For those wondering what the debate is like among Muslim scholars over the new Russell Crowe film Noah, this is an Islamic analysis of whether the film violates an injunction against ‘personifying The Prophets in art.’ Noah is – like Abraham, Moses and Jesus – a saint and prophet, so the film is just as touchy form Muslims as it is for Christians or Jews. According to this column from Egypt’s Al-Mogaz by Sheikh Dr. Mostafa Rashid, an Azeri cleric and professor of sharia law from Egypt’s Al Azhar Al-Sharif University, while some Muslim clerics have sited such an injunction, none such injunction exists, and those who claim there is one ‘undermine the image of Allah and Allah’s trust in His Prophets.’
For Al-Mogaz, Sheikh Dr. Mostafa Rashid writes in part:
Various opinions have emerged rejecting the film, which personifies the Prophet Noah, and have reaffirmed the prohibition on personifying The Prophets in art. There have been various reasons given for upholding the prohibition.
With all due respect to the aforementioned opinions, let us discuss and respond in turn to each one, based scientifically with reference to Sharia evidence. To those who base their opinion to – what they claim – is the unanimous consensus of clerical Islamic canonists, we say this claim is incorrect. Never has there been such a unanimous consensus in any era or age. Or else, do point to the specific incident in time wherein all of the world’s Islamic clerics met and made such a decision. It would be more accurate to say that this is a claim by a majority of clerics. However, that does not grant an absolute right to the validity of this opinion, since these are human opinions and to err is human. The door to juristic discretion and interpretation cannot be closed.
Our opinion is that under Islamic law, there is no valid prohibition on personifying The Prophets in art. It would be unreasonable to suggest that Allah fears the evil done to his Prophets from a mere film. The claim of unlawfulness and prohibition undermines the image of Allah and Allah’s trust in His Prophets.
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