The Wisdom Behind Not Showing Prophets’ Faces Is Often Missed

Salaam everyone. I wanted to share a thought that’s been on my mind. The way prophets like Isa (peace be upon him) and Musa (peace be upon him) are usually depicted comes from a very European-centered view, and honestly, it’s caused a lot of harm. When they’re shown as a certain race and that becomes the “normal” image, it quietly backs up ideas of white superiority-like God chose white people to guide and “civilize” everyone else, which is just wrong. A lot of Christians say “you can picture Jesus however you like,” but when someone shows a more historically accurate look, many get upset. It shows that plenty of them have a fixed image in their head, and anything different feels like a threat to their whole worldview. It’s like they can’t accept that a non-white man could be loved and honored by the Creator-unless he’s just another follower behind a white leader. I sometimes think, if we Muslims didn’t have the rule against showing Prophet Muhammad’s (peace be upon him) face, and if Islam stayed mostly away from Western influence, maybe we’d see something similar with Arab supremacy creeping in. Because deep down, everyone likes to feel like they’re the chosen ones. Alhamdulillah for the wisdom in our tradition.