have also read it. If you have, you'd see the solution is quite simple really. Either destroy all the pictures or deprive yourselves of the Angels' presence in your home.

:salam2:

If there is one person in the house who believes pictures are haram, though the other family members do not, does that one person still become deprived of angel's presence?

Do they?

Edit: Since I've been experiencing this same problem, I showed this thread to my mother: previously no matter how much I gave her daleel, she never listened to me, but SubhanAllah, today she agreed it's wrong for us, and I took the picture away. Alhamdulillah! (Though I wonder how long this will last. It's happened before where my parents agreed for a bit, but then a month later there's something up again.)

 

[friend263]

Assalamualaikum

Dnt get angry on your family. Talk to them again on this topic but just generally. and ask Allah to give then hidayat. some times a little sabr and lots of dua change people mind..

 

[Seeking Allah's Mercy]

:salam2:

If there is one person in the house who believes pictures are haram, though the other family members do not, does that one person still become deprived of angel's presence?

Do they?

Edit: Since I've been experiencing this same problem, I showed this thread to my mother: previously no matter how much I gave her daleel, she never listened to me, but SubhanAllah, today she agreed it's wrong for us, and I took the picture away. Alhamdulillah! (Though I wonder how long this will last. It's happened before where my parents agreed for a bit, but then a month later there's something up again.)

Asalmaoalaikom wa rahmatullahi wa barakaatuhu. ..

That's real big achievement sister. Mabrook!

Continue your dawah and reminders from time to time. Not to irritate them but to make sure the messages stays in their hearts.