Question: It is written in the books of hadith that angels do not enter a house where there is a picture, but you say that what is meant is not a house, but a room. Do all kinds of angels not enter it? Secondly, if there is a woman in a room and a non-mahram (marriageable) man in another room, does it not constitute khalwah (the state of being alone with, which is haram)?
ANSWER
The word bayt appears in the hadith-i sharifs in question. The misunderstanding results from wrongly translating the word bayt as a house. The truth of the matter is that one of the meanings of the word bayt is a room, and it is generally used in this meaning. Similarly, the word daar is defined as a dwelling in dictionaries. However, fuqaha (jurists) define it as a place that consists of a few bayts (rooms) and a courtyard.

Baytullah: It literally means the House of Allah, which refers to the Ka’ba. It is formed by one room.

Bayt-uz-zifaf: It means a room where a bride and a groom have first-time sex on wedding night. It would be wrong to translate it as a house where the bride and the groom have sex for the first time.

Bayt-ul-mal means the room of treasury. Bayt al-Maqdis refers to Masjid al-Aqsa.

The rooms of a house are considered to be independent of one another. If salat is performed in one of the rooms of it and if alcohol is consumed in another room, the former is honorable and the latter is despicable.

If there is a woman in one of the rooms of a house and if there is a non-mahram (marriageable) man in another room, it does not constitute khalwah. That is, it is not a sin because each room is considered a separate room.

What is meant by angels in those hadith-i sharifs is Angels of Compassion because the angels that record good and evil deeds of humans enter even places where sins are committed or where there are pictures. They leave humans only during sexual intercourse or when they go to the toilet. Allahu ta’ala informs the angels of what a person does in the toilet.

This question of yours show that reading hadith-i sharifs without referring to the explanations given for them lead to considerable confusion.

Question: Is it makruh to perform salat in a room where there are dolls or teddy bears? Do Angels of Compassion enter such a room?
ANSWER
According to Imam-i Abu Yusuf, it is permissible for kids to play with toys. Angels of Compassion enter such a room, and salat may be offered there. During salat, toys should not be in the direction of the qibla. If there are any in that direction, a cover should be placed on them before salat.

Question: Does the presence of a woman in a room where salat is offered negatively affect one’s salat?
ANSWER
There is nothing wrong with the presence of a mahram (unmarriageable) woman in a place where a man is performing salat. When he is performing salat, if a mahram or a non-mahram woman comes in and sits, it does not harm his salat.

Question: Is there any religious obstacle to a man performing salat with his gun or other type of weapon on?
ANSWER
There is no religious obstacle whatsoever to it.