Al-Bukh?r? included Anas’s had?th in one of his Sah?h’s chapters which he titled with: “Does doing Sal?t wearing a cloth that bears a cross or pictures renders it invalid? What is detested of all of this?”. (1)
Ibn Hajar and Al-‘Ainy said that Al-Bukh?r?’s inquiry implies that he wanted to attract our attention that this issue is of the controversial ones amongst ‘Ulamah ; so he did not want to give a decisive ruling for it. This is Al-Bukh?r?’s methodology when dealing with controversial issues.
The ‘Ulamah disagreed amongst themselves as to whether the prohibition from something renders the act of doing it invalid. Some say if this prohibition was directed to the act of worship itself or to one of its conditions or articles then doing this prohibition renders the worship invalid otherwise it is detested. (2)
To conclude, there is still disagreement a amongst the ‘Ulamah as to whether doing Sal?t wearing clothes that bear pictures is valid on not. The Jumh?r decided that this act is detested. (3) And this view is supported by ‘Aisha’s narration; she said: ‘I used to have a cloth that bears pictures. I used to spread it for the prophet ( - )
(1) Sahih Al-Bukh?r? (vol. 1 / p. 484).
(2) ‘Umdat Al-Q?r? (vol. 4 / p. 95). And Fath Al-B?r? (vol. 1 / p. 484).
(3) “Al-Mughn?” (vol. 1 / p. 628), “Al-Majm?’” (vol. 3 / pp. 179 - 80), “Rawdat At-T?lib?n” (vol. 1 / p. 289), “Nih?yatul Muht?j” (vol. 2 / p. 55), “Al-Fat?w? Al-Hindiyyah” (vol. 1 / p. 107), al-Fat?w? Al-Kh?niyyah (vol. 1 / p. 109) and “Al-Fiqh according to the four Mathhabs” (vol. 1 / p. 281).
Ibn Hajar stated in his “Fath” (vol. 10 / p. 391) that: ‘Doing Sal?t to the direction of something that bears tiny pictures or pictures with no heads is not detested’. In my opinion, Al-Ism?‘?li’s narration supports Ibn Hajar’s view.
Al-Ism?‘?l? related from Ibn ‘Abb?s that the prophet ( - ) said: ‘The picture is [forbidden because of] the head; if the head is effaced or cut off, then the picture is no more called as such’. This had?th is Sah?h [authentic]. Refer to “As-Silsilah As-Sah?hah” (no. 1921) and “Sah?h Al-J?mi’“(no. 3864).
However, it is not expected that pictures on clothes are headless unless there is a line to be put on the neck to show that the head is cut off. But even this is not enough; the head of a statue should be totally cut off, and the head of the picture on papers or clothes should be totally wiped out.