Did the Dayak Chief christen the giant pearl as the “Pearl of Allah” ?
Again, the reverence with which the stone was held by the Dayaks, and subsequently christening it as the “Pearl of Allah” have been called into question by historians, who believe that if the Dayaks were Muslims they would not have given any undue respect to a pearl just because it appeared like a turbaned and bearded Muslim. Islam forbids the visual representation of the Holy Prophet Muhammad in any form, either as a drawing, a painting or sculpture, lest that people would ascribe divinity to the Prophet and begin worshipping him, instead of the almighty Allah who is divine and deserves to be worshipped. Thus the story that the pearl appeared like a representation of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, and hence was called the “Pearl of Allah” by the Dayak chief, appears to be a fabrication. In fact the Dayak chief did not regard the pearl as a religious artifact, and had no special regard or reverence for it. That was precisely the reason why he decided to part with the pearl, when his son wa
