I think it is a fact that Christians (or non-Muslims in general) misunderstood that us Muslims hated and disbelieved Jesus Christ. It is disheartening to see sometimes in my Facebook feed or in my Youtube recommendations that these nonsense about us despising Christ, especially around this time, that I am now compelled to do a special for this Christmas about the status in Jesus in Islam, and shed a light on a few Islamic art and architecture that is dedicated to him..
So who is Jesus in Islam? Lets review a few facts about hm in the viewpoint of Islam –
In Islam, he is called Isa Ibn Maryam (Jesus the son of Mary). He is also known as Al Masih and simply as Ibn Maryam in the Quran
He is one of the major prophet and messenger of Allah in Islam
Born from Maryam (the Virgin Mary) from the miracle of virgin birth
He had several miracles including talking in the cradle, creating doves out of clay, as well as raising the dead – a parallel in the gospels of Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead.
Preached Islam and received Injil from Allah as his holy book
Contrary to Christian beliefs, Jesus or Isa was not crucified but saved by Allah and brought up to the heavens.
Muslims believe he will come down again in the End of Days to battle again Al Masih Ad Dajjal (The False Messiah)
What is the difference of The Christian Jesus and the Muslim Isa then? For one, as I had noted above, we don’t believe that he was crucified and murdered on the cross, but rather saved by God and was raised to the heavens, to come down later in the End of Days for the final battle against The False Messiah. We also believed that he was born from the Virgin Mary without anyone assisting her in the middle of the desert, in contrast with Christian narrative where she was with Joseph. We also never believed him to be the Son of God, but rather he was only a prophet and a messenger of God, albeit a very important one. This view is repeated in the Qur’an, denying his deification and reinforce the notion that he is not the son of God. There are still a lot of difference between Jesus and Isa but that would be for another time.
Now let’s look into Islamic art that is dedicated to one of the greatest prophet of Islam.
A Persian miniature of The Prophet Muhammad (in a rare Muslim depiction) leading the prophets to prayer including Isa By Unknown author – The Middle Ages. An Illustrated History by Barbara Hanawalt (Oxford University Press, 1998) ISBN 0195103599. p. 36., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=671949
The Minaret of the Prophet Isa in the Umayyad Mosque, Damascus, Syria. It is believed that in the end of days the prophet will decend down from heaven to earth to this Minaret. By Bernard Gagnon – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10305838
In the end, no matter what we believe in about Jesus, I hope this article shed a little light about him in Islam, and to dispel any misconception that we Muslims deny and despise him – and understand that we see him as one of the greatest man the world had even seen. Happy Christmas to all my Christian readers, and happy holidays adn happy new year for my non celebrating readers.
During my trip to Turkey, in the area where I stayed (Kadırga, in the Fatih district of Istanbul) I passed a curious, small curious building in the Kadırga park. It was made of marble, without any roof. On one side there is a small cesme (fountain) and a stairway on the side leading curiously up to the building. The whole building was gated, so I cannot approach it any closer. Unfortunately, it was vandalized, although not as badly as some of the monuments I had seen in Istanbul. Although the building was very much in the state of disrepair. There was a small information kiosk nearby, although back then I could not read or understand a lick of Turkish at all. Once I returned back to Brunei I started to look for any information on this particular building, and in the end I found out that it was a Namazgah. What is a Namazgah? Well, let me give you a little bit of information about this onefirst.
This particular Namazgah is named after Esma Sultan, the daughter of Sultan Ahmet III, and was built in 1779. There are two fountains (Cesme) on two sides of the building as well as , and there is a staircase leading up to the top of it. It is a short stout building, located in the Kadırga park, lower than the street level probably because the level keep going up over the years.
But what exactly is a Namazgah?
A Namazgah is simply put, an outdoor prayer space. The name is believed to came from Persian, and a combination of the words Namaz, meaning prayer, and Idgah, A place for prayer. I think Namazgahs are particularly unique to Turkish, Persian and Northern Indian Subcontinent areas, because I have never seen such a structure here in Brunei (or the Nusantara, generally). The shape of the structure differs quite a lot amongst different areas, in my observation. Some of the Namazgah I have seen is a literal open space, enclosed only by short walls. Some are like traditional mosques with domes, but a lot smaller in size. Some has their own short minarets and even miniature mimbars (pulpits)
There are not a lot of information about Namazgahs to write about, but this chance meeting of this interesting piece of Islamic architecture piqued my interest and started my journey delving into buildings that are rather less discussed. I am currently watching a series from Diyanet TV, Namazgahlar, discussing about these structure, although it is in Turkish. However, if you are interested you can watch them for more information.
Below are some of the pictures of the Namazgah I seen in Kadırga
For this part of the series I want to focus on the African Islam. Note that I am not discussing the North African region ( Egypt to Morocco) as they constitute as different regions at least for me. I am also discussing the very traditional modular African mosque (referred to Sudano-Sahelian architecture style)instead of the more recent modern styles of mosque. Again, this is my personal view on this topic, and I do not know much of Traditional mosques in Africa. That being said, let’s look into this subject together.
History
It is agreed upon that Africa is the earliest continent to receive Islam, as early as the 7th Century. Historically, some of the companions of the Prophet Muhammad, fearing the persecution they were facing in Mecca. By the prophet’s advice, a total of 23 early Muslims migrated to Abyssinia in Africa. This marks the first contact of Islam to the region, as well as the first spreading of Islam in Africa, as later in the same year the companions migrated to Abyssinia, they returned back to Arabia, this time with 101 new Muslims. Islam continues to grow there as noted by Al-Yaqubi in late 9th Century, when he wrote about Muslims living along the Northern Somali coast.
During the Caliph of Umar bin Al Khattab, the Muslims marched into Africa from Egypt to Libya, further establishing the new Islamic caliphate. Later in the 9th Century, Islamic Sultanates began to be established in the Horn of Africa region, reaching south to Mozambique by the 12th Century.
In West Africa, the spread of Islam is complimented by the rise of the Almoravid dynasty in Morocco, as kings and rulers in this region accepted Islam through trade and proselytization.
Colours
One of the most unique features of traditional mosque architecture in Africa is its usage of locally available material, namely mud or adobe and wood. As these materials are expendable, all of the structures built this way are continuously being repaired and rebuilt over time. Some of the communities which these mosques served for actually allocated time each year to rebuild the mosque together.
By the usage of these materials naturally the colours used for these buildings are shades of brown and dark red. Sometimes the walls are whitewashed – however this is not a sustainable solution as it might be washed away by rain in the region.
Notable Examples
Devriese – Originally uploaded to Flickr as Djenné #2 Djenné street market and the Great Mosque of Djenné — Mali. A Prime example of Traditional African mosque made from mud
I know I said I would post a new article next week, and I know I might be a little late bringing this up in this blog, but I got super excited about this and I want to share with you all!
Last night while looking around the internet for Islamic art content, I came across Aga Khan Museum, a museum dedicated to Islamic art and culture, based in Ontario, Canada. The Museum is under the patronage of His Highness Aga Khan, the 49th Hereditary Imam of the Ismaili Shi’as. The museum displays an impressive collection of Islamic art and hosts events and performance arts as well as offering dining options at their physical location.
The aim of the Aga Khan Museum will be to offer unique insights and new perspectives into Islamic civilizations and the cultural threads that weave through history binding us all together. My hope is that the Museum will also be a centre of education and of learning, and that it will act as a catalyst for mutual understanding and tolerance. –
Unfortunately as of now with the COVID-19 restrictions, we cannot visit this very interesting museum at the moment, and they are also temporarily closed. So now they actually offer, like many museums around the world, a way to visit them virtually.
Via their #MuseumsWithoutWalls, they offer a number of online exhibitions as well as activities. These are filled with special videos, online lectures, family activities and so on, which are planned on a weekly basis. There are also performance videos and exhibitions, and a learn-and-play section geared towards children filled with fun games and activities and ideas for you and your family.
You may visit the virtual exhibition here :
I think this is a fantastic chance to experience this museum albeit virtually. Many of us (including myself) would not be able or maybe can never even able to come to Aga Khan Museum physically, so this a great way to learn more about Islamic art and culture through one of the most prestigious museum on Islamic art available.
It feels like just yesterday that I had started this blog. although we pretty much started with nothing and to a rather rocky start, Alhamdullilah the blog has grown quite considerably over the years. Here are a few stats of the blog since its inception 11 years ago :
Date of first blog post : 7th December 2009
Total posts : 48 articles
Total views : 500,000+
Total number of WordPress followers : 56
Total number of social media followers : 221
Number of countries the author had visited for the blog : 5 (needs more, insha Allah)
To celebrate the occasion, I had changed slightly the looks of the blog, just a few days before the anniversary. I changed the background to a more traditional Islamic geometric pattern, albeit still in the same colours and still having the same modern mood as before. I also cleaned up the banner although it is still the same colour. The logo had also been cleaned up, now that I learned that WordPress actually supports transparent background for logos!
Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy and continue on enjoying this one-man effort. Again I truly appreciate and comments and criticisms you might have. Insha Allah in the future I will and continue on making quality content for you. I will resume my usual posting next week.
After spending almost two amazing weeks in Turkey, I learned so many things there, not only on Islamic art and Architecture, but also personal lessons (which I will not mention here, for it has nothing to do with this blog!) Turkey is an amazing place for everyone, not only for students of Islamic art and architecture, but quite literally to every one ; young and old, no matter what their interests are. But it is especially interesting for us Islamic art aficionados. The layers of history in the city of Istanbul alone, from the early Roman times, to the Byzantine to the Ottoman era, there are lots to see and absorb here. Being the capital of the Ottoman Empire, you can expect to see an unbelievable concentration of Ottoman Islamic art and architecture here. Whether you are just starting your journey on the appreciation of this art form, or have been delving into it as a professional for years, I think Turkey and especially Istanbul is an absolutely befitting place to start your voyage into the amazing Islamic art and Architecture.
Here are a few takeaways from my trip. Expect in-depth articles on some of these topics sometime soon :
About Ottoman and Turkish art and culture
This might be more of a personal observation rather than a topic pertaining about Islamic art and architecture, however I don’t think we can properly discuss about Islamic art without mentioning the integration of Islamic values within the Turkish culture, as it does give hints about how distilled Islam is within the lives of the Turks, and hence how it permeates into their art and culture.
I think this might be one of a culture shock that I experienced while being there. Coming from a rather conservative Islamic nation, and thinking that Turkey is far more secular than what I am used to, I can’t help but notice the Islamic culture deeply ingrained into the Turks’ daily life.
Everywhere you go you would see the men especially have their Tasbeeh/Misbah (Islamic prayer rosary) in their hands wherever they go. Although I think this is more of a habit inherited from their fathers, and perhaps the Tasbeeh is only acts a fidgeting gadget (much like the fidget spinner) but you just cannot help that they have a religious item in their hands always. Of course, what they do with it is their personal choice, I would like to think they are, intentionally or not, recite their Zikirs (remembrance prayers) as they pass the beads between their fingers.
I also see how hospitable they are towards their guests. Personally I experienced this in several ways : A helpful gesture when I got lost on the metro, a protective gesture against crowds when, a brief hug from someone I just knew, hotel staffs going beyond their way to help, tourist guides who won’t take money for the extra places he brought me to and the list goes on. I think this is a deeply rooted belief from Islam, which believed that guests are from God, and must be treated as best as they could.
Thus in art, especially traditional, Ottoman (and subsequently, Turkish) art are very much based in the ideas of Islamic art culture – everywhere you will see geometric designs, vegetal motifs and elegant calligraphy wherever you go, even at the places which are more decidedly European in style, like in the Dolmabahce palace. This is in line with Islamic restrictions (or perhaps more like limitations?) of not making representations of living beings such as animals or human.
Example of Turkish art
There are more Turkish cultural identities that I noticed that are based on Islam, but I wouldn’t delve much into it, as it is not really about physical Islamic art…or perhaps you would like a separate article discussing this? Leave a comment below if you wish to read about it 🙂
Ottoman Religious Architecture
In Turkey and especially Istanbul, with the layers of Ottoman history, you can actually delineate and differentiate the architectural styles of mosques. I visited several in Istanbul as well as in Bursa, I got the chance to further understand the language of Ottoman religious architecture before the conquest of Constantinople, and to compare them, to take note of their inspirations and influences, apparent differences, and subtle similarities.
There are also buildings that are not mosques, but still pertaining to Islam. smaller buildings are medreses, namazgahs and the like are quite literally all over Turkey. What are they? It will be a very interesting topic to discuss.
Again, I would write this up in a separate article. It is an interesting topic, surely. Expect the articles about the types mosques of the Ottoman Empire and Turkish republic soon.
Blue Mosque, Istanbul (Wikipedia)
Special features of Ottoman Mosques
Perhaps this could be combined with the above topic, however I think it should be a separate article, simply because some of the features in Ottoman and Turkish mosques are quite frankly not available in other countries. So when I saw them for the first time, I did not their purposes and names, until I saw them used and then much later I learned about what they are.
Mihrabs and Mimbars are standard in any mosques, but how about Hunkar Mahfili and Muezin Mahfili? If you don’t have any idea about Turkish mosques you might learn something new. How about the peculiarity and the uniqueness of the standard features of mosques in Turkish mosques? This again will be an interesting topic to ponder upon!
Ottoman Secular Architecture
Of course in cities, there are not only religious places, but civil places as well. These buildings from the Ottoman era actually have characteristics which are special to the Turks, and are deeply influenced by Persian and Islamic architecture.
You will see Hammams, courthouses, public buildings and palaces which, if you are not seeing them carefully, might confuse them with mosques and other religious buildings. They are essentially similar however with my observation we can see the differences that they have.
Haseki Hürrem Sultan Bathhouse in Istanbul, Turkey (wikipedia)
These are the takeaways that I got from my visit to Turkey in 2017. It was 3 years ago, yet I want to return back there again and learn more about this magnificent country and its culture, especially its Islamic heritage. Alas 2020 have not been very friendly with us, however I wish in a few years we will be able to travel again and I will return there for the next episode.
Stars in Symmetry 