Question:
Often during prayer, we have currency notes with images in our pockets. Is the prayer valid or not?
Answer:
There is absolutely no doubt that images of living beings are prohibited (haram) in the Shari‘ah, and definitive texts as well as authentic (sahih) and good (hasan) Ahadith indicate this.
Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud (رضي الله عنه) narrated: I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say:
ان اشد الناس عذابا عند الله يوم القيامة المصورون
“Indeed, among people, those who will deserve the severest punishment with Allah on the Day of Resurrection will be the image-makers.”
Sa‘id ibn Abi al-Hasan said: I was with Abdullah ibn Abbas when a man came to him and said, “O Ibn Abbas! I am a man whose livelihood comes from the craft of my hands, and I make images.” Abdullah ibn Abbas (رضي الله عنهما) said, “I will narrate to you the very Hadith I heard from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. He ﷺ said:
من صور صورة فان الله معذبه حتٰي ينفخ فيها الروح وليس بنافخ فيها ابدا
‘Whoever makes an image, Allah will certainly punish him until he breathes a soul into it, and he will never be able to breathe a soul into it.’”
On hearing this, the man began breathing heavily and his face turned pale. Abdullah ibn Abbas (رضي الله عنهما) said, “Woe to you! If you must make images, then make images of trees and other things that have no soul.”
These Ahadith show that making images of living beings is prohibited in the Shari‘ah, that the image-maker will be given the severest punishment on the Day of Resurrection, and that it is not proper to worship in a place where images are hung up.
Abdullah ibn Abbas (رضي الله عنهما) narrated:
ان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم لما قدم مكة ابى ان يدخل البيت وفيه الآلهة، فامر بها، فاخرجت، فاخرج صورة إبراهيم وإسماعيل فى ايديهما من الازلام، فقال النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم:” قاتلهم الله، لقد علموا ما استقسما بها قط”، ثم دخل البيت فكبر فى نواحي البيت، وخرج ولم يصل فيه
“When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ came to Makkah, he refused to enter the House (the Ka‘bah) while the idols (of the polytheists) were in it. He ordered that they be taken out, so they were taken out. Among them were brought out the images of Ibrahim and Isma‘il (peace be upon them), with divination arrows in their hands. The Prophet ﷺ said: ‘May Allah destroy these (polytheists)! They know well that Ibrahim and Isma‘il never sought omens with arrows.’ Then he ﷺ entered the House, said Allahu Akbar in its various corners, and came out, and he did not pray in it.”
Scholarly Opinions:
1. Hafiz Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalani (رحمه الله) said:
وفي الحديث كراهية الصلاة فى المكان الذى فيه صور لكونها مظنة الشرك وكان غالب كفر الامم من جهة الصور
“This Hadith shows the dislike (karahah) of praying in a place where there are images, because such a place is liable to shirk, and most of the disbelief of the nations entered by way of images.”
2. Hafiz Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah (رحمه الله) said:
وتلاعب بهم فى تصوير الصور فى الكنائس وعبادتها فلا تجد كنيسة من كنائسهم تخلو عن صورة مريم والمسيح وجرجس وبطرس وغيرهم من القديسين عندهم والشهداء وأكثرهم يسجدون للصور ويدعونها من دون الله تعالٰي
“Among the games Satan played with the Christians is the placing of images in churches and worshipping them. You will not find a single one of their churches free of images of Maryam and al-Masih (peace be upon them), Jirjis, Butrus and others whom they regard as saints, and of the martyrs. Most of them prostrate to the images and call upon them besides Allah the Exalted.”
Conclusion Regarding Prayer with Notes in Pocket:
The above evidences show that making images is prohibited, that hanging them in places of worship is a deception of Christianity, and that it is not proper to worship where images are hung up. As for the question of images also being in our pockets, and whether this disturbs the prayer or not, a few points deserve attention:
- The images on notes and coins are issued by the government; it is responsible for them and will be answerable before Allah.
- Using these notes and coins while living in this country is a necessity for us, because every kind of buying and selling depends on these very notes and coins.
- If we take them out and put them aside at the time of worship in mosques and similar places, there is a strong risk of losing the money.
In the Islamic Shari‘ah, the ruling changes in a state of compulsion (idtirar), as Allah the Exalted says:
فَمَنِ اضْطُرَّ غَيْرَ بَاغٍ وَلَا عَادٍ فَلَا إِثْمَ عَلَيْهِ
“But whoever is compelled, neither rebelling nor transgressing, there is no sin upon him.”
Therefore, firstly, notes and coins in the pocket are hidden and are not in front of a person at the time of worship, so the worship is not disturbed; and secondly, this is a necessity for us, and there is no sin in what is done out of necessity.
Ruling:
What appears closest to the truth is that if one has money in the pocket, the prayer is not disturbed. However, if images are in front of a person or hung up in the room of worship, prayer should not be offered there until that house or room has been cleared of the images.
والله اعلم
