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Outrage Over Statues of Prophet Mohammed and His Family

The 11th of February 2026 marked a historic moment. The Riser of the Family of Mohammed, Abdullah Hashem Aba Al-Sadiq, announced to the world on his YouTube channel, The Mahdi Has Appeared,  his intention to establish ‘The Museum of Mohammed and His Household’; stating that over the coming months works of art commemorating Mohammed, his Household and the Prophets and Messengers will be added to the existing trove of works currently inhabiting Webb House. 


The announcement, documented in a 54 minute video with the title The Mahdi opens the Museum of Mohammed & His Family, was highlighted with the revelation of six marble depictions of the members of the family of Mohammed; Prophet Mohammed, Fatimah Al-Zahra the daughter of Mohammed, Ali ibn Abi Talib the cousin and son-in-law of Mohammed, Al-Hassan the grandson of Mohammed and finally Al-Hussein with his infant son Abdullah in his arm, both martyred in Karbala.



"A'isha reported that Allah's Apostle went out one morning wearing a striped cloak of the black camel's hair, and there came Al-Hassan ibn Ali. He wrapped him under it, then came Al-Hussein and he wrapped him under it along with the other one (Al-Hassan). Then came Fatimah and he took her under it, then came 'Ali and he also took him under it and then said: Allah only desires to take away any uncleanliness from you, O people of the household, and purify you (thorough purifying)." (Sahih Muslim, Muslim ibn Al-Hajjaj Al-Naysaburi, Book 44, Hadith 91)

These statues, commissioned by Abdullah Hashem Aba Al-Sadiq for the very first time in history, give anyone the chance to take a glimpse into the past through the life-size portrayals of these six historic figures. The world has effectively been deprived of gazing upon their images for approximately 1,400 years. The Muslims have adopted the belief that having statues facilitates and constitutes polytheism and therefore cannot be permissible in Islam. This belief is based on interpretations of narrations of Prophet Mohammed, which tend to be used to justify a very narrow-minded and almost hypocritical view of the world. For example:

Narrated `Aisha: Um Habiba and Um Salama mentioned a church they had seen in Ethiopia and in the church there were pictures. When they told the Prophet of this, he said, "Those people are such that if a pious man amongst them died, they build a place of worship over his grave and paint these pictures in it. Those people will be Allah's worst creatures on the Day of Resurrection." (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Al-Bukhari, Book of Merits of the Helpers in Madinah, Hadith No. 3873)

Anas b. Malik said: I was sitting with Ibn 'Abbas when he gave religious verdicts but he did not say that it was Allah's Messenger who had said that. However when a man said to him (Ibn 'Abbas): I am the painter of these pictures. Ibn 'Abbas said: I heard Allah's Messenger as saying: He who painted pictures in the world would be compelled to breathe soul in them on the Day of Resurrection, but he would not be able to breathe soul (in them). (Sahih Muslim, Muslim ibn Al-Hajjaj Al-Naysaburi, Book 37, Hadith 153)

The narrations referring to paintings must be reassessed in light of the world in which we live, where we have various depictions of Muslims filmed in various movie and TV productions, and more importantly, the wider use of photography, whether personal or otherwise. With the advent of smartphone technology and social media, this is even more exaggerated and thus must be addressed so that the Muslim indoctrinated view that pictures of people are forbidden does not construe hypocrisy. If it is indeed forbidden to display images of a person, then this must also apply to the contemporary use of technologies for that very purpose; otherwise, it becomes a meaningless ruling that is only relevant to a particular time or people. If the purpose of the ruling is to prevent idol worship, then the use of modern technology to capture the images (moving or still) of individuals is more expedient for that function. Certain individuals from history have been idolised, and today, the Muslims look to particular people with great reverence and adoration, whether leaders, clerics, scholars or philosophers; this must be examined with great scrutiny in light of the subject of this article.


This last narration is used to justify the Sunni Muslim view that all statues must be destroyed since they automatically constitute polytheism due to the people in the past worshipping the statues instead of God. This assumption is not corroborated in the Qur’an anywhere. More importantly, where the Muslims have taken the narrations of Prophet Mohammed to support this view, there is no compelling evidence to show that this was ever a part of the doctrine. The only known incident where the Prophet Mohammed took a firm stance is when we see him entering the Kaaba when he returned to Mecca and destroyed the idols that had been taken as gods to be worshipped by the people of the time. Mecca was well known for the worship of all kinds of idols and, in fact, the elites of Mecca had made their fortunes from trade associated with the various pilgrimages of the various groups worshipping these very idols whatever material they were made from. These idols were also made and sold in Mecca to the religious tourists descending upon the city for their differing pilgrimages. One of the main reasons why the elites of Mecca went to war with Prophet Mohammed was the fact that he called to One Almighty unseen God and this alone dismantled their generations-old business heritage and monopolies in Mecca.


With this all in mind, we have seen - off the back of this understanding - reactions generated by this video and any clips taken from it on social media being quite aggressive, and that’s putting it mildly. Some have deemed it appropriate to declare their violent intentions, and some even resort to making death threats.


In response to these comments, messages and all other so-called Muslim views on this and many other issues, which they tend to object to, like the matter of wearing the hijab amongst many others, we say what the Family of Prophet Mohammed have made clear this matter. Here are some examples of what the Imams said and the fact that the same thing is reiterated in so many different ways makes it unquestionable.


Imam Al-Sadiq stated: “If the Riser rises he shall call the people to a new Islam, and he shall guide them to a matter that was lost and that the people strayed from, and verily the Riser was called a Mahdi [a Guide] because he guides to a matter which is lost, and he was called a Riser because he rises with the truth.” (Bihar Al-Anwar, Al-Allamah Al-Majlisi, Vol. 51, p. 30)

Imam Al-Baqir said: “If the Riser/Qaim rises he shall destroy everything that came before him, just as the Prophet of Allah did, and he shall establish a new Islam.” (Kitab Al-Ghayba (Book of Occultation), Al-Numani, Vol. 1, p. 236)

All these narrations indicate that the Muslims will lose the essence and meaning of their religion - Islam. This is also confirmed by a narration from Prophet Mohammed in which he confirms that the Muslims completely lose their religion and what remains is but a shell.


‘Ali reported the Messenger of God as saying: “A time is soon coming to mankind when nothing of Islam but its name will remain and only the written form of the Qur’an will remain. Their mosques will be in fine condition but will be devoid of guidance, their learned men will be the worst people under heaven, corruption coming forth from them and returning among them.” (Mishkat Al-Masabih, Muhammad ibn ʻAbd Allah Khatib al-Tibrizi, Hadith No. 276)

It is abundantly clear from all these narrations that what we have today is a set of warped doctrines driving people to take offence based on misguided opinions and understandings. This last narration specifically gives an indication of the condition of the people following Islam; where it says “nothing of Islam but its name will remain and only the written form of the Qur’an will remain” indicates that what the Muslims are referencing as their doctrinal foundation is nothing more than superficial and meaningless. More incriminating is the section of the narration referring to their “ulama” in Arabic - translated as “the learned ones” meaning the scholars; it says “their learned men will be the worst people under heaven, corruption coming forth from them and returning among them”, this is a clear condemnation of the very people who the Muslims refer to as their guides and sources of understanding the religion as a whole. With that being said, the Qur’an gives a very clear warning on this very matter.


The Day their faces will be turned about in the Fire, they will say, "How we wish we had obeyed Allah and obeyed the Messenger." And they will say, "Our Lord, indeed we obeyed our masters and our dignitaries, and they led us astray from the [right] way. (Qur’an, Chapter 33 (Al-Ahzab), Verses 66-67)

Why is this relevant? What is the importance of pointing all of this out in the context of this article and the matter of the Qaim revealing the statues which the Muslims have taken offence to?


Ironically, today the idols worshipped by the Muslims have morphed into living, speaking idols and demons disguised as scholars and clerics viewed by the Muslims as some kind of authority over them in matters of religion and therefore they have submitted to them through obedience and as a result have fulfilled the description in the verses of the Qur’an. This obedience to these people takes them into polytheism (shirk) because the Almighty God says repeatedly “obey Allah and obey the Messenger” and this can be confirmed with a simple search. Why mention this? Because clearly, the Messenger warned against those who speak in the name of religion falsely. In fact, we actually see a multitude of Prophets and Messengers repeat this very message. Jesus berated the Pharisees. Abraham spoke and acted against his own father, Terah, and the prevailing king of the time Nimrod. These stories are well known and the Qur’an enforces the Prophets and Messengers with this command to obey the Messenger. The Messenger in every day and age will never go against the Will of God and therefore obedience to him is obedience to God. The Muslims have lost touch with this concept and it is for this very reason that Prophet Mohammed is well known to have said:


"Whoever dies without an Imam dies the death of ignorance." (Musnad Ahmed ibn Hanbal, Vol. 28, pp. 88-89)
“Whoever dies without knowing the Imam of his time dies the death of ignorance.” (Bihar Al-Anwar, Al-Allamah Al-Majlisi, Vol. 23, p. 78)

The importance and emphasis on this oath of allegiance to the Imam of the time is clearly a method by which one can ensure guidance and prevent going astray. The clear warning about dying the death of the time of ignorance is quite obviously about not being upon Islam, and this can only be prevented by knowing the Imam of the time and pledging an oath of allegiance to him, and obeying this leader. This is the most important matter Muslims have to address; otherwise, they are not upon Islam as they believe they are.


This issue has been made abundantly clear by Abdullah Hashem Aba Al-Sadiq, who raised the only black banner in all of Islamic history after Ali ibn Abi Talib, which says on it ‘Allegiance is to Allah’  in 2015. As for his unequivocal move to be the first to establish ‘The Museum Of Mohammed And His Household’ with the revelation of the six statues, this is not an act of polytheism and, rather, it is a revival of a practice of a previous Prophet, Solomon.


"And to Solomon [We subjected] the wind - its morning [journey was that of] a month - and its afternoon [journey was that of] a month, and We made flow for him a spring of [liquid] copper. And among the jinn were those who worked for him by the permission of his Lord. And whoever deviated among them from Our command - We will make him taste of the punishment of the Blaze. They made for him what he willed of elevated chambers, statues, bowls like reservoirs, and stationary kettles. [We said], "Work, O family of David, in gratitude." And few of My servants are grateful." (Qur’an, Chapter 34 (Saba), Verses 12-13)

Therefore, since Solomon is indeed a prophet, the act of erecting statues is not itself an act of polytheism, nor will it ever be. It is the act of worshipping the statues instead of the One True God which construes polytheism. Furthermore, we have already established from the Qur’an and narrations that one of the key aspects of worship is obedience, and that is the true form of polytheism when it is applied to whoever is not appointed by the Almighty God. Polytheism is the one act that God does not forgive. 


To highlight the hypocrisy of Muslims in this specific aspect we have already referred to the use of moving images and still images of people who are highly revered, like religious or political leaders. We also have a glaring example of their hypocrisy in the example set by the Shia Muslims of Iraq with their glorification of their scholar, poets and figures of the seminary in Najaf with wax statues in the Wax Museum of Figures at the Palace of Culture in central Kufa. This seems to be a repetition of what was originally established in 2012 as reported more widely previously with the same sorts of objections we see directed at the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light today. It is a very sad reflection on the condition of the Muslims that they would take offence at statues commemorating the Prophet Mohammed and his Family but are proud to display statues of less significant people from their history, as reported in this article by Millenium News 24/7. Based on their own logic they are accepting of worship or polytheism through statues when the statue depicts a political leader like Gamal Abdel Nasser or Mustafa Kemal Atatürk; but it is unforgivable if it depicts the Prophet Mohammed or members of his Holy Household.


The Divine Just State magazine would like to take this opportunity to declare openly and clearly that it is not a facet of belief for the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light to worship anything or anyone other than the Almighty God; and it is on this very premise that the banner of this religion is the banner of Mohammed and his Family, the banner of ‘Allegiance is to Allah’. Allegiance is to Allah alone.


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