Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mufti Shaikh Abdul Aziz Al ash-Shaikh criticizes the screening of the Iranian movie 'Mohammad, The Messenger of God', which was released in Iran last week.

He said the film is not permitted from a religious point of view, according to Gulf News.

"Prophet Mohammad, Peace Be Upon Him, has well-known and specific physical traits and moral qualities, and the movie makers insist on something that is not realistic," he said. "The Prophet is well above the movie. This film is a sacrilege and it distorts Islam," he said in remarks published by the London-based Al Hayat daily.

The state-sponsored movie 'Mohammad, Messenger of God' is a film about the prophet's childhood. The 171-minutes movie never shows his face, but depicts Mohammad by showing the back of his head.

The religious blockbuster has been widely criticized by Sunni Islamic clerics, who claim that trying to depict Prophet Mohammad is forbidden. They called for a ban on the movie.

Read the story via Gulf News.