 The Qu 'ran condemns idolatry , and this has led some Islamic scholars to interpret it as prohibiting figurative representation ; this is known as <unk> . However , since Islam has many centres of religious authority , opinion and tradition about this is not uniform . In popular practice today there is no general injunction against pictorial representation of people outside of religious contexts . Generally , images of Muhammad have been prohibited throughout history . In practice , images of Muhammad have been made on many occasions , generally in a restricted and socially regulated way ; for example , they are often stylised or do not show Muhammad 's face . Within Muslim communities , views about pictorial representations have varied : Shi 'a Islam has been generally tolerant of pictorial representations of human figures while Sunni Islam generally forbids any pictorial representation of living beings , albeit with some variation in practice outside a religious context . Some contemporary interpretations of Islam , such as those followed by adherents of Wahhabism , are entirely <unk> and condemn pictorial representations of any kind . 
