"Muhammad Revives the Sick Boy", Folio from a Falnama (Book of Omens) of Ja'far al-Sadiq

Unknown

1550s · Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper · Islamic Art

This illustration belonged to a Falnama, or book of divination, which was used to predict the future and tell fortunes. Once believed to be a depiction of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, the subject matter has now been identified as an event from the life of the Prophet Muhammad, who is shown veiled (a pictorial convention not applied to Jesus in the Islamic tradition). The illustration narrates the story of an old woman named Umm Mabid, shown crouching in the foreground, who begs Muhammad to heal her son. Muhammad is shown veiled and haloed in the center, healing the boy as onlookers watch in awe.

Artist

Unknown

Date

1550s

Medium

Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper

Department

Islamic Art

Credit line

Purchase, Francis M. Weld Gift, 1950