The Book of Adornment - Sunan an-Nasa'i 5351

"I made some food and invited the Prophet [SAW] (to come and eat). He came and entered, then he saw a curtain on which there were images, so he went out and said: 'The Angels do not enter a house in which there are images.'"

Commentary on the Prohibition of Images

This hadith establishes the prohibition of keeping images of animate beings in living spaces. The Prophet's immediate departure demonstrates the gravity of this matter in Islamic law.

Scholars explain that images containing souls (animate beings) are forbidden as they may lead to idolatry or imitate Allah's creative act. The absence of angels signifies deprivation of divine mercy and spiritual blessings.

Juridical Rulings Derived

This narration forms the basis for prohibiting statues and photographs of humans and animals in homes according to classical scholarship.

Exceptions include educational materials, necessity, and images where the head is removed or deformed. Landscapes and inanimate objects remain permissible.

Spiritual Implications

The angels' refusal to enter indicates that images create a spiritual barrier between the household and divine blessings, prayers, and protection.

This teaching aims to preserve pure monotheism and prevent any means that could lead to shirk or excessive veneration of created beings.