Chapter 11.10.
Are Pictures of Muhammad Forbidden In Islam?
While some
Muslims were outraged by a magazine printing cartoon pictures of Muhammad, we
have to step back and calmly ask, are pictures of Muhammad really forbidden in
Islam? – the answer might surprise you.
This article from AnsweringIslam.org
was written as background information for gaining a better understanding in
regard to the controversy about the Muhammad Cartoons.
Hundreds of
thousands of Muslims have been protesting, and thousands of Muslims became
violent, attacking and destroying embassies of Denmark and other countries,
issuing death threats, etc.
It seems that
the prohibition of pictures cannot be the reason. What then is really going on
here? What is the reason for thousands of Muslims to go on a rampage?
The article covers the following points on the controversy about Pictures and paintings in Islam. Contrary to what most Muslims think, it seems pictures of people or animals are not allowed, or are they?
If Muslims would
consistently follow Sharia Law in the hadiths, then it seems that they must get rid of all the
pictures in their homes. And what about all the TV sets etc. Otherwise, don't advocate
Sharia Law!
In an interesting Video by Dr Jay Smith (© Pfander Centre for
Apologetics - US, 2021) about Mel’s studies from the Early period of Islam’s
history, with the Title "Paintings show us how ISLAM
EVOLVED!"...
Mel introduces a completely new way to find how Islam evolved, this
time the theological prohibition of images. His solution? Simply follow the art
and you can see how Islam changed in its views on imagery.
To begin with Islam, according to the Standard Islamic Narrative (SIN),
from the time of the prophet Muhammad in the 7th century, there was a total ban
on any imagery, as it was considered idolatrous, possibly a reaction against
the popular imagery which we find in Christianity right through the centuries.
Yet, Mel noted, there is no prohibition of drawings or even showing of
images in the Qur'an. In fact it isn't until we look at the 9th century Hadith
that we find a prohibition of any images, though it is these Hadith which claim
that this prohibition was in place during Muhammad's time.
The odd thing is that when we look at the artefacts from the 8th century
we find that there were images everywhere, especially in the palaces of the
Caliphs, where one can find paintings, murals, mosaics, and statues of people
and animals in abundance, suggesting that iconography was alive and well for
over 100 years after Muhammad's death, but these would then contradict the SIN.
Dr Beatrice Leal, a leading expert on Islamic art, notes that while no
images can be found in mosques, because those were designated buildings for
prayer, they were certainly in existence in the palaces. In fact, she found
that this practice continued from the 730s right up through the 840s,
completely contradicting what the later SIN claims.
Could this be simply evidence of the aristocracy living and doing what the populace weren't allowed, or positioning themselves 'above the law? Jay suggested not, but that what the Caliphs practiced, so did the common people, and that their paintings and statues would have been commonplace in the market places of these countries, but because they were smaller and cheaper, they wouldn't have lasted the test of time, unlike these larger and better preserved examples in the palaces. Once again, Mel has found yet another genre of evidence, this time paintings and statues, which completely contradict what the SIN says happened in the centuries which preceded it, proving that they are not only bereft of understanding what happened earlier, but are simply inadequate as an authority for understanding the origins of Islam.
Follow Mel's arguments in this video and see if you agree...or not... © Pfander Centre for Apologetics - US, 2021
If you are interested, this series of Mel continue in following videos.
The titel of this one by Mel: "Paintings show us how MUHAMMAD evolved"!
According to SIN no images or paintings were permitted of any person, or of any living creature, and especially no images depicting Muhammad's face. Yet, according to the many paintings we find on palaces from the 7th - the 16th centuries we can find many images of Muhammad's body and even his face, proving that they were not only common, but that they were in some cases quite artistic.
Many examples of photos of Muhammad at various periods in history are shown in this video, like this one underneath.
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