The Muslim religion absolutely forbids the making of statues. Though the Qur’ān has

nothing explicit to say about this matter, tradition (Hadith) attributes 17 sayings to the

Prophet Muhammad forbidding the representation of figures, whether human or animal.

For example: "Ibrahim ibn al-Mundir said, Anas ibn Ayyad said in the name of Ubayd

Allah ibn Nafa that Abd Allah ibn Omar, God's will be upon them, said that the Messenger

of God, God's prayer and blessing be upon him, said: 'Those who make these statues will

be punished on the Day of Judgment, and it will be said to them, Be what you have

made'" (Sahih al-Bukhari, vol. 3, chapter 7, p. 215).

Many Muslim scholars explain the interdiction against the representation of figures as an

effort to put a stop to idol worship that was prevalent before the coming of Islam.

Therefore, the use of imagery was limited and only allowed for decorative purposes. It was

thus permitted to paint or carve animals within a framework of geometric designs or

inscriptions in order to de-emphasize their material form. Nevertheless, at the beginning

of the Umayyad period, some artists ignored these restrictions and represented complete

animals or human beings without the accompanying decoration, such as at Khirbat al-

Mafjar in Jericho.