The Ruling on Hanging Pictures

Question :

What is the ruling on hanging pictures in the home or elsewhere?

Answer:

The ruling for that is that it is unlawful if the picture is that of a human or an animal, because the Messenger of Allâh ﷺ said to 'Ali, may Allah be pleased with him.
"Don't leave a picture without obliterating it, nor a raised grave without levelling it."

'Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her, related that she hung a curtain with pictures on it. When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saw it, he tore it apart, his expression changed, and he ﷺ said :
"The people who made these pictures will be punished on the Day of Judgement, and it will be said to them: "Bring to life that which you have created."

However, if the picture is on a carpet or a pillow that is debased or leaned on, then there is nothing wrong in that. The Prophet , as reported in an authentic Hadith, was expecting Jibril. When Jibril came, he refused to enter the house. The Prophet asked why, and he said that the house had a statue and a curtain with pictures and a dog. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ ordered the head of the statue to be removed, the curtain to be made into two pillows to be tread upon, and for the dog to be taken outside. When this was done, Jibril, peace be upon him, entered the house. Recorded by An-Nisa'i and others with a good chain of narrators.

The dog mentioned in this Hadith, was a puppy being kept by either Al-Hasan or Al-Husayn under a bed in the house.

In another authentic Hadith, the Prophet ﷺ said: "Angels do not enter a house wherein is a picture or a dog."

The previous narration about Jibril indicates that a picture on a mat and the like does not prevent an angel from entering that home. In another authentic Hadith, 'Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her, took that same curtain and made a pillow with it, which the Prophet ﷺ would lean on.