Ustadh Tabraze Azam is asked about the permissibility of using decorative and ornamental images of animals within one’s home.
Question:
Assalam alaykum wa rahmat Allah wa barakatuh.
Is it permissible to use wallpaper with bird drawings/design on it?
Answer:
Wa alaykum assalam wa rahmat Allah wa barakatuh.
Usually, it would be best to avoid wallpaper which has depictions of animate life on it unless the wall will be covered by something else, such as bookshelves and the like, whereby the wallpaper won’t be visible. Such pictures are something that the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, strongly interdicted.
However, if the pictures are very small, such that their details cannot be clearly seen, or they are silhouettes or mere outlines, the ruling would be otherwise as they don’t fit the definition of an interdicted picture. Nevertheless, it is still generally superior to avoid them as much as possible.
Please also see: Can I Have Pictures in my House? Can I Pray in a Room having Pictures in it? and The Maliki View on Pictures of Humans and Animals.
And Allah Most High knows best.
Wassalam,
Tabraze Azam
Checked and approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani.