Qur'an

Examples of Qur'an in the following topics:

• Islamic Calligraphy

  • The most important religious text in Islam is the Qur'an, which is believed to be the word of God.
  • There are many examples of calligraphy and calligraphic inscriptions pertaining to verses from the Qur'an in Islamic arts.
  • The black ink in the image above from a 9th century Qur'an marks the consonants for the reader.  
  • Calligraphic inscriptions were not exclusive to the Qur'an, but also included verses of poetry or recorded ownership or donation.
  • This early Qur'an demonstrates the Kufic script, the earliest form of Arabic calligraphy noted for its angular form.

• Luxury Arts

  • The calligraphy and decoration of manuscript Qur'ans is an important aspect, but other religious art like glass mosque lamps and other mosque fittings such as tiles, woodwork, and carpets usually have the same style and motifs as contemporary secular art, although religious inscriptions are even more prominent.
  • Many Muslims fear that the depiction of the human form is a type of idolatry and thereby a sin against God, forbidden in the Qur'an.
  • The Baptistère de Saint-Louis in the Louvre is an example of the very high quality of metalwork of this period .
  • The Baptistère de Saint-Louis is an example of the very high quality of metalwork in the late Middle Ages.

• Islamic Art

  • Islam is a monotheistic and Abrahamic religion articulated by the Qur'an, a book considered by its adherents to be the verbatim word of God (Allah) and the teachings of Muhammad, who is considered to be the last prophet of God.
  • An adherent of Islam is called a Muslim.
  • Calligraphy and the decoration of manuscript Qu'rans is an important aspect of Islamic art as the word takes on religious and artistic significance.  
  • Typically, though not entirely, Islamic art has focused on the depiction of patterns and Arabic calligraphy, rather than human or animal figures, because it is believed by many Muslims that the depiction of the human form is idolatry and thereby a sin against God, forbidden in the Qur'an.

• Monotheism

  • For instance, as an ancient religion, Hinduism inherits religious concepts spanning monotheism and polytheism, and its complex concept of God depends upon each individual and the tradition followed.
  • The Qur'an, the central religious text of Islam, asserts the existence of a single and absolute truth that transcends the world, a unique indivisible being independent of the creation, rejecting binary modes of thinking such as the idea of a duality of God by arguing that both good and evil generate from God's creative act.
  • God is a universal god rather than a local, tribal, or parochial one: an absolute who integrates all affirmative values and brooks no evil.
  • Islamic art focuses on geometric design, as the Qur'an preaches that depicting human or divine form is idolatrous.

• Rituals

  • The Shinto Shrines of Ise Jingu in Japan serve as an example of the importance of non-preservation.
  • Meaning is assigned to objects of cultural or spiritual significance based on interpretations or perceived values by user populations, a process known as the social construction of an object.
  • Non-preservation refers to the opposite of preservation, either to the physical decay, or more often, the alteration of an object or artifact's intended meaning and/or purpose.
  • Many times, the very effort to preserve an artifact compromises its socially constructed meaning; in this way, the act of preservation becomes, in fact, an act of non-preservation.
  • For example, when books are piled on top of a Qur'an in a museum display the spiritual integrity is compromised or destroyed completely, leaving the physical object devoid of cultural meaning .

• Timeline

  • 2600 BCE: Stonehenge begins to take on the form of its final phase: featuring an increasingly complex setup—including altar, portal, station stones, etc.
  • 325 CE: The first Ecumenical Council, the Council of Nicaea, is convened to attain a consensus on doctrine through an assembly representing all of Christendom.
  • 650: The verses of the Qur'an are compliled in the form of a book in the era of Uthman RA, the third Caliph of Islam.
  • 1791: Freedom of religion, enshrined in the Bill of Rights, is amended into the Constitution of the United States, forming an early and influential secular government.

• Circumcision

  • In Islam, though not mentioned in the Qur'an, male circumcision is widely practiced.
  • Since 1979, there have been concerted efforts by international bodies to end the practice, including sponsorship by the United Nations of an International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation, held each February 6 since 2003.

• Arabian Cities

  • Many Muslims point to the Old Testament chapter Psalm 84:3–6 and a mention of a pilgrimage at the Valley of Baca, which is interpreted as a reference to Mecca as Bakkah in Qur'an Surah 3:96.
  • These annual events gave the tribes a sense of common identity and made Mecca an important focus for the peninsula.
  • The city was able to maintain decent amounts of food and water, and therefore was an important pit stop for trade caravans traveling along the Red Sea.
  • During the pre-Islamic period up until 622 CE, Medina was known as Yathrib, an oasis city.
  • An immense plain extends to the south; in every direction the view is bounded by hills and mountains.

• The Islamic Golden Age

  • Manuscript illumination became an important and greatly respected art, and portrait miniature painting flourished in Persia.
  • Calligraphy, an essential aspect of written Arabic, developed in manuscripts and architectural decoration.
  • Typically, though not entirely, Islamic art depicts nature patterns and Arabic calligraphy, rather than figures, because many Muslims feared that the depiction of the human form is idolatry and thereby a sin against God, forbidden in the Quran.
  • This was especially true for dinars, or gold coins of high value, which were inscribed with quotes from the Quran.
  • Geometric patterns: an archway in the Sultan’s lodge in the Ottoman Green Mosque in Bursa, Turkey (1424), its girih strapwork forming 10-point stars and pentagons.

• The Quran

  • Muhammad received revelations from 609-632 CE, and they became the basis for the Quran, the central religious text of Islam.
  • Muhammad's first revelation, according to the Quran, was accompanied by a vision.
  • An adherent of Islam is called a Muslim.
  • Muslims believe the Quran to be both the unaltered and the final revelation of God.
  • Ritual fasting is an obligatory act during the month of Ramadan.