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| anyone read this book? |
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| mwishka |
| 07/30/02 at 18:35:07 |
| has anyone here read this book? it sounds very good, and i'd like to get it, but i just figured i'd ask here first..... mwishka ================================================================================== Islamic art and spirituality Seyyed Hossein Nasr 213 pg PB With remarkable breadth of vision, Seyyed Hossein Nasr reveals for both Western and Muslim readers how each art form in the Islamic tradition is based upon a science of nature concerned, not with the outer appearance of things, but with their inner reality. Ranging across calligraphy, painting, architecture, literature, music, and the plastic arts, Nasr penetrates to the inner dimension of Islam and shows the role art plays in the life of individual Muslims and the community as a whole -- the role of inspiring the remembrance and contemplation of God. Once the author establishes art as an aid and support to the spiritual life, he traces the creative act to its ultimate source: inner knowledge and barakah, or grace, which makes the crystallization of inner realities in form and space and time possible. Through this knowledge and grace, art functions as a ladder for the journey of the soul from the visible to the invisible. How Islamic art leads man to the inner chamber of divine revelation forms the substance of much of this important work. An especially close look is given to the Sufi tradition within Islam, for its mystical teachers have often clearly demonstrated in their works the spiritual significance of beauty and served as the source of inspiration for art. By rediscovering tha root of art in the Islamic tradition, Seyyed Hossein Nasr opens doors to new dimensions of unity which have seemingly been obscured in recent Western art. In so doing, he extends the significance of this book beyond the Islamic belief system to touch the hearts and creative impulses of readers from all traditions. |
| Re: anyone read this book? |
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| bhaloo |
| 07/30/02 at 21:21:36 |
| [slm] I think it would be best to stay away from this book, the author (a shia with a sufi background) said: All that we can do is to stress that the Sufi teachings center upon two fundamental creeds: Wahdat Al-Wujud (the Unity of Existence) and Al-Insaan Al-Kaamil" (Kashf, p. 100 quoting As-Sufiyyah Bayna Al-Ams wal Yawm, by Sayyed Hossein Nasr, p. 22, translated by Kamaal Khaleel Yaazijee (1st edition), 1975.) |
| Re: anyone read this book? |
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| mwishka |
| 07/30/02 at 21:28:28 |
| thanks bro bhaloo, that's exactly why i asked, because there's no way for me to get that from just reading a catalogue description. that's why i'm so leery of buying things on-line and would prefer to buy in a bookstore where i can ask questions. since there's no such place like that where i am, it's good i have surrogate "bookstore clerks" here..... ;) (whew! it was kind of expensive, too....) but bro bhaloo, can you recommend another book on this subject for me?? mwishka |
| Re: anyone read this book? |
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| se7en |
| 08/01/02 at 13:16:37 |
| as salaamu alaykum, Hmm... I've read some stuff by Seyyed Hossein Nasr and found it pretty beneficial.. also a friend of mine has taken some classes with him and found him to be an amazing professor. He's also brilliant - I think he has degrees from both MIT and Harvard. Most of his work is related to spirituality, so his "sufi background" is pretty evident :) If that disturbs you in some way then perhaps it's better to keep your distance :P take care :) wasalaam. |
| 08/01/02 at 13:17:38 |
| se7en |
| Re: anyone read this book? |
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| siddiqui |
| 08/01/02 at 14:38:58 |
| [slm] Bloom, Jonathan (Jonathan M.) Islamic arts / Jonathan Bloom and Sheila Blair. London : Phaidon Press, 1997. This book is supposed to be good and if you are around in the capital district you can borrow it from the local libraries Where to find the item: Location Call Number Volume Material Status BETHLEHEM NON FICTION 709.17 BLO NONFICTION In GUILDERLAND NON FICTION 709.176 BLO (PC) NONFICTION In [wlm] |
| Re: anyone read this book? |
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| bhaloo |
| 08/01/02 at 22:50:08 |
| [slm] Your welcome Mwishka, sorry I don't have any books to recommend. [quote] Most of his work is related to spirituality, so his "sufi background" is pretty evident :) If that disturbs you in some way then perhaps it's better to keep your distance :P [/quote] Hmmmm, I think thats a cop out to say "oh its one of those sufi vs. salafi debates" or if your not into sufism don't read it. No, the point is that wahdat al-wujud (union with the Divine) has nothing to do with Islam. . And if someone is advocating such beliefs, then we should stay away from those books all together, and not support them in any way, for if you support such books, your are supporting the author's endeavors and his ideaology. And I sure as heck don't want to take responsibility for misguiding someone by giving them some book with questionable views and later have them follow those views and then having to answer before Allah (SWT) why did I help lead someone astray. Better to be safe than sorry. Consider the case of Al-Hallaj. The one who strove to have him executed and who held a council in which he ruled that he deserved to be executed was al-Qaadi Abu ‘Umar Muhammad ibn Yoosuf al-Maaliki (may Allaah have mercy on him). Ibn Katheer praised him for that and said, “One of his greatest and most correct judgements was his ruling that al-Husayn ibn Mansoor al-Hallaaj was to be executed.” (al-Bidaayah wa’l-Nihaayah, 11/172) Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “Whoever believes what al-Hallaaj believed in and agrees with the ideas for which al-Hallaaj was executed, is a kaafir and an apostate, according to the consensus of the Muslims. For the Muslims executed him because of his belief in incarnation, union with the Divine and other heretical beliefs, such as his saying, ‘I am Allaah,’ and, ‘There is a god in the heavens and a god on earth.’ … Al-Hallaaj performed extraordinary feats and various kinds of magic, and there are books of magic which are attributed to him. In conclusion, there is no dispute among the ummah that whoever believes that Allaah can be incarnated in a human being and be as one with him (wahdat al wujud), or that a human being can be a god, is a kaafir whose blood it is permissible to shed. On this basis al-Hallaaj was executed.” (Majmoo’ al-Fataawa, 2/480) |
| Re: anyone read this book? |
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| jannah |
| 08/02/02 at 03:54:56 |
| I don't think this is a salafi vs sufi thing either. But I do think we should take the good from whoever/wherever it comes. In this case Dr. Nasr is an expert on Islamic art. We could go to non Muslim books on this subject, devoid of any Islamic faith aspect or we can read from someone who talkes about Islamic art from the perspective of faith. It's really up to the reader. |
| Re: anyone read this book? |
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| jaihoon |
| 08/02/02 at 05:43:10 |
| [slm] This definitely is NOT a s vs. stuff. Especially as Bhaloo says, the case of wahdathul wujud. i have a book of the same author entitled: Islamic science - an illustrated study. Boy, its so full of esoteric stuff, a lot to do with the magian stuff that influenced persian islam. If the readeris not well footed in the basics of faith, it'd be big trouble. But I have to admit the scholarship of the author. Leave the shell and take the pearl. No matter if he is of a different doctrine or even of a different faith. 8) |
| Re: anyone read this book? |
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| mwishka |
| 08/02/02 at 13:55:37 |
| eek eek eek! WHAT is a silly little mouse to do?? sounds like it's inter-library loan time.... and thanks for your suggestion bro siddiqui. my library (RPI) has some books on islamic art, mostly focusing on the alhambra and um aggghhh forget...um Khalil museum? can't remember.... will check for this bloom book... (or ILL..) mwishka ( who has no artistic talent but whose essential [i]appreciative[/i] nature is undeniably aesthetic..... ;) ) |
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