Mel: "Paintings show us how ISLAM EVOLVED!"

Mel introduces a completely new way to find how Islam evolved, this time the theological prohibition of images. His solution? Simply follow the art and you can see how Islam changed in its views on imagery. To begin with Islam, according to the Standard Islamic Narrative (SIN), from the time of the prophet Muhammad in the 7th century, there was a total ban on any imagery, as it was considered idolatrous, possibly a reaction against the popular imagery which we find in Christianity right through the centuries. Yet, Mel noted, there is no prohibition of drawings or even showing of images in the Qur'an. In fact it isn't until we look at the 9th century Hadith that we find a prohibition of any images, though it is these Hadith which claim that this prohibition was in place during Muhammad's time. The odd thing is that when we look at the artifacts from the 8th century we find that there were images everywhere, especially in the palaces of the Caliphs, where one can find paintings, murals, mosaics, and statues of people and animals in abundance, suggesting that iconography was alive and well for over 100 years after Muhammad's death, but these would then contradict the SIN. Dr Beatrice Leal, a leading expert on Islamic art, notes that while no images can be found in mosques, because those were designated buildings for prayer, they were certainly in existence in the palaces. In fact, she found that this practice continued from the 730s right up through the 840s, completely contradicting what the later SIN claims. As examples, in this episode Mel pointed to a naked bathing scene and a topless female in the castle of Qusayr 'Amra in Jordan (730s), as well as a statue of the naked lower torso of a female in the Al-Mushatta Palace. He also showed further paintings and statues in the Qasr al-Hayr al-Gharbi Palace in Syria, the Qasr al-Hallabat in Jordan, and the Khirbat al-Mafjar castle in Jericho (today Israel), proving that images of humans and animals was quite popular all over the middle East in the 8th century, continuing into the 9th century. Could this be simply evidence of the aristocracy living and doing what the populace weren't allowed, or positioning themselves 'above the law? Jay suggested not, but that what the Caliphs practiced, so did the common people, and that their paintings and statues would have been commonplace in the market places of these countries, but because they were smaller and cheaper, they wouldn't have lasted the test of time, unlike these larger and better preserved examples in the palaces. Once again, Mel has found yet another genre of evidence, this time paintings and statues, which completely contradict what the SIN says happened in the centuries which preceded it, proving that they are not only bereft of understanding what happened earlier, but are simply inadequate as an authority for understanding the origins of Islam. Follow Mel's arguments in this video and see if you agree...or not... © Pfander Centre for Apologetics - US, 2021 (56,790) Music: "Country Girl" by aleksound, from filmmusic-io