The Messenger of Allah [SAW] said: "The angels do not enter any house in which there is an image." Busr said: "Then Zaid fell sick and we went to visit him, and on his door there was a curtain on which there was an image. I said to 'Ubaidullah Al-Khawlani: 'Didn't Zaid tell us about images yesterday?' 'Ubaidullah said: 'Didn't you hear him say: Except for patterns on fabrics?'"
The Prohibition of Images in Dwellings
This hadith from Sunan an-Nasa'i 5350 establishes the divine prohibition against keeping images of animate beings in one's residence. The angels, being pure spiritual beings created from light, refrain from entering dwellings containing such representations as they conflict with the Islamic principle of preserving pure tawhid and avoiding anything resembling idolatry.
Scholarly Interpretation and Exception
The initial narration presents an absolute prohibition, yet the companion's clarification reveals an important distinction. The exception for "patterns on fabrics" (as in woven designs or embroidery on clothing and furnishings) demonstrates that not all imagery falls under the same ruling.
Classical scholars like Imam Nawawi explain that the prohibition primarily applies to three-dimensional statues and images that cast shadows, with lesser restrictions on two-dimensional representations. The fabric exception indicates that utilitarian items with decorative patterns do not prevent angelic presence.
Practical Application in Islamic Law
This hadith forms the basis for Islamic rulings regarding visual representations. Scholars differentiate between complete images (with full facial features) and incomplete ones, between images meant for veneration and those for decoration, and between three-dimensional and two-dimensional forms.
The wisdom behind this prohibition includes: preserving pure monotheism, distinguishing Muslim households, preventing distraction during worship, and maintaining spiritual purity through angelic presence which brings divine mercy and blessings to the home.