Why Are Artworks Of The Prophet Muhammad Forbidden?

Have you ever wondered why Islam, the second largest of the Abrahamic religions seems to have a dearth of pictorial representations? In particular, its main human figure, the prophet Muhammad, is apparently off-limits to figurative rendition of any kind. Well, the reason is quite simple.

Just like in Christianity and Judaism, the worship of images – or idols – is expressly forbidden. Yet in sharp contrast, a significant aspect of Christian history and (perhaps its appeal) is how it freely expresses its stories and characters in art: there are a bajillion paintings, photographs, and figurines of figures like Mary, Moses, David (who has that sculpture by Michelangelo going for him), and more than anyone else in human history, Jesus Christ.

On the other hand, you may remember the Muhammad cartoon controversies and violence of the 2000s.

The reason Muslims generally do not tolerate depicting the prophet, and why Islam has almost no pictorial art, is because of the aforementioned ban on idolatry. It has been held by most Muslims through the ages, that to prevent representations of the prophet and other figures from turning into objects of worship, no representation should be made at all. In fact, in Sunni Islam, making images of any humans at all is forbidden (yes, including photographs).

Yet there are images and artworks of Muhammad, and there have been for centuries, even in the Islamic world. There were book illustrations depicting the prophet in 13th-century Islamic Persia. Scholars believe human figurative representations flourished in the Arab world as far back as the 7th century, in North Africa, Spain, Turkey, Persia, and some other parts of the Islamic world. In the late 1990s, colour images depicting Muhammad as a young man were surprisingly discovered in Iran.

Mohammed receiving his first revelation from the angel Gabriel. Illustration on vellum in Jami’ al-tawarikh by Rashid al-Din Hamadani, Tabriz, Persia, 1307

But sometime during or after the 15th century, the perception of the matter by Muslims changed, perhaps against the backdrop of the ruthlessly derogatory depictions of the prophet that abounded in the west. Instead of clear depictions, the prophet would be depicted veiled, or in some cases a blank space would be left where the faces would have been.

Muhammad and Khadija performing the first wudu, as illustrated in the Siyer-i Nebi, c. 1594

Today, veiled or not, it might be unwise to make a painting, drawing, sketch, photo, or any figurative representation of the prophet of Allah, whether positive or negative. But you can try calligraphy.

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Angry at the modern world for my own lack of taste.

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