Islamic culture

The term refers mainly Islamic culture in the academic field, the historical description of the existing practices in the Islamic peoples cultural practice. With the rise of Islam in Arabia in the 6th century, the early forms of Muslim culture were predominantly Arab- dominated. However, with the rapid expansion of the Islamic empire, the Muslims took over diverse traditions of the conquered peoples, and made themselves elements of Persian, Turkish, Mongolian, Indian, Malaysian and Indonesian cultures as our own.

6.1 Elements of Islamic style
6.2 Meaning

Conceptual issues

The term Islamic culture itself is controversial. Muslims live in many different countries and societies, and find it difficult to determine the respective share in the different Islamic references. As a result, certain religious Muslims deny the existence of Islamic cultures, it only exists the Islamic religion. However, can an academic approach not to share such an exclusive perspective because it understands religion as an aspect of cultural anthropology and history.

The renowned historian Marshall Hodgson Islam described the tension of religious versus secular- academic use of terms such as "Islamic" and "Muslim" in his three -volume work, The Venture of Islam. He suggested that these terms are reserved only religious phenomena, and suggested for the description of the cultural aspects of the historical Muslim peoples the term " Islamicate " before. This distinction has, however, not enforced, therefore, remains a certain amount of imprecision in the use of these terms exist.

Religious practice

The Islamic culture generally includes all practical expressions of life that have evolved to Islam. As such, it includes many aspects of the service of conservative Muslims, as well as the veneration of Sufi Master (Persian Pir ), the sheikhs or Murshid Sufi teacher. In South Asia, whose worship has played a significant role, as the practice of bhakti- native Hindus or the spiritual devotion to the Guru compounds suggesting. This similarity made the emergence of syncretic forms of worship feed, the Hindu and Islamic elements united as the Bengali Baul tradition, and so facilitated the peaceful conversion of most of Bengal.

Language and Literature

Arabic

Early Muslim literature is in the municipalities of Muhammad in Mecca and Medina, Arabic language, written. Since the early history of the Muslim community was directed toward the establishment of Islam were his literary products essentially religious in nature. See the article Quran, Hadith and Sirah, the earliest literature of the Muslim community.

With the establishment of Umayyadenreichs, a secular Muslim literature developed. See 1001. The Arabs spread this worldly literary genre without specific religious content throughout their kingdoms and so they became part of a widespread culture.

Persian

During the Persian Abbasidenherrschaft to a main language of Muslim culture was; a large part of the most important Muslim literature is thus Persian literature. See The Conference of the Birds or the seals of Rumi.

With the advance of Islam into Central Asia to spread the anecdotes of Nasreddin. Although primarily a secular character, the Sufis used this sometimes as an example for the instruction of their students.

South Asia

In Bengal, the Baul tradition of folk music created a syncretic poetry that combines Sufism with numerous local and Hindu ideas. The most important poets were Hason Raja and Lalon.

For early Muslim feminist literature Rokeya Sakhawat Hussain see.

The Modern

Today the classification of writers according to the language has become increasingly meaningless. The works of Nobel laureate Naguib Mahfouz and Orhan Pamuk have been translated into many languages and are read worldwide. Other writers such as Hanif Kureishi, and Salman Rushdie to write directly in English.

Festivals

Art

The usual in art history term Islamic art denotes the spawned in areas with predominantly Islamic population and standing in relation to the Islamic art in general. It is often characterized by geometric and flowered arabesques and calligraphic patterns. Unlike the powerful tradition of the representation of the human body in Christian art, the portrayal of human beings is avoided in Islamic art. The absence of images is based, among others, that, according to the hadith literature and the original Mohammed Islam in the pictorial representation of people saw idolatry.

In consideration for the images avoidance in Islam, and out of respect for the Qur'an, the Islamic artists developed Arabic calligraphy into an art form. The calligraphers created copies of the Quran or religious quotes in arabic handwriting of the highest artistic quality to bring the perceived in the verses of the Quran beauty expressed.

Architecture

Elements of Islamic style

The Islamic architecture is characterized by stylistic elements that have been taken from the first of Mohammed in Medina mosque built, as well as derived from pre-Islamic by other churches or synagogues properties. These include

Large courtyards often combined with a central prayer hall ( originally a feature of the Al- Nabawi Mosque ).
Minarets or towers (originally as torch -lit watchtowers eg serving in the Umayyad Mosque, so in derivation from the Arabic word Manara ( "place, the light is ", " lighthouse " ) significant).
Mihrab ( niche) in an inner wall, indicates the direction to Mecca. Speculation suggests Torah niche in synagogues or haikal in Coptic churches as a model.
Domes. (earliest Islamic use in the mosque of Medina ( 8th century ) ).
Use of iwanen as a mediator between different sections.
Geometric shapes such as the repetitive arabesque.
Use decorative calligraphy.
Use of the symmetry.

Fountain for ritual ablutions.
Using bright colors.
Concentration on the interior of a building rather than on the exterior.

Importance

The Islamic architecture can be interpreted widely as

The notion of infinity and power of Allah conveyed by the structural pattern of repetitive topics.
Human and animal forms are rarely depicted pictorially in the decorative arts, as the work of Allah is incomparable. Foliage, however, is a common motif, often stylized or simplified.
The calligraphy is used to emphasize the value of the building interior, by representing Qur'anzitate.
The Islamic architecture is also called the " architecture of the veil " because the beauty in the inner spaces ( courtyards and rooms ) is located off the street and not visible from the outside.
Use of impressive forms such as domes and minarets were high, early demonstration of power and now serve only as a purely beautification of the mosque, which means that they no longer serve as a sign of power.

Music

Islamic music is Muslim religious music, which is sung or played in public worship services or private prayer. Well regarded as a classic heart of Islam Arabia and the Middle East, North Africa, Egypt, Iran, Central Asia, northern India and Pakistan. But because Islam is a multicultural religion, their musical expressions are each extremely diverse.

The traditional music styles of the indigenous people of the respective areas have shaped the Islamic religious music, which is now owned and listed by the Muslims:

Arab classical music
Persian classical music
North Indian classical music.

The Seljuks, a convert to Islam nomadic tribe of Anatolia (now Turkey ) conquered and established the Caliphate as the Ottoman Empire, also practiced on the Islamic music from big impact.

Sub-Saharan Africa, Indonesia, Malaysia and the southern Philippines also have a high Muslim population, but these areas had less influence than the Arabic center of diverse traditions of Arab music.

To all these regions were trade connections long before the Islamic conquests from the 7th century. Probably the musical styles took the same itineraries, such as trade goods. About her performance practice can, however, only speculate. Islam must have exercised, as it united vast areas under the first caliphs, and facilitated trade between distant countries giving strong influence on the music. Undoubtedly, the mystical Sufi Order ( Sufi brotherhoods ) spread their music far.