Is there such a thing as Mullah Cards?

In the way that Jews have Rabbi collectible cards, do Muslims have Mullah or Imam cards? Or would that be against Islam?

I didn’t even know there was such a thing as Rabbi Trading Cards, but apparently there is!

However, given that they were invented about 20 years ago by an Orthodox Jewish accountant and seem to be still pretty much a niche item, my guess would be that no copycat product for Muslim mullahs has been attempted.

Oh, and Islamic scholars disagree as to whether depictions of imams (historical or contemporary) are permissible. Shi`a Muslims seem to be more likely to accept such pictures than Sunnis, especially hardcore Salafi-type Sunnis. Anyway, there are definitely lots of such depictions in existence.

I think it has been suggested that the very iconoclastic strain of Islam that produced the blanket bans on the depiction of Muhammad came about from Islamic contact with very iconoclastic Christian sects in Anatolia.

I believe Shi’a sects will venerate images of imams, martyrs, and saints, and I have heard Sunnis accuse Shia of being heterodox by praying to Islamic saints for intercession, so I can imagine that this type of thing might be more acceptable in Shia lands.

One thing I’m curious about is images of Jesus. Are they generally allowed to be displayed, even by some of the more hardcore Sunni sects? I know for a fact they have Jesus portraits in stores and whatnot in Lebanon, and I have not heard of either the Sunnis or Shia there getting upset about it. What would be the justification for banning images of Muhammad but not of Jesus (or any of the other prophets, for that matter)?

I have read of cards traded in Palestine and neighboring areas that bear the likeness of “martyrs and mullahs” (suicide bombers and the radical clergy who encourage them, IIUC), but not any place I’d consider reliable. ertainly nothing like the “Torah Personalities" cards.

FWIW, Islam does not forbid pictures of the prophet, much less anyone else. That’s a limited and relatively recent development.

And “Jews” don’t have Rabbi collectible cards – I dare say that few have even heard of them.

I remember brightly colored cards with pictures of saints from my RC girlhood. Many people do–there are books about those little gems. In fact, there are collectors out there.

Could it be that they’ve morphed into Trading Cards? Of course!

Rabbi trading cards! That’s one of the funniest things I’ve read on the Dope. :slight_smile:

Could you play Top Trumps with them, pitting your Business Acumen score against another’s Piety score?

Heck yeah, you can get a DVD of an Islamic biopic of Jesus (“Prophet Isa”). (Watch the trailer! Dig the funky Roman soldier helmets!)

Hardcore radical Sunni sects frown upon any depiction of living/ensouled being. Part of the reason for the prohibition is fear that images lead to idolatry or imagining that the imaged being actually is God. Muslims figure that that mistake has already been made by Christians with respect to Jesus, and they don’t want Muslims to make it with respect to Muhammad, so depictions of Muhammad are emphasized in the prohibition.

But not every Muslim is a hardcore radical Sunni, so there are plenty of depictions of Jesus and other prophets out there.

For those who have expressed doubt about the existence of Rabbi cards, here’s an article.

Back to the OP – So there’s no such thing as Mullah Cards?