Scholars' Explanation on Wearing Patterned Clothing During Prayer
JAKARTA – Sheikh Muhammad Shiddiq al Minshawi, in his book entitled Rajin Shalat tapi Masih Keliru (Frequently Prays but Still Errs), addresses the issue of Muslims praying in clothing with patterns or images. Sheikh Shiddiq cites a hadith narrated by Ahmad bin Yunus, from Ibrahim bin Sa’d, from Ibn Shihab, from ’Urwah, from ’Aisyah, stating that the Prophet, peace be upon him, prayed wearing a patterned garment. He glanced at its patterns, and upon finishing the prayer he said: “Take this garment of mine to Abu Jahm and bring me his plain garment, for it distracted me from my prayer just now.” Hisham bin ’Urwah related from his father, from ’Aisyah, that the Prophet said: “I was looking at its pattern while praying, and I feared it would distract me.”
According to Sheikh Shiddiq, this hadith contains a prohibition and the ruling of makruh (disliked) regarding wearing clothing with images, inscriptions or anything else that may disturb the performance of prayer.
Imam Malik was asked about a ring bearing an engraved figure: “May it be worn during prayer?” He replied, “It should not be worn, neither during prayer nor outside of prayer.”
Meanwhile, Imam Nawawi said, “As for anything bearing an image, a cross, or anything that causes heedlessness, it is makruh to wear it during prayer. This is what is explained by the Prophet’s hadith.”
Ibn Hajar said, “From this hadith, one may derive the ruling that it is makruh to wear anything that distracts, whether colours, images or otherwise.” He also said, “If there is a distracting image during prayer, it must be removed, let alone if the image itself is being worn.”
One question remains: “What is the ruling on praying in clothing that has images on it?” There are two answers to this question:
One view holds that the prayer is invalidated because of the garment worn.
The prayer remains valid, but it is makruh. This latter view is the one we choose and follow. For if it truly invalidated the prayer, the Prophet would certainly have repeated it, and he did not do so.
Ibn Hajar said, “The hadith indicates that the prayer was not invalidated, because the Prophet neither broke it off nor repeated it.” This view is held by the majority of scholars.