Fatwa ID: 05570

Answered by: Maulana Yusuf Khan

Question:

I pray towards my fan. At closer inspection today I realised that the symbol on my fan is that of a snake. It’s not detailed. It’s like a silhouette of a snake and 2 waves of lines next to it so I didn’t know it was a snake before. Does this count as an image? Do I need to move it or cover it? Or can I just leave it?

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Answer:

The image of a snake will count as an image if you can see the facial features such as the eyes because it is these features that distinguish the animate from the inanimate.

It is better to cover it, or to move it out the way out of the room because of the dislike there is of having an image present at the time of prayer. The more it resembles an image of a person/animal or is similar to something which is prayed to the greater the dislike (in front whilst praying). ^[1]Hence why it is better to remove images from the area whilst praying and due to the hadeeth of the Prophet SAW in regards to angels not entering the house in which there are images.

It was narrated that ‘Ali said:

“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.’^[2]

Only Allah knows best

Written by Maulana Yusuf Khan

Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham