#arebesque

The Mosque will always be a special place for muslims and a lot of what makes it special is how we treat it as the house of Allah and not belonging to ourselves or others (whether that be a person, organisation or country). Our behaviours are different as a consequence, we are a lot more reserved and pay close attention to cleanliness. Generally we beautify not only ourselves but the mosque itself, in light of the fact that it belongs to Allah SWT. 

In this post we will discuss just one form of this beautification of mosques, and that is the artwork we find inside our mosque and we invite you (our humble readers) to join in the discussion and share your thoughts. We will discuss common types of art found in or around mosques and the issue of whether this race to ‘overly’ decorate mosques is good or bad.

Common Types of Mosque Art

There are two forms artwork that we generally find inside mosques, both share the common traits; of beautiful calligraphy, geometric patterns or arabesque design. 

Moveable Objects / Fixtures 

In this category, we find items such as lighting fixtures, Quran holders and shelves and of course framed artwork. Below is my favourite

Architectural Decoration

This category is more broad and can include anything from the inside of the dome to the pillars. Below is my favourite

On the topic of distraction and extravagance 

When discussing if this beautification of the mosques are a distraction or not, many people quote the hadith below. Al-Bukhaari (373) and Muslim (556) narrated from ‘Aa’ishah that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) prayed in a black cloak that had markings, and he looked at its markings. When he finished praying, he said:

“Take this cloak to Abu Jahm ibn Hudhayfah, and bring me his plain garment, for they distracted me just now when I was praying.”. Hishaam ibn ‘Urwah narrated from his father, from ‘Aa’ishah that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “I was looking at its markings whilst I was praying and I was afraid that they would distract me.” 

Whilst this hadith specifically highlights the prayer mat, it helps to introduce the concept of protecting our prayers from distractions and its importance. In fact, there are strict warnings against this in the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah .

Imâm Bukhari entitled one of the chapters in his authentic collection: “Chapter on the Building of Mosques,” where he proceeded to report the following from Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri :

The roof of the masjid (of the Prophet ) was made of palm branches. 'Umar ordered that the mosque be rebuilt and he said, “Protect the people from rain, but beware of using red or yellow (for decoration), thereby distracting the people.”

There you have it, as always we ask Allah SWT to guide us and correct our intentions. Whilst beatification is not against the sunnah, it is clear that the level of extravagance should be taken into consideration and avoided. 

As with many things in Islam, art and culture began in the contexts of Mosques. Islamic Art then transpired to other creative forms such as calligraphy, mosaic, imaging, and architectural forms. 

Muslim artists who absorbed the culture produced all such artwork. Their ultimate continuous loyalty was to the One Lord, their only refuge and haven; all their work and creativity was for the sake of their Creator, presenting them with a willing freedom, as there was no religious obligation to accomplish them.

Islamic Art was born with the emergence of Islam and its spread, it interacted with different artistic influences that existed in the cultures that were present at that the time, as well as affecting many art works in the countries where Islam expanded to throughout the centuries.

Islamic Art established an active relationship between Art and materials, which distinguished it from other types of art. It stayed unique in terms of the aesthetic philosophical vision as well as in its purpose and function. Whether it was on metal, ceramics, paper, stone or mud, materials did not affect the artistic essence of the work, and the harmony between materials and the essence is a harmony that is a witness to the richness of the artistic essence and not the richness of materials used in it, on the contrary of many other art works known to many civilizations.

The unified characteristics of Islamic Art throughout the centuries does not mean that it did not develop or grow, but it means that this art form did not change in its philosophy.  Unlike other art forms that are heavily influenced by political and social developments.

Looking back in history, where Islam spread after the migration of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) , and wherever it spread, a rich civilization with its theoretical and intellectual means based on Islam spread with it.

With the establishment of the Umayyad Caliphate (661 - 750), the initial developments of Islamic Art grew in its capital Damascus, and the Umayyad Mosque and the Dome of the Rock constituted the first large premises to Islamic Art. Designs of those Mosques were influenced from the design of some churches that existed in the area, but differed in its details.

The Mosaic that decorates the Umayyad Mosque is a witness to the influence of Islamic architectural art with Byzantium approaches, and forms one of the subjects related to Islamic Art and its aesthetic characteristics.

In this Era, many mosaics and decorative arts appeared; sculpture, imaging and metal works, where the effect of Umayyad compound art wave is manifested, and where it derived its different elements from arts that were prevalent in the countries before Islam.

Islamic Arts were also further influenced during the Abbasid Caliphate era (750 - 1258), the Islamic State capital moved to Baghdad, where the Persian influence first appeared and expanded to other Islamic countries. The result of the spread of Persian culture kicked off a new era in Islamic Art which shows artistic Sasanian influence on the account of Byzantium approaches. 

The Islamic Abbasid Art was also influenced by the Turkish culture which in turn brought stone, stucco and wood sculptures. As a result of the mixture between the Persian and Turkish cultures in the Abbasid era, new decorative forms entered began to emerge, such as abstract motifs of modified natural elements and the evolution of securitized decorations that became known as Arabesque.