While reading through the Wikipedia page of the movie The Message, I landed on a page about the depictions of Muhammad, and had a few thoughts. Islamic tradition generally is against depictions of the prophet for a few reasons, mainly: to not promote polytheism, to differentiate from other religious traditions, and of course, out of respect.

However, I think that, over time, these rules have become more strict and preserved for symbolic reasons rather than actually upholding the true meaning of why this tradition came to be in the first place. The volume of practices that promote polytheism across Muslim communities in different aspects is absurdly and ironically high, thus defeating the purpose of this tradition. I have been a witness to these practices numerous times.

In the religious texts, Muhammad has been, uncompromisingly and deliberately, depicted as a human being just like any other one in his time. Therefore, I believe that his depictions must be celebrated by those who believe him to be a prophet and share the same faith, and one should be encouraged to see, and to understand these works of art.