Month: February 2018

I decided to center my first blog post on one of the first topics we discussed in class: the power of the word of the Qur’an. In the Qur’an, the power of the word is expressly stated. It is so powerful that many who hear it recited, or recite it themselves, convert on the spot. The story of Umar ibn al-Khattab is a good example. He was a fierce opponent of the prophet and his teachings because they threatened aristocratic life. There are two versions of his conversion story. In one, he overhears a recitation and his heart immediately melts, so he converts. In another, he strikes his sister for following Muhammad, but afterward is ashamed, so he looks at what she is reading and is so struck that he converts.

The power of the Qur’an does not come only from the words; it also comes from the aesthetics. Our reading by Ziauddin Sardar, “Reading the Qur’an” sheds light on this topic. Sardar discusses the importance of reading the Qur’an in Arabic, so the words of God can be experienced in their original form. But even before he could understand the words, reading and listening to the Qur’an was a special and religious experience. To listen to the aesthetics of the reading is to experience the divinity of God’s word.

For my creative response, I aimed to capture the reality of this experience. I took a series of photographs of friends while playing a recitation from Ch. 55: Al-Rahman — The Beneficent. They didn’t know what I was going to play so I included a series of photos to capture the changes in expressions. In these, you can see a mixture of thoughtfulness, interest, recognition, surprise, and even a bit of reciting along. What I found very interesting is that for the most part, you can’t tell by the reaction if the person understands the words or is just experiencing the aesthetics of how they sound. Although much of the experience of listening to a Qur’an recitation is too personal to be captured by a portrait, I think the idea of its influence is represented.

I found our readings and discussion from week 6, about Islamic art, to be extremely thought-provoking. Much of Islamic art consists of designs and calligraphy, which can seem unfamiliar to the modern western eye. Figures, when represented, may not look as though they were painted by a western artist. This makes sense, as they were not, but some people seem to take issue with it. In our reading “Misconceptions of the Nature of Islamic Art,” Ismail R. Al-Faruqi quoted M. S. Dimand, “Mohammedan art is essentially one of decoration.”  This is an obvious demotion from the realm of art to one of non-essential frill.  Art is a very interesting concept because it is extremely hard to define. How did Dimand come to the belief that in order for art to be art, it must fit into a certain box containing figures represented as he sees fit? Western art in itself varies immensely. In 1917, for example, Marcel Duchamp submitted an art piece to a show that was just an upside-down urinal taken out of a wall, which he had signed. There was an intense debate following as to whether or not it was a true piece of art. What are the criteria for art to be art? Must you make it? Must it produce an emotional response? Most Islamic art fits both of these criteria, while Duchamp’s piece, “Fountain,” only fits one, and there was a large following of people who said it was art.

I thought the most accurate way to respond to this debate was with a piece that made you wonder if it was indeed a piece of art. My response “But is it Art?” was created in the medium of pen on paper. So, is this really art? Well, you may initially think it isn’t because it is composed of just four words written on an otherwise blank sheet of paper. I didn’t even come up with them. It is the title of the book in which I first read about Duchamp’s “Fountain.” But I do find it beautiful. It is simple, yet visually appealing. Additionally, there is a deep symbolism found in the piece asking itself a question, “But am I art?”  If this creative response could be considered art, how could Islamic art be simply design, when artists can create pictures out of words from the Qur’an which routinely move viewers to tears.

This creative response reflects on the idea of differences between Sunni and Shia practices due to the different environments in which the two groups were formed. As I draw from the fourth chapter of Dr. Asani’s “Infidel of Love,” I would like to recognize that these are not the only two communities of interpretation in Islam, nor do all Sunni or Shii Muslims have the exact same practices or beliefs, but I will focus on the main features of the two for this reflection. Groups within Islam formed after the death of the prophet Muhammad. The debate of who was to take over the role of the prophet had two main sides: those who thought he had not named a successor and, therefore, it was their responsibility to concur and appoint a leader, and those who thought Muhammad had appointed his son in law, Ali. The groups could not reach a consensus, so they split and followed the guidance of different leaders, becoming Sunni and Shia, respectively. Sunni Muslims were, and are, the largest group by far, leading to their overwhelming control of power. This led to a belief system for Sunni Muslims which rests on the idea that having power means that you believe in the right things, and Allah looks happily down upon you. Due to this power imbalance, Shii Muslims were regularly persecuted for their differing beliefs, which led to “a distinctive worldview that understood their historical experiences within the broader narratives of the struggle of the righteous against oppression and injustice.” For this reason, martyrs are extremely respected among Shii Muslims. It also led to the existence of the practice of taqiyah, which allows Shii Muslims to avoid harm by lying about their religious beliefs.

I wanted to represent this difference in my art piece, so I chose to draw two pictures side by side. The first is of a daisy. It has flourished in a nurturing environment with all the water it could need. As a result, its roots do not need to grow very deep. The cactus, however, has struggled to survive. Its environment is harsh, but it adapted. The cactus’ roots grow deep to reach water beneath the surface, and as a result, it is also flourishing. In this piece, the daisy represents Sunni Muslims, and the cactus represents Shii Muslims.  Neither way of life is better than the other — and neither plant is better or more beautiful — but their way of life has been deeply affected by their environment.