ABSTRACT
Understanding the opposition of Islam to the animation of objects requires understanding the social conditions of the Arab community at the advent of Islam and the changes that the Prophet Muhammad sought to bring about within his cultural and social contexts. Islam opposed idol worship and pagan rituals. This might be seen as the root of Islam’s opposition to any form of animism and animation of objects. The puppet shows that emerged or developed in the Islamic world are mainly shadow plays. Because of the shadow’s allegorical imagery and difference from puppets that are concrete objects, along with the later help of Islamic ontology and philosophical debates, it was possible to break free of religious restrictions to a large extent. This chapter is a historical study and seeks to uncover the reasons for the prohibitions of Islam against animism and animating objects, the effects they have had on the development of puppetry in the Islamic world, and the factors that have led to overcoming these limitations and developing forms of puppetry in the Islamic world.
