Aniconism in Islamic Art

The teachings of Islam discourage the illustrations and possessions of living beings. This is why one will find that there is very little to no representation of living beings that can be found in Islamic art. There are a few reasons for this which I will explain briefly.

1. The first reason is related to Islam being a Monotheistic religion (Belief that there is only one God). This message was spread by every prophet since Prophet Adam (AS). Previous generations of Muslims (before the coming of Prophet Muhammad [PBUH]) had created sculptures and illustrations of Allah and the Prophets/ Messengers that they eventually started worshipping, instead of Allah. Idol worship is completely prohibited.

2. The second reason is related to Allah being the only creator of life. There are many Ahadith (sayings of Prophet Muhammad [PBUH]) that mention the prohibiting of creating any form of a living being, for which, the punishment from Allah will be tormented in the afterlife. It is also mentioned that prayers will be accepted from the person who adorns their body or area of prayer with images of living being.

3. The third reason deals with the association of magic and talismans with the creation of figures. Illustrations of humans and animals were used to assist the process of mediation with Jinn (evil spirits) to perform acts of magic and used for various talismanic purposes. Mediation of Jinn is extremely prohibited regardless of the reason (help with protection, harming others, cursing other...).