Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
It is not
permissible to wear clothes on which there are images of animals or people,
because of the report narrated by al-Bukhaari (3226) and Muslim (2106) from
Abu Talhah (may Allaah be pleased with him), according to which the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The angels do not
enter any house in which there is an image.”
See:
Mataalib Ooli al-Nuha (1/353).
Shaykh Ibn
‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked about the ruling on
wearing clothes on which there are images of animals or people. He replied:
It is not permissible for a person to wear clothes on which there is an
image of an animal or a person, and it is not permissible to wear ghutrahs
or other headgear on which there is an image of a person or an animal,
because it is proven that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said: “The angels do not enter any house in which there is an
image.” Hence we do not think that anyone should keep pictures for memories,
as they say, and whoever has any pictures for memories should destroy them,
whether he put them on the wall or in an album etc, because keeping them
deprives the people of the house of the angels’ entering upon them. And
Allaah knows best. End quote.
He (may
Allaah have mercy on him) was also asked about the ruling on children
wearing clothes on which there are images of animate beings. He replied: The
scholars said that it is haraam to dress a child in what it is haraam for
adults to wear. Whatever has an image on it, it is haraam for adults to wear
it, so it is also haraam for children to wear it. This is the answer. What
the Muslims should do is to boycott these clothes and shoes, so that the
evildoers will have no means of reaching us in this matter. If they are
boycotted they will never find a way of bringing them into this land,
because when they are boycotted there will be no point in bringing them
here. End quote from Majmoo’ Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen
(12/333).
Secondly:
Prayer
offered in a garment that has images of people or animals on it is valid,
but there is some sin involved.
The Scholars
of the Standing Committee were asked: Is it permissible to pray in a garment
on which there is an image of a person or images of animals? Is it
permissible to enter the toilet in a garment on which there is the name of
Allaah?
They
replied: It is not permissible to pray in clothes on which there are images
of animate beings, whether people, birds, camels, cattle, sheep, or other
animate beings, and it is not permissible for a Muslim to wear them when he
is not praying either. The prayer of one who prays wearing clothes on which
there are images is valid, but he is sinning if he knows the shar’i ruling.
It is not permissible to write the name of Allaah on clothing, and it is
makrooh to enter the toilet wearing it, because that is showing disrespect
to His name, may He be exalted. End quote.
Fataawa
al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah (6/179)
Shaykh Ibn
‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked about the ruling on the
prayer of one who prays in a garment on which are embroidered or printed
images of animate beings.
He replied:
If he is unaware, there is no sin on him, but if he knew (the ruling) then
his prayer is valid but there is some sin involved, according to the more
correct of the two scholarly rulings. Some scholars said that his prayer is
invalid, because he has prayed in a garment that is haraam for him. End
quote from Majmoo’ Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (12/360)
Based on
this, you have to remove the image of the tiger or crocodile from your
clothes, or distort the image by removing the head or covering it with some
colour or thread that will hide it. If you pray with the image still on your
clothes, your prayer is valid but there is some sin.
See also the
answer to question no. 3332.
And Allaah
knows best.