The Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta' (al-Lajnah ad-Da'imah) has ruled that it is haram (forbidden) to produce or circulate images purporting to be of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), or any of the Prophets and Messengers.

The primary reason for this prohibition is to act as a barrier (sadd ad-dhara'i') against the means that lead to shirk (polytheism). The scholars explain that the first instance of shirk in humanity occurred among the people of Prophet Nuh (Noah), when they made images and statues of righteous men who had passed away (Wadd, Suwa', Yaghuth, etc.) in order to remember them. Over time, the reason for the images was forgotten, and people began to worship the images themselves.

A second crucial reason is that no one knows the exact appearance of the Prophet (ﷺ). The descriptions in the hadith provide an idea of his noble features but are not sufficient to create an accurate portrait. Therefore, any image would be based on imagination and conjecture, which amounts to a form of lying about the Prophet (ﷺ), and it opens the door to people depicting him in a manner that is disrespectful or does not befit his high status.

Furthermore, the prohibition is an extension of the general prohibition in the Sunnah on making images of animate beings (tasweer). The hadith evidence for this is extensive, with the Prophet (ﷺ) stating that the makers of images will be among those most severely punished on the Day of Resurrection, and that the angels of mercy do not enter a house containing an image. Protecting the image and status of the prophets is of the utmost importance to safeguarding the core message of Tawhid (pure monotheism).