Al-Shafii cites it in al-Fawaid 6/68—the additional wording is his—and the chain is sound. The hadith is also reported, with a similar wording, by the two Sahih compilers and others. I documented it in my edition of Yusuf al-Qaradawi’s The Lawful and the Prohibited, no. 121, and it has already appeared in this book on pp. 161–162. This text is a clear proof that a visible image prevents the angels from entering, even when the image is being disrespected, for the Prophet ﷺ refused to enter until it was removed, and on that occasion he said: “The angels do not enter a house that contains a picture.” 1 With the ta in kasrah: it means “picture,” as stated in al-Qamus and other dictionaries. The word timthal (statue) is applied to both three-dimensional and flat images, contrary to what some imagine. It occurs in the two hadiths with both meanings: here it carries the first, as shown by the order to cut off the head, whereas in the next context it bears the second. 2 Qiram is a thin curtain, as noted earlier; the construct phrase is like saying thawb qamis (shirt cloth). Some lexicographers say that a qiram is a fine curtain placed behind a thick one, hence the added specification. See al-Nihayah.