48/114. Chapter:
Sunan an-Nasai 5365 — Angels and Houses with Images
The People Who Will be Most Severely Punished
Hadith About Angels Not Entering a House with Images
Sunan an-Nasai : 5365
Sunan an-NasaiHadith Number 5365
أَخْبَرَنَا هَنَّادُ بْنُ السَّرِيِّ، عَنْ أَبِي بَكْرٍ، عَنْ أَبِي إِسْحَاقَ، عَنْ مُجَاهِدٍ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ اسْتَأْذَنَ جِبْرِيلُ عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ " ادْخُلْ " . فَقَالَ كَيْفَ أَدْخُلُ وَفِي بَيْتِكَ سِتْرٌ فِيهِ تَصَاوِيرُ فَإِمَّا أَنْ تُقْطَعَ رُءُوسُهَا أَوْ تُجْعَلَ بِسَاطًا يُوطَأُ فَإِنَّا مَعْشَرَ الْمَلاَئِكَةِ لاَ نَدْخُلُ بَيْتًا فِيهِ تَصَاوِيرُ .
Abu Hurairah Narrated from:
Jibril, peace be upon him, asked permission to enter upon the Prophet [SAW] and he said: 'Come in.' He said: 'How can I come in when there is a curtain in your house on which there are images? You should either cut off their heads or make it into a rug to be stepped on, for we Angels do not enter a house in which there are images.'
Reference : Sunan an-Nasa'i 5365In-book reference : Book 48, Hadith 326English translation : Vol. 6, Book 48, Hadith 5367
Summary of Sunan an-Nasai Hadith 5365
This hadith about angels and images gives a clear scene from the life of the Prophet. Abu Hurairah narrated that Jibril asked permission to enter, but then said he could not enter while there was a curtain in the house with images on it. He told the Prophet that their heads should be cut off or the curtain should be made into a rug to be stepped on. Then he said that angels do not enter a house in which there are images. The main teaching is direct: displayed images inside the house are treated as a serious matter in this narration. The hadith also shows that lowering or changing the image’s form was mentioned as a way to remove the issue.
What we learn from this hadith
- Angels are described as not entering a house in which there are images.
- The curtain with images was treated as a matter that needed changing.
- The hadith mentions cutting off heads or making it a rug to be stepped on.
- A believer should be mindful of what is displayed in the home.
