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How can we reconcile Aisha's two Hadiths which mention the Prophet's dislike for a pillow with images in the first, and its transformation into a pillow after it had been a curtain with statues in the second?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Both Hadiths are authentic: The Hadith of the Nimraqah (small pillow) narrated by Bukhari and Muslim, in which the Prophet (peace be upon him) expressed dislike for images, and said: "Indeed, the house in which there are images is not entered by angels." And the Hadith of the Qiram (curtain) narrated by Bukhari and Muslim, in which the Prophet (peace be upon him) tore it down and it was used as a pillow.

Ways to reconcile between the two Hadiths: 1. Abrogation (Naskh): Some scholars believe that the Hadith of the Nimraqah was abrogated, and that the prohibition was at the beginning of Islam due to Muslims' proximity to idol worship, then depictions on clothing were permitted after faith became established. 2. Cutting off the image: Others believe that the prohibition is the original ruling, and that the permissibility of using the Qiram after cutting it is because the cutting removed the features of the image, as the image is the head; so if the head is cut off, it is no longer an image. 3. Disrespect (Imtihan): This is the view of the majority of scholars, and it distinguishes between revered and non-disrespected images (which are forbidden), and disrespected images like pillows and carpets (which are permissible). This view reconciles between the proofs, as the Hadith of the Nimraqah forbids exalted and non-disrespected images, and the Hadith of the Qiram indicates the permissibility of disrespected images that are not revered.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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