Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

As salamu alikum brother. I would like to know the Islamic belief on following matters:

1. Tattoo (regular design vs Islamic symbol)

2. Body piercing (for both guys and girls)

3. Pets in house (cat, dog, fishtank, bird on cage)

4. Guys wearing shorts that covers up to knee to perform salat.

5. Walk in front of someone who is praying salat.

6. Attending other religious rituals, if invited.

7. If I take shower do I still have to wudu for salat.

Thank you very much for your effort. May Allah bless you with rewards. 

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Various questions

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Q-1: Tattoo (regular design vs Islamic symbol)

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 7.816 Narrated by Humaid bin Abdur Rahman bin Auf

The Prophet (saws) said, "Allah has cursed the lady who artificially lengthens (her or someone else's) hair and the one who gets her hair lengthened, and the one who tattoos (herself or someone else) and the one who gets herself tattooed."

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 7.820 Narrated by Ibn Umar

The Messenger of Allah (saws) said, "Allah has cursed such a lady as lengthens (her or someone else's) hair artificially or gets it lengthened, and also a lady who tattoos (herself or someone else) or gets herself tattooed."

The Messenger of Allah (saws) specifically forbade the believers and invoked the curse of Allah on those who applied tattoos on themselves or on others. Thus in light of the above quoted authentic narrations it is absolutely forbidden and unlawful for one who sincerely believes in Allah and the Last Day to apply any sort of tattoos, regardless of whether those tattoos are animate or non-animate objects, regular or Islamic symbols, etc.

Q-2: Body piercing (for both guys and girls)

Islam guides that to wear, adorn, and beautify oneself with ornaments and jewelry is exclusive to the nature of womenfolk. Thus there is absolutely no harm if a believing woman wishes to pierce her body parts like her ears, or nose, etc. and adorn herself accordingly.

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 7.774 Narrated by Ibn Abbas

The Prophet (saws) invoked the curse of Allah on the effeminate men (those men who are in the similitude (or assume the manners, dress, etc. of women), and those women who assume the similitude (or manners, dress, etc. of men).

Islam guides that it is just not consonant with the nature of men to adorn themselves with ornaments and jewelry; thus body piercing with the intention to adorn oneself with such aids of beauty would not be permissible for the believing men in Islam, for then it would imply the imitation or similitude or something which is specific to the nature of womenfolk.

Q-3: Pets in house (cat, dog, fishtank, bird on cage)

Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 4102 Narrated by Abdullah ibn Mughaffal

The Prophet (saws) said, " No family attaches itself to a dog without a qirat (measure) of their good deeds being deducted daily, except in the case of a hunting dog, a farm dog, or a sheepdog."

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 4.448 Narrated by Abu Talha

I heard the Messenger of Allah (saws) saying; "Angels (of Mercy) do not enter a house wherein there is a dog, or a picture of a living creature (a human being or an animal)."

To the best of our knowledge, other than the dog, one is permitted to keep any animal as domestic pets in Islam, if they wish to do so. Islam guides that if one keeps a pet in their custody, they should take proper care of it, or let it free.

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 3.553 Narrated by Abdullah bin Umar

Allah's Messenger (saws) said, "A woman was tortured and was put into Hell because of a cat which she had kept locked till it died of hunger." Allah's Messenger (saws) further said, Allah said (to the woman), 'You neither fed it nor watered when you locked it up, nor did you set it free to eat the insects of the earth.' "

Q-4: Guys wearing shorts that covers up to knee to perform salat.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 7 Surah Aaraaf verse 31:

31   O children of Adam! Wear your beautiful apparel at every time and place of prayer: eat and drink: but waste not by excess, for Allah loveth not those who waste.

When one visits any of the sacred Houses of Allah, or one stands to worship the Lord in prayer, in light of the above absolutely clear guidance of the Quran, it is incumbent and obligatory upon the believers that they wear their beautiful apparel and present themselves in the audience of their Lord in prayer in their best and most beautiful manner.

Just as one dresses up appropriately if one were to visit a worldly King or President of a nation; one should dress even more appropriately and formally when one wishes to visit a sacred House of Allah (masjid) or intends to offer the rite of prayer; for when one stands for prayer, he/she indeed is as if in the audience of The King of all kings, The Lord of the Universe, Allah Subhanah wa Taala.

Shariah Law dictates that the man’s ‘satr’ or the body parts which must remain covered at all times in the presence of all (except one’s wife) is from his navel to his knees inclusive. Thus if one is in a situation where one has only enough material to cover his ‘satr’ or body parts between his navel and his knees inclusive, and one has to make oneself available for prayer, the prayer of such a person will be legally valid in the Sight of Shariah.

Q-5: Walk in front of someone who is praying salat.

Abu Hurairah relates that the Prophet (saws) said: "When one of you prays, he should place something in front of him (sutra). If he cannot find anything, he should prop up his staff [in front of him]. If he does not have a staff, he should draw a line [on the ground in front of him] then nothing that passes in front of him will harm him."

Related by Ahmad, Abu Dawud and Ibn Hibban.

Busr ibn Sa'id says that Zaid ibn Khalid sent him to Abu Juhaim to ask him what he had heard from the Prophet (saws) concerning passing in front of someone who is praying. He said that the Messenger of Allah (saws) said: "If one knew [the sin] of passing in front of one who is praying, he would rather wait forty (years) than to pass in front of him."

Related by Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmidhi, Ahmad and Abu Dawood.

Zaid ibn Khalid relates that the Messenger of Allah said: "If the one who passes in front of one who is praying knew what was upon him [of sin], it would be better for him to stand [and wait] for forty autumns than to pass in front of him."

Related by al-Bazzar.

Fiqh-us-Sunnah Fiqh 2.79

Preventing someone from passing in front of a praying person

It is permissible to keep some one from passing in front of a person who is praying.

If a praying person has a sutrah in front of him, then it is allowed for him to prevent any human or animal from passing in front of him. If a person passes in front of him from beyond the sutrah, then the person in salah is neither to prevent the passer-by nor will he be harmed by him.

Abu Saleh as-Saman said: "I will narrate to you what I heard and saw from Abu Sa'id al-Khudri. One day I was with Abu Sa'id and he was offering salah on Friday facing something which concealed him from the people when a young man from the tribe of Mu'ait came and tried to pass in front of Abu Sa'id. He pushed him back. He tried again and Abu Sa'id struck him harder. The two scuffled. The man went to Marwan to complain. Abu Sa'id also went to Marwan. Marwan asked: 'What has happened between you and the son of your brother that caused him to complain?' Abu Sa'id said: 'I heard the Prophet (saws) say: 'If any of you prays toward a sutrah and someone tries to pass in front of you, then turn him away. If he refuses, use force for he is the Shaytaan."'

Related by al-Bukhari and Muslim.

It is the responsibility of a believer engaged in prayer to place a ‘sutrah’ (any object to mark the space) before he starts his prayer. It is not permissible for a believer to pass between the believer engaged in prayer and the ‘sutrah’ the believer has placed, until the brother/sister completes their prayer.

Q-6: Attending other religious rituals, if invited.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 25 Surah Furqan verse 72:

72 Those who (intentionally bear) no witness to falsehood; and if they pass by futility, they pass by it with honorable (avoidance)

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chatper 5 Surah Maidah verse 2 (part):

Help ye one another in righteousness and piety, but help ye not one another in sin and rancor: fear Allah: for Allah is strict in punishment.

There is absolutely no harm if one celebrates or congratulates one’s non-muslim friends on their personal accomplishments and happy occasions like the birth of their baby, or their children’s graduation, or a promotion in their job, etc. But because the abomination of ‘shirk’ is such a direct violation of the Rights due to Allah Subhanah, it would not behove and befit a believer who sincerely believes in Allah and the Last Day to participate or be a witness to the celebration of any of their pagan religious occasions or rituals with them like Christmas, Easter, Diwali, Holi, etc.

Q-7: If I take shower do I still have to wudu for salat.

The Ghusl or full bath is a bigger form of physical purification than the wudu in Islam; thus if one has performed the ‘ghusl’ or full bath or shower with the intention to purify oneself, there is absolutely no need or obligation to redo the wudu before making oneself available for prayer, provided one’s wudu itself is not broken or violated after their ‘ghusl’.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan