Aesthetical Being

 

 Quranic Foundations And Structure Of Muslim Society

Part 4. DUTIES AS AESTHETICAL BEING

 Chapter 1. 

Preliminary observations

 

The Holy Qur’an has given to humanity a theory of Aesthetics of its own. The present is not, however, the proper occasion to expound it. Only the following five points may be mentioned here:

1.    The Qur’anic concept of Beauty is wedded to spirituality or godliness.

2.    According to the Qur’anic teaching, the essential attributes of Beauty are:

Piety, Purity, Sublimity, Harmony, Balance, Proportion, Order and Perfection.

3.    The Holy Qur’an upholds only that Art which is noble and sublime, both in its conception and its goal, and it regards as vulgar and inadmissible all those forms of Art which do not enshrine the essential attributes of Beauty, as it understands and acknowledges.

4.    According to the Holy Qur’an, the spiritual value, or, religion, is the highest, and below it stand in serial order the moral, the intellectual and the physical values.

5.    As regards the aesthetic value, it should permeate and pervade all the aspects of human life: physical, intellectual, moral, spiritual, and social.

Our concern in the present discourse being the duties of man as the possessor of aesthetic consciousness, we may first of all observe with advantage the emphasis on aesthetic value found in the Holy Qur’an in respect of God, universe and man.

We find in the Holy Writ as follows:—

 

(1) GOD:

God is the Possessor of Absolute Beauty:

The Holy Qur’an says:

“Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth.” (24:35).

This is one of the most profound verses, endowed with depths of meaning that are unfathomable. In understanding its implication from the point of view of the problem before us, however, the guidance for us lies in the fact that, according to the Holy Qur’an, darkness is ugliness, as the following verse denotes:

“But those who have earned evil will have a reward (in the Hereafter) of like evil: ignominy will cover them: no protector they shall have from (the wrath of) Allah: (ugliness will be their lot) as if their faces had been covered with a cloak of darkest night. Such are the companions of the Fire; they will abide therein.” (10:27).

 

Now, if darkness relates to ugliness, light relates to beauty,—and thus the transcendental Light of God implies the possession of transcendental Beauty by Him.

 

Again, God is the Absolute, as we have seen elsewhere. Hence His beauty is Absolute Beauty.

The Holy Prophet (Peace be on him) has, as the expounder of the Holy Qur’an par excellence, made a very explicit and direct statement in this regard. He says:

“Allah is Beautiful and He loves Beauty.” (Muslim’s sahih, Bab Tahrim al-Kibr, p. 65).

 

 

(2) UNIVERSE:

Being the Possessor of Absolute Beauty, God has very naturally created everything of the world in the frame of beauty, as the following verse says

“… He Who has created has made everything most Good and Beautiful.” (32:7).

This is a statement about the universe as a whole and covers all things in the heavens and on the earth.

The Holy Qur’an goes, however, beyond this universal statement and embarks, in order to emphasize the existence of beauty further, on certain details with reference to: (1) the earth, its plant life and animal life, (2) the heavenly bodies that surround the earth, and (3) Heaven in the World Hereafter, or, what is called, the next world.

        (1)     The earth, its plant life and animal life:

The Holy Qur’an says:

(a)        in respect of all things:

“That which is on the earth We have made but as an adornment for it …” (18:7). 

Mark that ‘adorn’ means ‘add beauty to’. 

(b)       in respect of minerals and plants:

“… and We produced therein (i.e., in the earth) all kinds of things in due balance.” (15:19).

Mark that ‘balance’ is an essential attribute of beauty. 

(c)        in respect of plants only:

“(vegetation grows) till the earth is clad with its golden ornaments and is decked out in beauty…” (10:24).

(d)       in respect of animals:

“And cattle He has created for you (O mankind): from them you derive warmth, and numerous benefits, and of their (meat) you eat. And therein is beauty for you as you drive them home in evening, and as you lead them forth to pasture in the morning.” (16:5-6).

“And (God has created) horses, mules, and donkeys, that you may ride them, and as adornment; and He will create (in future, through the mind and ingenuity of man, other vehicles) that you know not (at the time of the revelation of the Qur’an).” (16:8).

“(The sacrificial cow, ordered by Moses, was to be) bright in her color, providing pleasure to the beholders.” (2:69). 

 

(2)          The heavenly bodies that surround the earth:

In this respect, the Holy Qur’an says:

“And assuredly We have set constellations in the heaven and We have beautified it for beholders.” (15:16).

“We have indeed decked the lower heaven with beauty (in) the stars…” (37:6). 

 

(3)          Heaven in the World Hereafter:

The Holy Qur’an says about Heaven

“… how beautiful an abode and place of rest!” (25:76).

“… beautiful Place of (final) Return.” (38:25).

“Now no person knows what delight of the eyes (—what aesthetic satisfaction—) is kept hidden (in reserve) for them (in Heaven)—as a reward for their (good) deeds.” (32:l7).

“But Allah will deliver them from the evil of that Day, and will shed over them a Light of Beauty and a (blissful) Joy.” (76:11).

“Some faces, that Day, will beam (in brightness and beauty), looking towards their Lord (Who is the Source of all Beauty and the Bestower of all Blessings).” (75:22-23).

 

 

(3) MAN:

According to the Holy Qur’an, human beings are possessors of Beauty, both outwardly and inwardly. It says:

“We have indeed created man in the best and the most beautiful* constitution.** (95:4).

*Ahsan means: the best, the most beautiful.

**Taqwim means: constitution, mould, form, nature, symmetry.  Man is, therefore, “the comeliest specimen of God’s handiwork”, according to Maulana Abdul Majid Daryabadi (English Translation and Commentary of the Holy Qur’an, p. 956, n. 438); and according to Allama Abdullah Yusuf Ali (English Translation and Commentary of the Holy Qur’an, p. 1759, n. 6199), “to man God gave the purest and the best nature.” Mark here that symmetry and purity are the attributes of beauty.

 

“And (it is Allah Who has) given you shape (O mankind!), and made your shapes beautiful…” (40:64).

“By the Soul and Him Who endowed it with proportion and order*…” (91:7).

*Mark that proportion and order are attributes of Beauty. Hence this verse refers definitely to the beauty of the inner personality of the human being.

The above discussion proves that the Holy Qur’an is vehemently emphatic on the aesthetic value, affirming as it does, beauty in God, universe and man.

Source

to be continued . . . . . 

Quranic Foundation & Structure Of Muslim Society In The End Times

 

THE INTEGRATED INDIVIDUAL - BASIC QUALITIES OF A MUSLIM

 

 Quranic Foundations And Structure Of Muslim Society

Chapter 8

THE INTEGRATED INDIVIDUAL:   

BASIC QUALITIES OF A MUSLIM

 

Man’s status and function has been differently viewed in the different schools of moral thought,—the differences emerging basically in the emphasis laid by each on the different aspects of human nature and activity. Thus: for some, man is only an animal among animals; while, for others, he is something more, and as such should be referred to as a ‘being’. Then, his function has been emphasised variously in terms of a ‘social animal’, a ‘rational animal’, an ‘economic animal’, a ‘moral being’, and a ‘spiritual being’. 

 

In the Qur’anic view, the essential attribute of the human being is personality, which consists in the possession of self-consciousness, self-directed will and creative intellect. As such, he is unique among all the creatures living on earth. Nay, his superiority is acknowledged even by the holy celestial creatures known as angels (2:34; etc.). Moreover, he stands in a special relation with God in terms of the attribute of ‘personality’, which both possess—; and, in consequence, his status among God’s creatures is that of the vicegerent of God (2:30). He carries a responsibility on his shoulders which “the heavens and the earth and the mountains” found themselves unable to bear (33:72). He has a cosmic mission, because “whatever is in the heavens and the earth has been made subservient” to him (45:13). Nay, his mission is even beyond that. It is supra-cosmic. For, he belongs to God and unto Him he is journeying (2:156). Indeed, God is his final destination (53:43). As such, he is a theocentric being functioning on earth in a spatio-temporal framework of activity and a physical environment; and his vicegerency of God implies that he should function as an integrated being, namely, comprehensively, harmoniously and creatively, in all the dimensions of his personality: physical, spiritual, moral, intellectual, and aesthetical. 

 

It is with this view of status and function of the individual that the Qur’an prescribes a comprehensive moral code for him. That moral code is grounded in a value-system which is comprised of the same norms as the ethical guidelights for the Religious Quest, mentioned already, namely; Piety, Selflessness, Truth, Justice, Love, Wisdom and Beauty. 

 

The existence of this similarity is due to the fact that the Qur’anic integralistic philosophy of life aims at integrating not only the individual but also the society. The integration in the former case is achieved horizontally, while in the latter case it is vertical, wherein the individuals at all the levels of human development in terms of that philosophy—from the beginners to the highly-developed—automatically follow the same value-system and the same dynamics, being thus distinguishable from one another only in quantitative terms and not qualitatively. The ‘path’ is the same, and the ‘goal’ is the same. Hence the path is open to all, and the goal is open to all. The role of the more-developed is not to consider themselves as a special privileged class but to inspire and assist the less-developed towards ever-greater effort. Thus a true co-operative spiritual, social, political and economic democracy comes into existence.  

 

Here the Qur’anic philosophy differs radically with those religions which create a distinct class of ‘pursuers of saintliness’, on the one hand, and a vast mass of ‘religious proletariat’, on the other, — with principles and ideals and modes of life different for each class. 

 

However, to return to the basic norms that should govern the life of every Qur’anic individual, i.e., of every Muslim: The acceptance of each of these norms as a guidelight brings into activity certain very basic moral principles ^[1] even at the minimum level, which might be named as the level of the Basic Moral Quest.  

 

[Note: It should be understood that the difference between the Religious Quest, which we have already discussed, and the Basic Moral Quest, which we shall discuss now, is, strictly speaking, not of kind but of degree. They are focussed in the same direction, but differ as to the respective levels of achievement enshrined in them,—the emphasis in the latter case being on the building up of a sound moral life through ethico-religious, exercise grounded in ‘Faith in God’, and in the former case on the achievement of sound experience of nearness (taqarrub) to God, and the consequent ‘holiness’ in waliyah, basically through the exercise of ‘Love for God’ in its progressive intensification. It will thus be noticed that while the two Quests are distinguishable, the latter forms actually an inseparable part of the former; or, we might term the latter as the preliminary level of the former.] 

 

To proceed briefly:

Piety: in the basic sense, has three fundamental dimensions in the Qur’anic philosophy, namely: ‘faith in God’, ‘love for God’, and ‘fear of God’. Adherence to faith in God in the form of the Islamic formula: “There is none worthy of worship except Allaah” establishes humility and moral courage and optimism in one’s moral behaviour at the very start. Love for God supplies positive motivation for the highest ideals. Its cultivation establishes unfailing love for doing good to humanity as well as for one’s betterment, and ‘fills’ the human life so perfectly as to keep away the psychical ailment of the feeling of ‘emptiness’ of life for good. Cultivation of fear of God, which is, according to the Qur’an, actually fear of Accountability and Divine Judgment, brings about the establishment of conscientiousness, sense of responsibility and moral earnestnest.  

 

Selflessness: which, according to the Qur’anic philosophy, consists in ‘absence of evils relating to the animal self’, imparts genuine dignity to the pursuer’s personality through the exercise of self-control, which is its vital base, and ensures temperance and true chivalry and the pursuit of all the social virtues in the highest measure. (It is the urges of animal self that form the source of all moral evils. Hence, the Holy Qur’an teaches that the impelling force of the animal self should be kept in abeyance through the constant cultivation of the basic Qur’anic ideal of ‘surrender to God’,—that being the very function of a Muslim, as contained in the word ‘Muslim’ itself.)  

 

Truth: Its pursuit, according to the Qur’an, is three dimensional, namely: in thought, in word, and in deed. Adherence to ‘truth in thought’ establishes a person in adherence to reality, or, a realistic approach to life, and in sincerity—as opposed to hypocrisy, and in single-mindedness. Adherence to ‘truth in word’ ensures veracity and integrity. Adherence to ‘truth in deed’ establishes honesty and effort for efficiency in one’s life.  

 

Justice: functions in respect of others as well as in regard to one’s self. 

(1) Adherence to absolute justice in respect of others, as commanded by the Qur’an, ensures the avoidance of doing any undeserved injury to anyone, even though one’s own interests or the interests of one’s relatives and friends are injured thereby. 

(2) Adherence to justice in respect of one’s self ensures utmost effort for promoting a natural, healthy and vigorous life, as demanded by the Qur’an: 

(2.1) The ideal of promotion of life as natural commits a person to simplicity—as opposed to luxurious and vain sophistication. 

(2.2) The ideal of promotion of life as healthy consists, in accordance with the Qur’anic philosophy, in the effort for the establishment of sound physical health, sound moral health, sound spiritual health, sound economic outlook and sound social demeanour; and the duties that emerge are: 

(a) in respect of physical health: negatively, to avoid unhealthy foods and drinks and to refrain from gluttony; and, positively, to stick to healthy foods and drinks only—and that in balanced quantities, with recurrent fasting, besides the obligatory one month’s fasting during Ramadan—, and to physical exercise in the form of  sports and otherwise, healthy recreation and proper rest; 

(b) in respect of moral health: to maintain purity of conscience and the effort for achieving soundness in moral behaviour; 

(c) in respect of spiritual health: positively, to cultivate more and more a living and dynamic relationship with God,^[2]—the minimum basic obligatory institutional exercises prescribed by the Qur’an in that connection being the five daily obligatory Prayers (salat), fasting during Ramadan (saum), and the payment annually of a fixed portion of one’s surplus wealth for the benefit of others, solely out of love for God (zakat); and, negatively, to avoid all that which hinders or damages the devotion to God, including all superstitions; 

(d) in respect of economic outlook: to undertake utmost sincere effort for earning one’s livelihood by lawful means and with dignity, and to avoid all waste of possibilities for economic production; 

(e) in respect of social demeanour: to maintain one’s dignity in society through adherence to moral integrity, for which, in addition to its moral teachings, an exercise in the religious perspective has been provided by the Qur’an in the institution of the hajj.^[3] 

(2.3) The ideal of vigorous life commits a person to: 

(a) pursuance of earnestness, purposiveness, hard balour and a progressive outlook; and 

(b) avoidance of waste of time and energy in idleness or in vain pursuits. 

 

Love: projects itself in two dimensions, namely, love for one’s self, and love for other creatures of God. The former demands: (a) doing all that lies in one’s power for making one’s self sound physically, spiritually, morally, intellectually and economically; (b) avoiding to the utmost what harms ones self in any way. The latter brings into action such virtues as sympathy, mercy, compassion, kindness, respect, generosity—in fact, doing good to others in every way and abstaining from injuring them and their lawful interests in any way. 

 

Wisdom: as an ideal of life, commits a person to growth in knowledge and attainment of more and more insight into the reality of phenomena and things. The Qur’an wants this pursuit to proceed through a critical study of Divine Revelation, Nature and History, along with the consequential outlook of promoting good and eradicating evil in one’s self and in society,—whereby, through Jihad, i.e., ceaseless and vigorous effort, the individual as well as the society attain power, peace and progress. 

 

Beauty: as an ideal of Qur’anic philosophy, commits the pursuer to gracefulness and beautification in every aspect of life. Thus: sweetness, gentleness and gracefulness emerge in morals and manners; cleanliness becomes the watchword in respect of all actions and things, including the body, the dress and the environment: natural beautification in conformity with the ideals of Piety and Wisdom is pursued in respect of one’s self, one’s productions and one’s environment.^[4]

---

[1] The full-fledged moral code which governs human life Islamically has been presented in vol. 2: “The Structure of Islamic Society”, to which the readers should turn to for the Qur’anic references relating to the basic moral principles projected here.

[2] The combination of (a), (b) and (c) ensures what is called ‘mental health’.

[3] In respect of the wisdom enshrined in the institutions of Salat; Saum, Zakat and Hajj, readers may refer to the Author’s: “Philosophy of Worship in Islam”, published by the World Federation of Islamic Missions, Karachi, Pakistan.

[4] For Qur’anic references relating to the details projected in this chapter, refer to vol. 2, relevant sections.

Source

to be continued . . . . . 

Quranic Foundation & Structure Of Muslim Society In The End Times