Islam and Art

[cedric098]

Assalamu Aleykum my beloved brothers and sisters

It's really sad to see that aesthetic and art has not been practiced in any way in the Islamic world for a very long time... I'm sooo fond of and proud of all the islamic art that's been made in the past (esp. architecture)... For me, art is the most intellectual communication tool of a civilization which, unfortunately, requires prosperity and welfare.....And we all see how western civilization uses art (esp music,film,theater eg... well, any kind of creative activity) to convey it's messages and we all know how effective this is. Just think what we could achieve for da'waa if we had a "weapon" like Hollywood!

What I want to learn is where you place art and aesthatic in Islam ... What's halal and what's haram? I'm especially talking about the visual (any kind you can think of..., performing arts and sculpture,painting eg.) and musical arts... I' would be very glad if you support your arguments with related ayat and hadiths!

Take care, May Allah gather us all by al-kawthar around Rasulullah inshaAllah!!! May His blessings, protection and love be upon you!:arabi1:

 

[Kayote]

Assalam-u-Aliekum

Masha'Allah thats a very good question & while Im blind to the appreciation of 'todays' art, I would like to find more information about Islamic art.

From what I understand (& Insha'Allah, someone else will elaborate with The Quran & Hadith), only making living things is not allowed. Music being such a controversial topic, that would count musicals out as well.

Hope to find out more.

WaAliekum Assalam

 

[cedric098]

Weird! No one has anything to say about this? C'mon guys how come muslims are so neglectful about art and aesthatic...Some participation here!!!!

 

[Submitter]

:salam2:

Hehe to be honest, the reason I havn't replied is because I don't know enough about the subject! But no doubt some of the old Islamic architecture is amazingly beautiful. Maybe we're not so into it any more because we're past our "golden age" when Islam was at the forefront of art, medicine, astronomy, poetry, mathematics, etc? That said, I find Arabic caligraphy very beautiful and I don't see it dwindling any time soon.

 

[cedric098]

It's just disappointing that we have many pages of information, debates, ideas or whatsoever about topics like eyebrow plucking, beard, if it's okey to use tasbaah beads eg... and when it comes to major issues like philosophy, art, science ... perception of Islam and how such components of an ideal islamic civilization should be... no one has much to say! Islam will rule the world one day and there will be a civilization like never has been before! But we will have to change I suppose, to build this civilization with the help of Allah... May Allah show us the right path inshaAllah!..

 

[Mabsoot]

Wa alaykum salam, i take a keen interest in Islamic art, i also have many cool photos i hope i can share of Islamic buildings and art.

The Islamic world right now, must have its priority with first getting back to the Quran and Sunnah, from there inshaAllah other things will follow.

The only reason the Arabs were able to make nice buildings was because of Islam.

If Muslims dont have any firm foundation, how exactly are we going to succeed? What will the use of any art or beautiful Islamic buildings be, if the people inside them are not worshipping Allah properly?

Dear brother, you say that we will have a great civillisation, but the Quran tells us that the only way the Muslims are going to succeed is by returning to pure Tawheed, by having sound belief in Allah. Today, you will find muslims who start believing in saints and awliya, who pray to the dead, who pray and rely on others and not on Allah, who believe in the amulets and potions that their saint has given them as good luck charms and so forth.

Quran Surah Nur, Allah, most high says:
55. Allâh has promised those among you who believe, and do righteous good deeds, that He will certainly grant them succession to (the present rulers) in the earth, as He granted it to those before them, and that He will grant them the authority to practise their religion, that which He has chosen for them (i.e. Islâm). And He will surely give them in exchange a safe security after their fear (provided) they (believers) worship Me and do not associate anything (in worship) with Me. But whoever disbelieved after this, they are the Fâsiqûn (rebellious, disobedient to Allâh).

I recommend the following Article be read:

Importance of Tawheed in Reviving the Ummah


Of course, any creativity in arts, sciences and these fields is something that Islam encourages. We should be learning inshaAllah. Personally i love architecture, history, archaeology both Islamic and of other cultures. But, i have very little time to contribute on the website, so i always contribute to those things that are of higher priority i.e. Islamic issues. If i had time, i would upload 100s of photos that i have taken, some even from Islamic buildings that have been shut to the public for decades. I would share with you the most amazing scientific inventions that i have seen, unfortunately forgotten to all the world. I once visited a place in Syria, where 800 years ago they had public baths with both hot and cold running water.

Here is a more modern outlook on IslamicArt by brother Mohammed Ali from Birmingham, UK:

http://www.aerosolarabic.com/v2/index.php


Anyway, dont worry brother InshaAllah there will be a time for the Muslims to flourish and regain their power once more. May Allah help us all be better Muslims and strengthen the Ummah.

 

[dna1987]

It's just disappointing that we have many pages of information, debates, ideas or whatsoever about topics like eyebrow plucking, beard, if it's okey to use tasbaah beads eg... and when it comes to major issues like philosophy, art, science ... perception of Islam and how such components of an ideal islamic civilization should be... no one has much to say! Islam will rule the world one day and there will be a civilization like never has been before! But we will have to change I suppose, to build this civilization with the help of Allah... May Allah show us the right path inshaAllah!..

I fully agree with you. We need more discussions on top level science (& arts) and not as many threads on exactly how to maintain your beard ("no no no, you must comb it at 43 degrees temporally to fixation from the chin!"). Ok, I exaggerate. But I guess at the moment we are focusing more on how to become better Muslims.

Perhaps with more members coming to this website from different backgrounds (I'm talking about educational backgrounds), then perhaps we can have more in-depth debates about specific topics such as architecture or medicine or mechanics (bomb building anyone? jks) and what is Islamic and what isn't.

I'd like to address the question you asked originally, but like Submitter, I don't know enough about the subject. If you want to discuss architecture, my friend has a profile on this website, Saadi Sharif, he's studying architecture at uni, so he might have something nice to share. I'll get him to post again after his exams finish.

At uni, we have student khateebs, some who are very good. The guy talks about relevant issues to students as Muslims. And how we should try improve our education. As he said a a few Fridays ago "if you go to a non-muslim, and you tell them how great Islam is, they will judge Islam by judging you. How attractive will Islam look to them if you are failing your papers? And how attractive will Islam look if you are getting top marks and excelling in your field of study?". Also, anything you do that benefits you as a person count as good deeds.

Inshallah, we will get more Muslims with similar views and aspirations as you to join this forum, and then perhaps you can have something more interesting to debate. At the moment, you can try go to your local mosque, and if it's a pretty one, then try and find out who designed and built it etc.

About films, movies and acting ..... I'm not sure what is right and what is wrong, so I'll keep quiet on that one till somebody else fills us in.

Enough of my rants for now. I felt like typing.

Salam Alaikum bro.

 

[cadette]

Salaams

On the subject of Islamic art and artists, there are a few good ones around, but maybe they don't have enough exposure.

I came across this family of Islamic artists and an Islamic expo that I visisted a while ago. I think their work is so beautiful. I'm planning on getting one of their pieces for my home, I just can't make up my mind or my husbands .

Hope I can post the link for others to see their stuff. here goes..
http://www.soniartstudio.com/index.html

 

[follower]

i'll join in this topic coz i work in the 3d field as an animator and modeler , i've asked about what i'm doing and my sheikh said that its halal .

ofcourse not talking about music or other islam prohibitions but there are other things about animated 2d drawings or 3d models that needs more research to judge weather its halal or haram .

and i surely agree that there must be threads about other fields its very important to gain knowldge about all sorts of sciences but this doesnt mean that other topics about beards or even eyebrows aren't important in fact to me they r more important .

anyways anyone interested in 3d animation or modeling i can help with my little knowledge , salam .

 

[cedric098]

i surely agree that there must be threads about other fields its very important to gain knowldge about all sorts of sciences but this doesnt mean that other topics about beards or even eyebrows aren't important in fact to me they r more important .

I didn't mean that, of course they are important but don't you think we have also other problems to think about as muslims... What happened and muslims became the least respected group of people on earth... What made us fall... Let's talk on this a little... The powers of KUFR have been dominating the world for centuries... They are working really hard and they are using their brains to the last drop of intelligence... They are clever my brothers, unfortunetly they are damn smart! We have to be intellectual,smart and hardworking as well, to carry the da'waa... In a world where there is kufr in every aspects of life how can we be better muslims just growing beard, caring about eyebrows, talking about prayer beads and stuff... We're being bombarded from everywhere ... with sex, alcohol... everything that causes moral depravity!!!! When we, our children, our sisters and brothers are overexposed to sex and violence on TV every damn day and being poisioned with ideas which are just like viruses produced to collapse our immune system of IMAN, should it really matter if we count our zikr with fingers or prayer beads? I doubt that!!! Our priorities needs to change I think!!!

 

[cedric098]

If Muslims dont have any firm foundation, how exactly are we going to succeed? What will the use of any art or beautiful Islamic buildings be, if the people inside them are not worshipping Allah properly?

Dear brother, you say that we will have a great civillisation, but the Quran tells us that the only way the Muslims are going to succeed is by returning to pure Tawheed, by having sound belief in Allah. Today, you will find muslims who start believing in saints and awliya, who pray to the dead, who pray and rely on others and not on Allah, who believe in the amulets and potions that their saint has given them as good luck charms and so forth.

Quran Surah Nur, Allah, most high says:
55. Allâh has promised those among you who believe, and do righteous good deeds, that He will certainly grant them succession to (the present rulers) in the earth, as He granted it to those before them, and that He will grant them the authority to practise their religion, that which He has chosen for them (i.e. Islâm). And He will surely give them in exchange a safe security after their fear (provided) they (believers) worship Me and do not associate anything (in worship) with Me. But whoever disbelieved after this, they are the Fâsiqûn (rebellious, disobedient to Allâh).

I recommend the following Article be read:

Importance of Tawheed in Reviving the Ummah

Anyway, dont worry brother InshaAllah there will be a time for the Muslims to flourish and regain their power once more. May Allah help us all be better Muslims and strengthen the Ummah.

My dear brother, that's what I exactly think.... Just like you said we need to fight for tawheed, and this is an intellectual war, not a war with swords, guns or bombs... a war with philosophy, ideology, art, science e.g. and all these weapons are in the hands of KUFR .. people are being controlled by evil powers... shaytan is using lots of strategies and means to make his followers keep people from knowing the truth! ... If we don't look for ways to reach people intellectually we will never get the control... and people will never worship Allah properly (because they will keep getting poisioned by the powers of KUFR)... no matter how we keep our beards, or no matter if we practice prayers using fingers or beads, Allah won't let us practice Islam perfectly unless we do somethig to take over the control... This is my humble opinion! Surely Allah knows the best!

 

[Kayote]

My dear brother, that's what I exactly think.... Just like you said we need to fight for tawheed, and this is an intellectual war, not a war with swords, guns or bombs... a war with philosophy, ideology, art, science e.g. and all these weapons are in the hands of KUFR .. people are being controlled by evil powers... shaytan is using lots of strategies and means to make his followers keep people from knowing the truth! ... If we don't look for ways to reach people intellectually we will never get the control... and people will never worship Allah properly (because they will keep getting poisioned by the powers of KUFR)... no matter how we keep our beards, or no matter if we practice prayers using fingers or beads, Allah won't let us practice Islam perfectly unless we do somethig to take over the control... This is my humble opinion! Surely Allah knows the best!

:salam2:

I totally agree. Yes without a doubt, tawheed comes first but we all have to strive in our particular fields. Islam will be our centre but we will be able to show the true picture of Islam Insha'Allah.

 

[ibnAbdullah87]

It is all that gaves power to who ever he wishes. When we return back to are deen and follow it correctly then Allah will give us authority on the earth. But if we shave are beards and use the beads and innovate then Allah will not change are situation. It is all the innovation that weakened the ummah in the first place. Refer back to the post of Mabsoot and read the artical Important of Tawheed in reviving the Muslim Ummah
And also the Ayah that he bought in surah Nur ayah 55 Allah has allready informed us of how to change our situation. The Prophet :saw2: has allready informed us that this would happen

When He :saw2: said: "The nations will soon gather and call upon each other to gather up against you just as the diners call each other up to the dining plate."

Someone asked: "Is it because of our little number at that time?"

The Messenger of Allah :saw2: said:

"Certainly not, in fact you will be numerous, but you will be like the foam of the Ocean. And certainly Allah will remove the fear from the hearts of your enemies, and he will certainly cast weakness into your hearts

Someone asked: "what is this weakness"

He :saw2: replied:

"Love of this world fear of death"

Our Prophet all ready told us and it is only Allah who can remove it and he will remove it when you return back to the Quran and Sunnah so the bear and bead issues are a part of it.

 

[ibnAbdullah87]

If we follow the kufr in every thing that they do so that we may gain power it will drive us further from Allah and his help. We need tarbiya and Tafsiya first. We can not run into other fields without firm knowledge of our religion and knowing the basics of the Tawheed and the Sunnah.

 

[cedric098]

It is all that gaves power to who ever he wishes. When we return back to are deen and follow it correctly then Allah will give us authority on the earth. But if we shave are beards and use the beads and innovate then Allah will not change are situation. It is all the innovation that weakened the ummah in the first place. Refer back to the post of Mabsoot and read the artical Important of Tawheed in reviving the Muslim Ummah
And also the Ayah that he bought in surah Nur ayah 55 Allah has allready informed us of how to change our situation. The Prophet has allready informed us that this would happen

.........................................................

If we follow the kufr in every thing that they do so that we may gain power it will drive us further from Allah and his help. We need tarbiya and Tafsiya first. We can not run into other fields without firm knowledge of our religion and knowing the basics of the Tawheed and the Sunnah.

Well, I read the article mabsoot posted. and I TOTALLY agree that we MUST follow Qur'an and Sunnah... If there was a clear statement that says "cut your left hand" in Qur'an or Sunnah, I would definately think that this must be done.. without questioning it! But I doubt that we interpret everything as they should be interpreted in Qur'an and Sunnah, and I fear I will go mad trying soo hard to understand the right message!!! Allah knows how much I want to understand the deen correctly.

Looking back through history I can see that ulaama have been discussing topics like certain things about what to wear and how to wear,what a muslim should look like, how to practice certain types of ibaadah, this and that, to extreme details... and interestingly there are so many views about everything I totally get lost in them whenever i try to learn what's right!!! Anyway, Allah helps him who wants the truth, sooner or later...I need to be patient.. Innallahe maassabereen!

I think the "innovation" (bidah) discussion is being taken to extreme points... For example some of you argue that using prayer beads is an innovation... Why?...Saying something like "it must be used" would be an innovation since it has no roots in Qur'an or Sunnah but something like "It can be used" wouldn't be I suppose, we need to understand what's haram, if we can accurately define harams we'll know that whatever left is halal, we have the permission to do them... We can not list what's halal, can we?... or should we?.... I don't see that prayer beads have anything to do with tawheed. it just facilitates the zikr for some people... Doesn't Prophet (pbuh) say: Make things simple and do not complicate them. Calm people and do not drive them away.(Bukhari, Ilm: 12,Muslim, Jihad: 6)... I know I should be following sunnah, but does that mean that I should exactly do everything prophet(pbuh) did 1400 years ago. We sure have certain commands to obey but we're not always necessarily told which methods to use and how we should fulfill them... The conditions change so must we! I try to imagine "What would rasulullah do if he lived in this century facing all the conditions we currently encounter... And my reason tells me he wouldn't exactly do what he did 14 centuries ago... I don't think he would grab a sword to fight against kufr or travel on a camel. maybe he wouldn't do many things that we try to imitate just because we know he did these throughout his life... Well those who are deep in these issues might think I'm a little shallow, but I really try to understand! The prayer beads discussion is not the only issue, there are sooo many things.. Why should it be soo hard and complicated for me to be a good muslim? Well I know how much I love Allah and how much I fear him, and Allah knows it too.

I believe doing something that Allah or Rasulullah did not clearly forbade, would not make me any worse muslim!!! so I will choose the easier way unless I see that it's clearly forbidden by Allah or Rasulullah.. Doesn't Rasulullah say: “Avoid that which I forbid you to do and do that which I command you to do to the best of your capacity. Verily the people before you were destroyed only because of their excessive questioning and their disagreement with their Prophets.” (Bukhari)


And let's get to the other point... fighting the ahli-kufr may require copying some of their methods... Why are we using internet for instance? It sure can be used for da'waa just like it can be used for fitna... what matters is your intentions, actions and how effective you are... Back in old times the weapons were swords, guns, bombs so on and so forth, and BOTH MUSLIMS and MUSHRIKs were using them.. and we are in the age of knowledge, why not use their methods if we know that they will be very effective in Jihaad. I don't say that we should look or act like them but let's face it, we also have things to learn from them, ILM (Knowledge) belongs to Allah and he grants it to whoever he wishes no matter they are muslim or mushrik...

Anyway, I'm not trying to teach something to anyone, i admit the fact that I don't know anything but I'm trying to understand... Allah knows the best... May Allah bring the day ,we all understand and practice Islam as we should, soon inshaAllah!

 

[samiha]

'Szuze

:salam2:

I think the "innovation" (bidah) discussion is being taken to extreme points...

Is bidah not an extreme thing?

I know I should be following sunnah, but does that mean that I should exactly do whatever prophet(pbuh) did 1400 years ago.

Allaah (ta’aalaa) says:

If anyone contends with the Messenger even after guidance has been plainly conveyed to him, and follows a path other than that becoming to men of Faith (i.e. the companions), We shall leave him in the path he has chosen, and land him in Hell, what an evil refuge! [Sura Al-Nisaa, 114] ​

It is not right for any believing men and women, after the matter is made clear with the book of Allaah and the sunnah of the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) and the way of the sahaabah that they would try to take another way of implementing it.

{It is not for a believer, man or woman, when Allâh and His Messenger have decreed a matter that they should have any option in their decision. And whoever disobeys Allâh and His Messenger, he has indeed strayed into a plain error}; [33:36].​

We sure have certain commands to obey but we're not always necessarily told which methods to use and how we should fulfill them... The conditions change so must we!

Yes situations change, but if the Ummah strays too far from the Sunnah, what will hold us together?

I try to imagine "What would rasulullah do if he lived in this century facing all the conditions we currently encounter... And my reason tells me he wouldn't exactly do what he did 14 centuries ago... I don't think he would grab a sword to fight against kufr or travel on a camel. maybe he wouldn't do many things that we try to imitate just because we know he did these throughout his life...

I may not know much, but I figure such things a waste of time. ALLAH KNEW when the appropriate time for the Prophet (saws) was and he sent him at that time, we couldn’t imagine anything else because it was Qadr.

Why should it be soo hard and complicated for me to be a good muslim? Well I know how much I love Allah and how much I fear him, and Allah knows it too.

Why is it difficult to be a Muslim? Because in the Quran it says, that will a person claim to be a believer and Allah will not test them?

Allah Knows Best.

Forgive my for my ignorance and Help me learn my Deen.:astag:

 

[Kayote]

:salam2:

I think we all agree on the fact that there is ONLY The Quran & Sunnah to follow.

With regards to the beads, I also think some people take it to the extreme. Remember, it is your intention that counts. If the hadith about Prohpet Muhammad (PBUH) is saheeh, then there is no doubt that hands should we use if they can be used. If for some reason, someone cannot & they have no choice but to use beads, then so be it, for it is only for Allah (SHW) & Allah (SHW) is the only one who can judge our actions & intentions.

I try to imagine "What would rasulullah do if he lived in this century facing all the conditions we currently encounter... And my reason tells me he wouldn't exactly do what he did 14 centuries ago... I don't think he would grab a sword to fight against kufr or travel on a camel. maybe he wouldn't do many things that we try to imitate just because we know he did these throughout his life...

Here I have to agree with Samiha. It doesnt matter when RasulAllah (PBUH) came as he (PBUH) came as a 'Rahmatulil-Aalameen'. It was not for that time alone but till the very end of time will he (PBUH) remain as the 'Rahmatulil- Aalameen'. Its probably the irrelevant actions that might have changed (issue of beads come to mind) but the more important & relevant issues would have stayed the same as Allah sent orders of those (e.g 5 prayers, fast, zakat etc). As for the 'sword' issue, he (PBUH) would have certainly not stood still like us 'muslims' while our fellow brothers/sisters are being slain in Kashmir, Chechniya, Lebanon, Iraq).

Anyways, coming back to the topic, noone is disputing that first we have to be good & true muslims but then it is upto us to excel in our fields, not wait for Allah (SHW) to change the world for us.

 

[samiha]

Assalam.

Just to clear up some things, I didn't mean the prayer bead thing in my bidah statement, because I don't know if it is and until I have proofs that using them occasionally is bidah I won't regard it as one.

However, bidah itself is a serious thing. I mean if we allow just one tiny little thing to implement itself as Islam, which never was, we might bring in more things. All BIG things start out small.

Only Allah knows our intentions. Allahu Alom.

Wassalam.

 

[cedric098]

Here I have to agree with Samiha. It doesnt matter when RasulAllah (PBUH) came as he (PBUH) came as a 'Rahmatulil-Aalameen'. It was not for that time alone but till the very end of time will he (PBUH) remain as the 'Rahmatulil- Aalameen'. Its probably the irrelevant actions that might have changed (issue of beads come to mind) but the more important & relevant issues would have stayed the same as Allah sent orders of those (e.g 5 prayers, fast, zakat etc). As for the 'sword' issue, he (PBUH) would have certainly not stood still like us 'muslims' while our fellow brothers/sisters are being slain in Kashmir, Chechniya, Lebanon, Iraq).

Assalamu Aleykum

You got me wrong guys!!!! I am just concerned about the INTERPRETATION of his(pbuh) acts! I say that we should understand the reasons of his actions before parroting everything without any thought.. He surely is Ramatulil-Aalemin, no doubt about that, and I also think that prayers, fast,zakat etc. would definitaly be the same... I don't have aything to say about anything CLEARLY prohibited or commanded.... I mentioned the "sword" example to mean that his METHODS would be different in this century, he would definitaly fight Kufr, but not using a simple sword, don't you think!...he would take the prevailing conditions into account for sure!!!

I am talking about INTERPRETATION of Sunnah... not the Sunnah itself... What's wrong is not in Sunnah for sure, it's in the way we understand it I think!!!

Wassalam

 

[cedric098]

However, bidah itself is a serious thing. I mean if we allow just one tiny little thing to implement itself as Islam, which never was, we might bring in more things. All BIG things start out small.

I couldn't agree more.... but "prohibition of something" which is not in the religion is also bidah, isn't it? We should avoid both ifraad and tafreed!!!

Wassalam