The ways in which Muslims see their Prophet, venerate him, conceive him historically or transhistorically, and manifest their love, and devotion for him is inscribed in history from the beginnings of Islam to the present day. Founded on the sacred texts of Islam, these ways of seeing the Prophet are expressed in very diverse manners: collections of records (traditions) about his life, his virtues and his miracles; doctrines of jurists, theologians and mystics, both Sunnis and Shias; collections of prayers, poems and songs praising him in all the languages of Islam; calligraphy and illuminations commemorating his birth and the other circumstances of his life. The history of this veneration still wait to be written and the historian must face with many difficulties while approaching this task. This presentation will try to evoke some majors as well some less studied aspects of the veneration of the prophet in Islam. A particular attention will be paid to the interaction within doctrinal Sufism and popular practice in Sunni Islam.
