Islamic Architecture in Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) Era: Person- Islam As Way Of Life
The leadership of the development of the Islamic state and
Islamic civilization while swinging towards the Abbasids and Iraq and Iran
appeared as though making a full natural cycle, having hitherto been under the
custody firstly of the rightly-guided caliphs (al-Khulafa’ al-Rashidun)
principally in Madinah and then under the custody of the Umayyads in Syria. It
was not by chance that the cycle occurred right in the lands which were
destined to serve as the nucleus of Islam from its inception and during nearly
each subsequent Islamic generation and period with all the major parties, both
political and religious, playing their roles and making their contributions. By
and large, the end of the first period of the Abbasid state is considered as
the end of the most prosperous period of the long Abbasid rule, as well as the
end of one of the most glorious eras of Islam and its cosmopolitan
civilization. It stands to reason that the development of Islamic architecture
towards the end of the same period was at its zenith together with the rest of
the cultural and civilizational constituents.
The second reason why the end of the first period of the
Abbasid state is regarded as the final phase in the evolution of the total
identity of Islamic architecture is that by the end of that particular period
all the major ethnic groups: the Arabs, the Romans, the Persians and, to a
lesser extent, the Turks, were actively exerting their influences over the
expansion of Islamic civilization leaving their respective marks on the
latter’s extensive makeup. That means that the rich talent and prolonged
cultural and civilizational exposures of these groups -- and in fact many
others but whose roles and contributions were not as significant at that point
of time -- were readily and happily employed for carrying the culture and
civilization of Islam to some new and hitherto unknown heights. Once the
members of these groups and communities entered the fold of Islam -- somewhere
more and at a fast rate and somewhere less and at a much slower rate, though --
it was no longer the case of foreigners contributing to an alien religion and
its alien culture and people who came from some distant foreign lands. Rather,
it was the case of the new Muslim members joining the ranks of the fast growing
Islamic fraternity in the lands newly liberated by Islam which they all closely
and proudly associated themselves with. The whole thing, furthermore, was the
case of the Islamic universal association and Islamic comprehensive worldview
being fully at work.
The evolution and growth of Islamic architecture was not an
exception to this rule. Islamic architecture was immensely enriched and spurred
by the presence and contributions of the new geographic, cultural and
socio-economic factors, making it a genuinely universal, eclectic and
authoritative phenomenon that mirrored the universality and authority of the
Islamic message that inspired it. Islam as a universal religion saw nothing
wrong in enriching and multiplying the legitimate means for fulfilling its
divine mission. The existing resources of the communities which were newly
exposed to Islam were seen as a source of such novel and legitimate means.
Naturally, the more the members of those new communities embraced Islam, the faster
and wider the adoption and application of such means became.
The Islamic Way of Life:
In the Holy Qur'an, God teaches human beings that they were
created in order to worship Him, and that the basis of all true worship is
God-consciousness. Since the teachings of Islamic encompass all aspects of life
and ethics, God-consciousness is encouraged in all human affairs. Islam makes
it clear that all human acts are acts of worship if they are done for God alone
and in accordance to His Divine Law. As such, worship in Islam is not limited
to religious rituals. The teachings of Islam act as a mercy and a healing for
the human soul, and such qualities as humility, sincerity, patience and charity
are strongly encouraged. Additionally, Islam condemns pride and
self-righteousness, since Almighty God is the only judge of human
righteousness. The Islamic view of the nature of man is also realistic and
well-balanced. Human beings are not believed to be inherently sinful, but are
seen as equally capable of both good and evil. Islam also teaches that faith
and action go hand-in-hand. God has given people free-will, and the measure of
one's faith is one's deeds and actions. However, human beings have also been
created weak and regularly fall into sin. This is the nature of the human being
as created by God in His Wisdom, and it is not inherently "corrupt"
or in need of repair. This is because the avenue of repentance of always open
to all human beings, and Almighty God loves the repentant sinner more than one
who does not sin at all. The true balance of an Islamic life is established by
having a healthy fear of God as well as a sincere belief in His infinite Mercy.
A life without fear of God leads to sin and disobedience, while believing that
we have sinned so much that God will not possibly forgive us only leads to
despair. In light of this, Islam teaches that: only the misguided despair of
the Mercy of their Lord. Additionally, the Holy Qur'an, which was revealed to
the Prophet Muhammad, contains a great deal of teachings about the life
hereafter and the Day of Judgment. Due to this, Muslims believe that all human
beings will ultimately be judged by God for their beliefs and actions in their
earthly lives. In judging human beings, Almighty God will be both Merciful and
Just, and people will only be judged for what they were capable of. Suffice it
to say that Islam teaches that life is a test, and that all human beings will
be accountable before God. A sincere belief in the life hereafter is key to
leading a well-balanced life and moral. Otherwise, life is viewed as an end in
itself, which causes human beings to become more selfish, materialistic and
immoral.
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