Prophet Muhammad preaches after the Battle of the Ditch

Title: ProphetClose Tooltipprophetan intermediary who speaks to humanity on behalf of God. Muhammad preaches after the Battle of the Ditch, from the Athar al-Muzaffar (The Exploits of the Victorious) by Nizam al-Din Muzaffar Astarabadi

Type: ManuscriptClose Tooltipmanuscript[man-yoo-skript]a handwritten text.

Associated Religious Tradition: Islam

Origins

• Geography: Probably Qazvin, IranClose TooltipIran[E-rAn]a country in the Middle East.
• Period: 1567 (975 AH)

Physical Properties

• Material: Opaque watercolor, ink, and gold on paper
• Dimensions: H × W: 24.2 × 17.1 cm (9 1/2 × 6 3/4 in)

Crediting Information

• Collection: Arthur M. Sackler Collection
• Credit Line: Purchase—Smithsonian Unrestricted Trust Funds, Smithsonian Collections Acquisition Program, and Dr. Arthur M. Sackler
• Accession Number: S1986.282

Led by the ProphetClose Tooltipprophetan intermediary who speaks to humanity on behalf of God. Muhammad, the Battle of the Ditch was an early Muslim victory against the QurayshClose TooltipQuraysh[koo-RAYSH]name of a confederation of Arab tribes that controlled Mecca and were guardians of the Ka’ba. tribe, which controlled MeccaClose TooltipMecca[MEK-uh]Makka or Makkah [MAK-kuh] – the holiest site in Islam, located in the Hijaz region in the western part of present-day Saudi Arabia. The Ka’ba is located in Mecca., and their confederation of allies. The confrontation helped to establish the religious and political power of the nascent Muslim community that settled in MedinaClose TooltipMedina[ma-DEE-na]the second holiest site in Islam, which is some 270 miles north of Mecca. The Prophet fled from Mecca to Medina in 622, which also marks the beginning of the Muslim calendar. Here, he established the Muslim community (ummah). The Prophet is also buried in Medina. after 622. After several encounters between Muslims and local tribes, in 627 the Quraysh amassed an army of ten thousand men to attack Medina and the Muslim community, which was seen as a threat to the Meccans.

As the Muslims were greatly outnumbered, the Prophet Muhammad came up with a new tactic on the advice of Salman al-FarsiClose TooltipSalman al-Farsi[sal-MAHN al-FAHR-see]an early Persian convert to Islam and a trusted companion of the Prophet., a Persian convert. To surprise the Quraysh, who were used to short and isolated raids, the Prophet instructed his followers to dig a ditch around Medina to prevent the Meccans from attacking the city. The resulting siege lasted a month, the Meccans grew increasingly restless and despairing, and their forces eventually dispersed. The Prophet Muhammad used the victory of the Battle of the Ditch to negotiate concessions for the Muslims, especially as the Meccans had grown tired of warfare and were concerned about its impact on Meccan trade.

This folioClose Tooltipfoliothe back and front of a leaf in a book; the term is usually used in the context of handwritten manuscripts. page – refers to only one side of a leaf and is used in the context of printed books. is from a copy of Athar al-Muzaffar (The Exploits of the Victorious), a Shi’i biography of the ProphetClose Tooltipprophetan intermediary who speaks to humanity on behalf of God. Muhammad by Nizam al-Din Muzaffar Astarabadi. It was written and illustrated in 1567 in Qazvin, the second capital of the Safavid dynasty (1501–1722). The text is in versified prose, which has been divided into four columns and recounts the story of the Prophet preaching about the Battle of the Ditch.

In the painting, he stands at the top of a minbarClose Tooltipminbar[MIN-bar]a pulpit, usually with stairs, in a mosque from which to deliver sermons., a staired pulpit where prayer leaders deliver sermons. A group of eager and spellbound listeners are seated in a semicircle around the minbar. To indicate his sanctity and his prophetic status, the Prophet Muhammad’s head is surrounded by a nimbusClose Tooltipnimbusa flickering “cloud” of flames surrounding the head of a prophet to suggest sanctity. of flickering flames, which reach into the margin of the composition (see also Angels bow before Adam and Eve in Paradise for another use of the nimbus). In addition, a white cloth covers the Prophet’s face, transforming it into a pool of light and a reflection of divine wisdom and luminosity. The Prophet is dressed in a characteristic green robe and gestures to a seated person closest to him, whose head is also framed by a nimbus. The person represents Imam Ali, the Prophet’s cousin, son-in-law, and the leader of the Shi’i branch of Islam, which the SafavidsClose TooltipSafavids[SAF-uh-vidz]a dynasty that ruled over modern-day Iran and part of Afghanistan from 1501 to 1722. adopted as the state religion of IranClose TooltipIran[E-rAn]a country in the Middle East. in 1501. Painted in opaque watercolors and gold on paper, the scene takes place in a simple landscape, which keeps the viewer’s attention on the figure of the Prophet and his animated companions.

In recent decades, figural imagery in Islam has been subject to considerable debate and controversy. Contrary to common assumption, figural imagery has been prevalent in parts of the Islamic world since the inception of Islam in the seventh century. The images are confined, however, to works of art associated ONLY with non-religious functions and secular contexts. Astarabadi’s biography of the ProphetClose Tooltipprophetan intermediary who speaks to humanity on behalf of God., which originally included this painting, for example, is a work in Persian verse that was meant to explain and outline the life and deeds of the Prophet. Whether illustrated or non-illustrated, such volumes were written to recount for different communities the origins of Islam as well as the Prophet Muhammad’s life and struggles. Most importantly, the accompanying images were not intended to be worshiped but used visually to strengthen certain key teaching points.

Some of the debate around figural imagery in Islam stem from the language in the Qur’an and then in the hadiths—a body of traditions based on accounts and recollections of the Prophet Muhammad’s followers compiled after his death in 632. The Qur’an clearly condemns idolatry and idols (i.e., three-dimensional sculptural forms) and their makers, who are seen as competing with God. Disapproval of two-dimensional figural representation (i.e., painting or design on other materials) also appears in the hadiths. Some accounts claim that the makers of all images will be punished on the Day of Judgement. Others state how the Prophet prevented the destruction of an image of the Virgin and Child, which allegedly was painted inside the Ka’ba at MeccaClose TooltipMecca[MEK-uh]Makka or Makkah [MAK-kuh] – the holiest site in Islam, located in the Hijaz region in the western part of present-day Saudi Arabia. The Ka’ba is located in Mecca. when it was still a pagan temple.

In view of the diversity of Islamic belief, at certain periods and among certain communities (especially among those with more conservative perspectives), the prohibition against figural imagery was and continues to be more strongly enforced than in others. The disapproval and absence of representations of the natural world (including humans) or divine beings is called aniconism and has occurred in other monotheistic religious traditions as well.

1. What do you see as you look at this painting? What are some of the most unusual features? How many different patterns do you notice? What do you notice about the colors? What kind of paints were used to make the artwork?
2. Describe the position and placement of the figures in the image. How many figures have their faces covered? Why do you think they are drawn in this special way?
3. What do you think is happening in this scene? What seems to be the mood of the people in the image? What does the sense of movement that the artist gave these figures convey about the action of this scene?

1. What does this image convey to you about Muslim attitudes about the ProphetClose Tooltipprophetan intermediary who speaks to humanity on behalf of God. Muhammad? What do Muslims believe about the Prophet? Why is the Prophet so important to Muslims? How does reverence for the Prophet foster a sense of belonging and community among Muslims?
2. Who is someone you look up to, listen to, and revere in your life? What makes them a great leader and role model?

Ansary, Mir Tamim. Destiny Disrupted: A History of the World through Islamic Eyes. New York: Public Affairs, 2009. Pp. 27–31.

Department of Islamic Art. “Figural Representation in Islamic Art.” Metropolitan Museum of Art. October 2001. https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/figs/hd_figs.htm

Gruber, Christiane, ed. The Image Debate: Figural Representation in Islam and Across the World. London: Gingko, 2019.

Gruber, Christiane. The Praiseworthy One: The ProphetClose Tooltipprophetan intermediary who speaks to humanity on behalf of God. Muhammad in Texts and Images. Bloomington: University of Indiana Press, 2018.

Rührdanz, Karin. “The Illustrated ManuscriptClose Tooltipmanuscript[man-yoo-skript]a handwritten text. of Athar al-Muzaffar: A History of the Prophet.” In Persian Painting from the Mongols to the Qajars: Studies in Honour of Basil W. Robinson, edited by Robert Hillenbrand. London: I.B. Tauris, 2000. Pp. 201–16.

Shaw, Wendy. “The Islamic Image.” In What is “Islamic” Art? Between Religion and Perception. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2019. Pp. 33–56.