Why do Muslims not put up statues, not even of famous Muslims?

Statues have always been, above all, images of imagined gods. Islam forbids them to protect people from idol worship and superstition and to keep faith in the one God pure.

At the time of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw), statues were built mainly for imagined gods. In many parts of the world this is still the case today. Anyone visiting such countries will see figures of stone, wood or clay before which people bow and to which they bring offerings.

This is exactly why Islam keeps its distance from statues. They can lead people step by step into idol worship. It does not happen overnight. First the image of a revered person is honoured. Later it is credited with some special power. In the end people bow before it. The verse above shows Abraham (as) asking his people why they were so devoted to their images.

This danger is not imaginary. There is a strong pull towards superstition in human nature. Even on television there are stories in which statues suddenly come to life and possess good or evil powers. Such images shape how many people think. Putting up statues gives this superstition new food.

The same applies to statues of famous Muslims. Their merits are best honoured by following their example, not by raising a monument before which later generations might bow. Faith in the one, unseen God is the heart of Islam. Anything that could cloud it is therefore kept away.