Hello! I'm planning out a comic essentially based in the real world, and I have this idea for a scene where there is a vision appears before a Muslim character, and they are led to believe it is Allah (or possibly a Prophet). I know that you can't depict Allah or the Prophets in images, however, the apparition is neither Allah nor a Prophet; the person merely sees what they want to see at the time. Another Muslim character tries to point this fact out to them...(1/2)
But since they believe it is Allah, would it be improper of me to draw the apparition as a person? Thank you for your time and consideration (I’m very grateful for this blog)!
Vision of Allah appearing to Devout Muslim Character
This does not work for me as a fantasy reader because if this character is a devout Muslim she would already be thinking of Allah as a noncorporeal being, not something you could draw anyway. If the Plot Monster is appearing to you in the form that’ll look like what you want to see, it’s not going to show her something that contradicts that, right? Something you could draw at all would contradict her conception of Allah automatically.
Look at it this way: Jesus was not white. But if Plot Monster is appearing to a Christian girl who didn’t know that, who’s used to seeing White Jesus in the images in her church, it would appear as White Jesus. It’s going to appear in the form that’s actually going on in the person’s head. Otherwise you’ve lost the whole point of “appears as whatever the person wants to see at the time.”
–Shira
I would just add that this entire device in the plot is improbable. As Shira pointed out already, Muslims do not think of Allah in tangible, human terms. Muslims are also adverse to imposing their own assumptions or presentation on the idea of any prophets, which is why you do not see icons of any sorts in masjids apart from calligraphy. It’s both respect and a desire to stay away from creating a system of idolatry. A Muslim falling for this, having to be convinced OUT of seeing God, is simply not going to happen. If anything, anyone who was presented with a vision claiming to be God or a prophet would likely say the invocation that can be translated as, “I seek refuge from the Devil” - because they would think that Satan was playing games with them.
-Mod Kaye
