Toward Islamization of the Non-Visual Arts

Abstract

In his recent article, "Religious Fascism and Art," Dr. Sa'ad al Din Ibrahimconcludes with these words addressed to all scholars in the visual and nonvisualarts field: "Those who have the 'Islamic alternative or aJtematives'let them be obliged, if they truly believe in the existence of refined standardsfor aesthetic creativity different from those available, (let them) endeavorto present these refinements to society. They have endeavored and succeededin recent years in presenting alternatives in economic institutions, servicesand investments, which attracted large numbers . . . why do they not dothe same in the arts field?"Frantic endeavors at lslarnizing the non-visual arts have reached a highpointat the present time. These endeavors are primarily due to the realization ofthe grave effect art has on shaping morals and channeling, or swaying themin certain directions, and to its easy accessibility to, and profound effect on,emotion and intellect. Many contemporary Islamistsi have found some basisfor Literary theory but have not arrived at one grounded in the Qur'an andthe Sunnah with a view leading to Islamization of the non-visual arts (literature)and the fine arts as a whole. Although this discussion does not present atheory, it attempts to draw attention to crucial issues which may invite furtherendeavors for the Islamization of these artistic disciplines.The Present State Of The Arts And Islamic ResearchContributionsThe problem oflabeling all kinds of written material "literature," is itselfindicative of the obliterated sense of refinement needed in the existing nonvisualarts. Literature, such as drama, fiction, poetry, and even criticismhas been called, among its specialists, "art." But because it has not livedup to refined artistic standards, it has prompted many scholars to center theirdiscussions on the quality and value present in the different existing genres.At several points in history similar attempts have existed: al Asma'i (d.215 A.H./830 A.D.), Muhammad Ahmad Tabatba (d. 322 A.H./933 A.O.),al ·Amidi (d. 370 A.H./980 A.D.), al Farabi (d. 339 A.H./950 A.O.), andal Jurjani (d. 392 A.H./1001 A.O.) have concentrated their efforts on qualityof style, rhetoric, and means of expression in the work of art. In literaryCriticism: Roots and Methodology, Sayyid Qutb initiated a return to theQur'an and the Hadith as sources, by analyzing emotive values of the work,exploring the nature of Islamic art, describing its characteristics and its basicemergence from Islamic 'aqidah. Similarly, in Experiments in PracticalCriticism, al Qabsi touches on the Prophet's (SAAS) viewpoint of poetryand the legitimacy of poetic expression. In analyzing the significance of thework as a human product, it was learned that human expression, related firstand foremost to the human being, has not been explored. We must, then,first find the basis for such a theory in the Qur'an and the Sunnah in order ...