Answered by Ustadh Tabraze Azam
Question: Assalam alaykum,
Is it permissible to pray on a rug/carpet that has images of animals woven into the design? What if one prayed on a plain prayer mat that was placed on top of this bigger carpet with animal motifs?
Answer: Wa alaikum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,
I pray that you are in the best of health and faith, insha’Allah.
Yes, it is permitted to pray upon a rug with has animal pictures on it as this is considered to be a humiliated deployment of such images. [`Ala’ al-Din `Abidin, al-Hadiyya al-`Ala’iyya]
However, you should not prostrate on the picture itself. Hence, praying on a mat on top of this rug would be fine.
Please also see: Praying in a Room with Pictures
And Allah alone knows best.
Tabraze Azam
Checked & Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani