Can Christian In-Laws Keep Crucifixes in a Private Room in Our House?
Answered by Shaykh Irshaad Sedick
Question
Is it permissible to allow Christian in-laws to keep religious items like crucifixes and statues in their private rooms within our home?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.
As Muslims, we are commanded to honor our faith and uphold its sanctity within our homes. However, this must be balanced with justice and good conduct toward non-Muslim family members, especially in-laws.
If your Christian in-laws reside with you, they may keep their personal religious items—such as crucifixes or statues—in their private rooms. You are not accountable for what they keep privately, as “no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another” [Quran, 6:164]
However, you are not required to allow such symbols to be displayed openly in shared home spaces, where they may compromise the religious environment or influence household members, especially children. The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) forbade us from resembling or venerating symbols contrary to Tawhid, and maintaining this within your domain is your right and duty.
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And Allah knows best.
[Shaykh] Irshaad Sedick
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Shaykh Irshaad Sedick was raised in South Africa in a traditional Muslim family. He graduated from Dar al-Ulum al-Arabiyyah al-Islamiyyah in Strand, Western Cape, under the guidance of the late world-renowned scholar Shaykh Taha Karaan (Allah have mercy on him), where he taught.
Shaykh Irshaad received Ijaza from many luminaries of the Islamic world, including Shaykh Taha Karaan, Shaykh Muhammad Awama, Shaykh Muhammad Hasan Hitu, and Mawlana Abdul Hafeez Makki, among others.
He is the author of the text “The Musnad of Ahmad ibn Hanbal: A Hujjah or not?” He has been the Director of the Discover Islam Centre, and for six years, he has been the Khatib of Masjid Ar-Rashideen, Mowbray, Cape Town.
Shaykh Irshaad has fifteen years of teaching experience at some of the leading Islamic institutes in Cape Town). He is currently building an Islamic podcast, education, and media platform called ‘Isnad Academy’ and has completed his Master’s degree in the study of Islam at the University of Johannesburg. He has a keen interest in healthy Prophetic living and fitness.
