A’isha’s curtain with images

A'isha reported: Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) visited me and I had a shelf with a thin cloth curtain hangig over it and on which there were portraits. No sooner did he see it than he tore it and the colour of his face underwent a change and he said: A'isha, the most grievous torment from the Hand of Allah on the Day of Resurrection would be for those who imitate (Allah) in the act of His creation.

Muslim Sahih 24 5261.

The Quran does not make/include an explicit prohibition of images. On the contrary, the hadiths make references indirectly by relating facts and the words of the Prophet on a variety of subjects, such as the places of worship or the conditions for making a prayer. In the hadith transmitted by 'A'isha, the Prophet’s dislike for the images decorating the cushions of his very young wife is explained by the provocative and inexcusable act of the artist having defied God. Only God is the creator, only he can create and give shape to beings and give them life. Because of his impudence, the artist was severely punished on the day of the Resurrection.

Persian miniature (early 14th c.)

Persian miniature (early 14th c.).
Wikimedia Commons. Usable under the conditions of the GNU Free Documentation License.
Public domain. Image under URL: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/...the_angel_Gabriel.jpg (19/12/2014)

Six centuries after the birth of Islam, scenes from the life of the Prophet appeared in Persian miniatures. This remarkable "innovation", sometimes qualified as a "miracle", was achieved in Iran under the Islamized Mongol dynasties. The splendour of the princely courts and patronage encouraged the production of miniatures as those illustrating the Compendium of Chronicles by Rashid al-Din (who died in 1318). The author of this "universal history" was a Persian doctor of Jewish decent and co-vizir of Ghazan Khan, Mongol ruler of Tabriz, who converted to Islam. The face of the Prophet is no longer hidden and we can distinguish the characteristics of his face and his beard. His clothing is shown and we can even see his shoes.

Excerpts from The Message (Moustapha Akkad)

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5dwli_le-message-el-risala-le-film-1-9_news

The 'ulama' had to adapt to the increasing production of images (posters, photography, cinema and television). Since 1922 fatwas have legitimized fine arts (1922), while another did the same for photography. A fatwa by al-Azhar allowed the making of the religious film Message (Al-Risala) by Mustapha al-Aqqad (1976-77). In the two versions of the film, one Arab, one American, the Syrian-American filmmaker was forced to not represent the Prophet and his son-in-law 'Ali. In order to circumvent the ban, the scenes with both figures were filmed using a subjective camera (POV shot). The film was banned in Saudi Arabia and religious fundamentalists issued warnings against the filmmaker.

The position of Egyptian sheikh Yusuf Qaradawi on images

1) T he most strictly prohibited figures are those that are created to be worshiped in place of God and instead of God. Whoever intentionally does it for this purpose becomes a disbeliever*. The most detestable figures among these figures are the statues. Anyone who takes part in their creation or glorification commits a sin that is proportionate to his participation.
2) Then come in severity the figures that are not created to be worshiped, but are created with the intention of imitating the creation of Allah. If the artist claims that he creates as Allah does, he is a disbeliever*. This depends solely on the intention of the artist.
3) Then come the statues erected on public places to commemorate great personalities such as kings, leaders and famous people; this applies to whole statues and busts.
4) Then come the statues of living beings that are neither worshiped nor revered. There is a general consensus that they are illegal, except those that are not treated with respect, such as dolls with which children play, or chocolate figures or sugar figures made to be eaten.
5) Then come the portraits of great characters such as rulers and political leaders, especially when they are publicly displayed or hung on the walls. Portraits of tyrants, atheists and immoral individuals are strongly prohibited because the respect shown to them diminishes Islam.
6) Then come the images of people or animals that are not given respect, but are manifestations of luxury and refined life, for example when they cover a wall or something similar. These images are solely classified as detestable.
7) It is lawful to make and acquire drawings or paintings of trees, lakes, boats, mountains, landscapes or something similar. However, if they distract from worship or lead to an extravagant life, they are deprecated.
8) The photographs are accepted in principle. They only become illegal when their subject is illegal, for example in the case of idols or individuals revered because of their religious or social position, especially when they are miscreants or depraved, such as idolaters, Communists and immoral artists.

*Disbeliever: kāfir in Arabic, also called “infidel”; does not believe in Allah, refuses Islam or offends Islam. According to the Quran, the disbeliever will receive the ultimate punishment at the Last Judgment.

The Lawful and the Prohibited in Islam, ed. 2013, Islamic Book Trust, Selangot, Malaysia, p. 126-127.

The question of images sometimes provokes strong reactions in the Muslim world, for example, after the publication of the Danish caricatures of the Prophet in 2006, and after the screenings in Arabic of the 2007 film Persepolis in 2011 in Tunis, when Salafists expressed violently their anger against the blasphemous representation of God. The strictest fundamentalist jurists outlawed all images, not only those at risk of idolatry. Others, such as the Egyptian jurist-theologian Yusuf Qaradawi, considered a “moderate” Sunni, established gradations in these condemnations. Against the "western decadence", he affirmed the need for 'a return to a “pure” Islam’. In his treatise The Licit and Illicit in Islam (1960) he examined the question of images and, based on the hadiths, he promoted a very restrictive position on the use of images.