Question
What is the ruling for wearing sports shirts which have animals and animal faces on them like the one in the picture do they have to be covered when reading namaaz?
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
الجواب بعون الملك الوهاب اللهم هداية الحق والصواب
Answer
The principle of Shariah is that it is not permissible to wear clothes in the state of prayer that have an image of a living being with its face visible, and the image is so large that if placed on the ground and viewed from a standing position, the face is clearly visible. Such clothing is impermissibly disliked (makruh tahrimi) in prayer, and it is obligatory to repeat the prayer. However, if the image is very small and the face is not clear, or the image is large but its face is completely cut off or obscured by some ink or other color such that the face disappears, or another piece of clothing is worn over the garment with the image to hide it, then the prayer will not be considered makruh tahrimi.
According to this principle, the shirt in question can be worn for prayer because the image of the living being is very small and the face is not clear.
In Fatawa Razaviyya, it is stated: “It is impermissible to wear, put on others, sell, or donate a garment that has a picture of a living being with its face, and is so large that when it is placed on the ground and looked at from standing, the details of the limbs are visible. Such an image on a garment makes the prayer impermissibly disliked (makruh tahrimi), which makes it obligatory to repeat the prayer. If the picture is removed from the garment, or its head or face is completely erased, then wearing, putting on others, selling, donating it, and praying in it becomes permissible. If it has such permanent colors that cannot be removed or washed, then such permanent ink should be applied over its head or face in such a way that that part of the image disappears, not just that the color of that part appears black but it does not negate the form.”
(Fatawa Razaviyya, Volume 24, Page 567, Raza Foundation, Lahore)
Answered by: Ali Hassan Madani (AskMufti Scholar)
Verified by: Mufti Sajid Attari