The Principles and Philosophy of Islamic Art

By: Prof. Khaled Azzam

The art and architecture of Islam are more than just an aesthetic or spatial experience, they represent a symbolic vision of a higher reality. Islamic art is synonymous with sacred art. It is an art which transmits a Divine message and transcends time and place. It draws its roots from the Spirit and manifests itself in our physical world. Sacred Art in general is an expression of man's relationship with God, its function is to express the primordial Truth, to transform the invisible into visible form, to transmit the perennial Truth into the realm of manifestation. This is represented through the language of symbolism.

Art and architecture have always held a central role in the civilization of Islam; a role which encompasses the wide range of values which make up this civilization. Although the art of calligraphy is always considered to be the highest form of visual art in Islam, since it expresses the Divine word which is the essence of The Qur'an. It is the art of architecture which encompasses the full range of disciplines and crafts which are identified with the Muslim world; such as masonry, carpentry, mosaic work, stained glass, gypsum carving and also calligraphy. Architecture is the setting for the different disciplines of the arts and crafts of Islam, it is the evidence that these arts and crafts do not exist for their own sake, but to embelish our everyday lives and environment.

Due to its material nature, art cannot be separated from technique or craft, or from science which if not limited to the realm of reason can pair to wisdom - hikmah - and the understanding of universal principles. The idea of the integration of the arts and the crafts and the principles of beauty and function is not merely a philosophical one. It is a fact that has always existed in the architecture, city planning and communal life of the Muslim world. The Muslim builders never distinguished between art, technology and the crafts and the Arabic terms fan and sina'ah were used to combine these three disciplines. This is most evident in Islamic architecture, where the crafts of the masons deal with the material aspect of its nature and the science of geometry with its spiritual principles. Geometry is both quantitative and qualitative. Its quantitative dimensions regulates form and construction, while its qualitative nature sets the proportions which underlie the architecture and express the timeless values of the tradition. Technique and beauty were always complimentary parts of artistic creativity and the arts of the Islamic world always conveyed the highest principles and values. Finally, one can only conclude by saying that Islamic art is not concerned with artistic styles or models of representation, but with a mode of contemplation of Divine unity.

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