Islamic mysticism
Azita Belali e oskui; Morteza shajari; mina heydaritorkmani; seyd jalal mousavi sharabiani
Abstract
IntroductionHuman agency, both in creation and in recognition of architectural space and their interaction with the space, has been affected by the hidden harmony that is generated in the space, which turns the architectural space away from its static state, stillness, and lifelessness, and the core ...
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IntroductionHuman agency, both in creation and in recognition of architectural space and their interaction with the space, has been affected by the hidden harmony that is generated in the space, which turns the architectural space away from its static state, stillness, and lifelessness, and the core of the harmony is indeed the “unity”; that is, multiple parts find unity and totality within a whole that creates a sense inside, which fits the aesthetic desire and indeed the internal human self, because the human self seeks unity and suffers from multiplicity, diffusion, and conflicts (Ardalan et al., 2011). In fact, it might be acknowledged that architecture as a created work secretly involves the creation of multiplicity and turning it into unity in interaction with humans. Given the idea of the unity of existence (waḥdat al-wujūd) in Islamic mysticism, a world is portrayed that is, first, divine and spiritual, where the song of holiness resonates, and second, it involves a unity by which all multiple parts are unified, or more precisely speaking, all that exists is a manifestation or representation of the one unified reality. In this way, art in general and architecture in particular might come to have a different color. Unity of existence is evident in architectural work in the Islamic world, but the character of this unity is not adequately discussed. A genuine perception of unity in architectural space is not confined to external senses. To the contrary, in its higher degrees, i.e., internal senses, it affects the observer. The goal of the present research to identify the nature of this unity and how it occurs. The question of our research is as follows: are Ibn ʿArabī’s views of unity applicable to architectural space, and what material grounds are prepared in architectural space to attain the unity? To answer the question, we begin with an overview of Ibn ʿArabī’s mystical view, where the question of existence and knowledge of unity is discussed as the foundation of Ibn ʿArabī’s mysticism.According to our surveys, the issue of whether Ibn ʿArabī’s account of unity is applicable to architectural space has not been properly addressed in the past research. Instead, issues of the unity of existence and multiplicity within unity have been discussed separately in philosophy and architecture. Moreover, the architectural literature tends to focus on corporeal, visual, and symbolic aspects of architectural parts in the realization of unity. In the present research, we drawAssociate Professor, Department of Architecture, Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism, Tabriz Islamic Art University, Tabriz, Iran (Corresponding Author). oskoyi@tabirziau.ac.irProfessor, Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Persian Literature and Foreign Languages, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran. mortezashajari@gmail.comD. Candidate of Islamic Architecture, Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism, Tabriz Islamic Art University, Tabriz, Iran. m.haydari@tabriziau.ac.irAssistant Professor, Department of Islamic Education, Faculty of Multimedia, Tabriz Islamic Art University, Tabriz, Iran. sjsharabiani@tabriziau.ac.irDate received: 2022/03/19, Date of acceptance: 2022/07/19 This article has been extracted from the course "Wisdom in Islamic Architecture" in the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism of Tabriz Islamic Art University.on Ibn ʿArabī’s views about the questions of existence and knowledge of unity as the foundation of his mysticism to tackle material and perceptual grounds in the Islamic architectural space to examine the move from multiplicity to unity.Method of ResearchMethodologically speaking, the present research is descriptive-analytic, adopting the qualitative research approach. Qualitative research involves identification of the relevant references, studies and overviews of the written sources, comprehension of their meanings, and extraction of the relevant material, establishment of relations between issues, and providing descriptions and analyses of them.Discussion and ResultsCreation of multiplicity in architectural space and its transformation into unity has been effective in attaining an understanding of the existential unity, such that this understanding in architectural space was a determinant of the degree of the work’s life, and was somehow a cause of its existence. In fact, to attain such a unity, the human presence and existence in the space is undoubtedly what engenders a motion toward its recognition. Accordingly, the move from multiplicity to unity in architectural space implies physical movement (translocation – ocular) and semantic movement (mental movement). During the movement in architectural space, the observer’s physical movement turns into visual movement, which in turn results in reception of a series of regression and connections in the observer’s mind, leading to his or her mental movement. However, once the observer begins to recognize and see signs, it enables him or her to move in the world of imagination to attain unity. In fact, genuine unity is obtained through human imagination.ConclusionThere is a remarkable correspondence between perceptions of existential unity in both philosophy and architecture. On Ibn ʿArabī’s account, imagination is perception of images in the soul after having seen something. Indeed, imagination is the intermediary between dualities. So in his view, human imagination is capable of attaining unity in the world that is abstracted or detached from the sensible world (existence of multiplicity). Furthermore, in the unity of existence, finding the existence is the same as coming to exist, where the finding is through intuitions and revelations. In the Imam Mosque of Isfahan (or the Shah Mosque), manifestation of the pairs [imagination being in pair] in space provides a bedrock for the observer’s intuition and revelation of unity through a definition of hierarchies and qualitative geometry based on the principle of the centrality and symmetry and existence of light.
Ahad Nejad Ebrahimi; Minou GharehBaglou; amirhossein farshchian
Abstract
Introduction In Islamic architecture, the architect must be face all the issues in architectural design. Create quantitative & qualitative issues by observing the principles & rules of the process. The architect must create the architectural structure with geometry through art & based on ...
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Introduction In Islamic architecture, the architect must be face all the issues in architectural design. Create quantitative & qualitative issues by observing the principles & rules of the process. The architect must create the architectural structure with geometry through art & based on theoretical reason. Architecture has numerical & theoretical dimensions, because it is for the human being as a thinking being, it has qualitative dimensions. The architect must pay attention to the quantitative & qualitative dimensions in creating the architectural building. Traditional Iranian architecture has quality dimensions that include the wisdom of philosophers & Islamic thinkers of Iran. These topics are combined with the basics of other topics to work. Islamic architecture is called Islamic because it combines with the principles of Islamic wisdom & philosophy in uses it. In order to underst& Islamic architecture, wisdom must be examined in the process of creating an architectural building. The truth of the function of wisdom in the process of creating an architectural structure is an important issue. Wisdom in the science of architectural geometry can mean Coded truths that include the Coded structure of architecture. The Coded truths in Islamic philosophy are the same as the divine truths. God provides knowledge of divine truths to thoughtful & knowledgeable human beings who seek the truths of the universe. Thoughtful human beings become aware of the divine truths of God to the extent of the power of their intellect & perception. Islamic architecture in the l& of Iran has always used the principles & subjects of geometry in external & internal science. The use of geometry is superficial in maps & decorations & inwardly it is an architectural building in general form & body. The geometry used in the Islamic architecture of Iran has been done by Islamic thinkers, mathematicians & Scientists. Geometry in architecture increases the strength of the architecture & its beauty. Geometry has used wisdom in creating the beauty & function of an architectural building. An architectural structure is successful when human beings can meet their biological & spiritual needs through it. A skilled & professional architect can use all external & internal issues in creating an architectural building with wisdom. Geometry must also consider beauty in creating an architectural building through wisdom. Knowledge of geometry & wisdom is very important in creating an architectural building. Architecture as a traditional profession needs wisdom in geometry. In this article, the subject of geometry has been studied & analyzed from a scientific & artistic point of view. Also in this article, the subject of wisdom in geometry in creating an architectural building has been studied. Wisdom in this article is in the form of theoretical wisdom & practical wisdom. The point is, how does mathematics in geometry combine with artistic & aesthetic subjects? & How to create architecture using wisdom? In the present age there is no connection between the subjects of mathematics which are used rationally & the subject of wisdom. This is also seen in the science & art of architecture today. In the past architecture of Iran, there was a deep connection between mathematics & wisdom. In the past architecture of Iran, the connection between wisdom & mathematics in creating geometry has made the architecture of beautifuly & also its proper functionaly. In the science of wisdom, geometry has a meaning in the form of a code & this code has external & internal meanings & truths. The facts in the codes are not normally recognizable by human beings. The code of geometry is in the structure of the universe & has divine truth. Geometry in this world has a trend towards beauty. Wisdom in science belongs to Islamic philosophy. The meaning of wisdom in Islamic philosophy is knowledge & awareness that has been created through reasoning. Argument arises through deep thought in the human mind. Methouds & Material In this research, the views of Islamic mathematicians in the form of mathematics & wisdom have been studied. Islamic mathematicians include the following.Mohamad Bouzajani; Abu Nasr Farabi; Ibn Sina, Akhavan Al-Safa & Jamshid Kashani. The subject of the research method is to obtain geometry & wisdom from the perspective of mathematics. How to transfer geometry from visual and numerical dimensions to the practical world has been analyzed in this method. The success of riddles in the past must be examined in terms of wisdom and geometry. The research method of writing in mathematics and numerical subjects is deductive. The Grounded theory method has also been used in dealing with historical situations. Result & Discussion In Islamic architecture, geometry has been associated with wisdom. Wisdom in geometry has created a beautiful and functional architectural space and decorations. Geometry in the wisdom of Islamic architecture has a sacred place & has hidden secrets. Wisdom & geometry in architectural building, in addition to creating decorative roles in a general & specific way, has led to the recognition of the divine truth in the hidden layers of architectural construction. Accordingly, geometry in Islamic architecture has caused the symbolic identification of the truth of existence and the display of the hidden world. The geometry inside the architectural building is like a code that must be known. In Iranian Islamic architecture, geometry has been used to be aware of divine knowledge as well as to reveal the hidden truths of the divine world in the external world. Geometry has used wisdom for this issue. Conclusion Geometry is hidden in Islamic architecture as a mystery & truth. Geometry in its process shows real tangible subjects along with hidden subjects. Geometry creates awareness of the external & internal codes contained in the architectural building. The geometry of the codes in creating the architectural building in which wisdom plays a role can be identified & informed. In addition to a few topics in Islamic architecture, geometry deals with many qualitative issues. Theoretical wisdom & practical wisdom in understanding the science of geometry can in fact distinguish the outer world and the inner world. Geometry causes the objects that exist in the world of imagination and mentality to become a visible world & human beings can see it with their physical eyes. Geometry creates a logical connection between the external world & the internal world. This logical connection creates a balance between the worlds. Using the balance of geometry, he can distinguish the facts of existence. Geometry in Islamic architecture makes quantities & qualities conscious to man externally & inwardly.
Amirhossein Farshchian; Morteza Shajari
Abstract
Tradition is a path that preserves all fundamental aspects of human life and keeps them connected to their original sources, to the sacred past, and one of the most important aspects of human life - almost encompassing and framing all the others and being central to our experience of being human - is ...
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Tradition is a path that preserves all fundamental aspects of human life and keeps them connected to their original sources, to the sacred past, and one of the most important aspects of human life - almost encompassing and framing all the others and being central to our experience of being human - is ‘architecture’. There is a causal relation between the ‘Islamic tradition’ and ‘Islamic architecture’, thus, it would actually be meaningless to attribute the adjective ‘Islamic’ to ‘architecture’ in the absence of true traditional values. The present study critically investigates Seyyed Hossein Nasr’s attitude toward Islamic architecture, including its relation to Islamic tradition and traditional Islam, its definition and its essential characteristics, its interaction with urban societies and finally its socio-religious functions in traditional and modern life. Islamic architecture is not an outdated-forgotten art with some sets of footprints left in the remains of ancient settlements. It has internally survived long enough to reproduce itself in concordance with the necessities of the time without losing its essential characteristics and elements.
