School of Languages and Linguistics - Theses
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ItemA critical evaluation of Islamic aesthetics: with reference to architectural symbolism( 1993)Many texts on the subject of Islamic art either tend to assess its qualities based on those of Western art historical criteria or pay no or insufficient attention to an Islamic context for its art forms. Very little appears to have been written on the direct relationship which exists between Islamic art and the spirituality which inspires it. It is the hypothesis of this dissertation that there may well be underlying aesthetic principles which govern the great variety of arts inspired by Islam based upon the Qur'an and Hadith (Traditions), the two primary textual sources. The Qur'an is the paramount source, 'a Message consistent with itself' (Surah, 39:23) and it is Islamically appropriate that such principles be derived from its text and its influence therefore is uniformly documented throughout the thesis, with the assistance of Abdullah Yusuf ‘Ali's The Holy Qur'an Text, Translation and Commentary for the sake of cohesiveness. It is only in the case of seeking further clarity of meaning in the Arabic that further translations are employed. The present author is not an Arabicist equipped with the necessary linguistic skills, so where it is necessary, has sought qualified advice on certain Qur'anic words after referring to alternate translations and has inserted in brackets an alternative suggestion. But in general, A.Y. 'Ali's translation has been accepted. Why include Arabic the reader may ask? Arabic's presence as the language of Divine revelation, and its prominence in the Islamic visual arts require its appearance in an aesthetic context and to juxtapose Arabic and with its English translation through the Qur'anic quotations appeared as a more sensitive format in the thesis. The crucial role of Hadith in Islam is explained in the introduction of my forthcoming publication al-Ahadith al-Oudsiyya (Divine Narratives) mentioned in the acknowledgements, the English section of which is included in Volume II, Appendix V of this thesis. If it can be established that the timeless language of traditional Islamic art in its various forms is the result of the implementation of aesthetic principles, we seek to identify these and once established, apply them to selected examples of architecture of the sixteenth and seventeenth century AD Turkey, Iran and India at the height of Islamic influence. Although only one major art form has been selected, these aesthetic principles could have a universal application in classification and identification of art forms that claim to be Islamic, thereby assisting those Museums or Galleries possessing such art to take into account Islamic criteria. One only has to take a cursory glance at a brief survey of institutions with Islamic art holdings on such a question to realise the relevancy of this research. Islamic artists-craftpersons generally anonymous in traditional Islamic society, due more to a sense of religious purpose in their quest to ennoble matter and a subjugation of self-importance, view the world through eyes that have been imbued with a knowledge of Islam. The first chapter of the thesis discusses the nature of the problems associated with Islamic aesthetics and suggests a means of approach. We then turn to examining the nature of Islamic vision, perception and aesthetic in the second chapter. Consideration is given to the language and form of Islamic aesthetics in the third chapter, whilst the fourth outlines the four principles of Qibla/qibla (Direction), qadar (Order), ma dd (Display) and tawhid (Unity). The final chapter applies these principles to the Mosque of Suleyman Istanbul, the Mosque of the Shah, Isfahan, and the mosque/mausoleum of the Taj Mahal, Agra where Islamic values we believe in an Islamic State were expressed with the greatest skill and with a consummate sense of beauty.