صور
Ṣuwar
Topic
Why many Muslims avoid images of the Prophet, and why the Danish cartoons of 2005–06 caused such anger.
What it means
Islamic tradition discourages depicting prophets and worshipping images, as a safeguard against idolatry. Many hadith warn against picture-makers (Sahih al-Bukhari). Pictures of the Prophet were nonetheless painted in some Persian and Ottoman manuscripts, with the face veiled or left blank in later periods. In 2005 a Danish newspaper printed cartoons mocking the Prophet and there were protests in many countries, some violent.
Often misunderstood as
That Islam demands violence in answer to insult.
What the sources say
The Quran says to leave those who mock (4:140, 6:68), and the Prophet bore insults with patience. Many Muslim scholars and organisations condemned the violent reaction, which they said did more harm to the Prophet’s reputation than the cartoons.