Islamic art has a huge treasure of deep mystical meanings and divine wisdom because this art is rooted in the deep foundations of spiritual and divine thinking. This art, sometimes by creating new forms and sometimes by using images and art forms of the past, such as ancient Iran and Iran before Islam, and with a renewed attitude and meaning, laid a very rich and flourishing cultural foundation in Islamic civilization.
Encyclopaedia of artistic art of Boraq Hamim – wiki art_ The art of Islam has a huge treasure of deep mystical meanings and divine wisdom because this art is rooted in the deep foundations of spiritual and divine thinking. This art, sometimes by creating new forms and sometimes by using images and art forms of the past, such as ancient Iran and Iran before Islam, and with a renewed attitude and meaning, laid a very rich and flourishing cultural foundation in Islamic civilization. Unfortunately, we have witnessed a wide range of historical attitudes and approaches in the form of “art history” in the study of “Islamic art” and the void of deeper attitudes with a philosophical view of this art can be seen in the context of philosophical approaches to art. In fact, meditation on the inner aspect of this art and its symbolic and allegorical language, which contains metaphysical and mystical foundations, is an undeniable necessity, and many shortcomings in this field are still observed in academic circles. In this article, we examine the symbolic and symbolic meaning of this art and why such a language is necessary for this art. Then we will discuss the symbolic meaning of some motifs, images, as well as color and light in Islamic art, and along with these elements, we will examine some mystical and metaphysical foundations of this art. Key words: symbol, Islamic art, symbolism, color, light, Shamseh pattern, peacock pattern, Simorgh pattern.
The symbolic language of Islamic art
The language of Islamic art is a symbolic language and these symbols carry the inner and inherent meaning of this art, and the only way to examine the meaning of Islamic art and its works of art is to examine these symbols and symbols. In fact, it can be said that symbolic language is the language that art chooses in religious civilizations and expresses its inner concepts in its form. First of all, we should examine the concept of symbol and how it works and pay attention to the necessity of using it. In general, it can be said that “a symbol is something that cannot be expressed in any other way.”1 That is, concepts that cannot be expressed in direct language and language with all its limitations is unable to convey these concepts, take a symbolic form so that they can express themselves The use of symbols is one of the necessities of human life because there have always been non-physical meanings and concepts for humans. A code or symbol is a tool to express an idea or a concept that is absent for our senses and is considered unrecognizable and unseen. In general, according to Jalal Sattari’s opinion in the book of mysticism and holy art, a code or symbol is a perceptive and obvious expression that should replace something hidden and concealed. The inability of language to express some concepts is due to the fact that human language has an analytical, reasoning, and rational form and is in accordance with human reason, and in fact, language is a tool in the service of human reason, which sometimes fails to express non-rational, meta-rational, and intuitive concepts. In his book “Philosophy of Religious Language”, Tillich2 states six theses about symbols. According to him, the first point is that we should distinguish between signs and symbols. Sign and symbol “both point beyond themselves, but symbols have more of a conventional or conventional relationship with what they point to.”3
He gives a broader meaning to the symbol than the sign, and in this sentence he carefully points out that the symbols point beyond themselves and gives a transcendental aspect to the symbols. According to this article, we can believe that in Islamic art, symbols go beyond themselves and try to point to a reality beyond the material and earthly scope. Titus Burkhardt also points out that “a symbol is not a vague and dumb thing or the result of an emotional tendency, but a symbol is the language of the soul.” 4 Therefore, a symbol is considered a manifestation or mediator of a spiritual thing, and symbolization and encoding begin somewhere. that the possibilities of expression are limited and the language becomes impossible. Another theory that is proposed about the use of code language is that the mystics usually expressed many of their mystical experiences in a coded form out of fear for their lives, which can be seen throughout our mystical poems. Maybe if Hussain bin Hallaj had chosen a cryptic language, he would not have been hanged. Symbolic language is beyond reason and it shows the inability of thought to express, understand and recognize mystical experiences and concepts. In his book Philosophy of Religious Language, Tillich points out that a symbol reveals levels of reality that are hidden from us. The interesting thing to note in his speech is that “the symbol not only reveals the dimensions of the reality outside of us, but it also reveals the dimensions of ourselves that are still not found.”5 This statement of his can be justified as As God says, I breathed into man from my own soul, we also have complex dimensions and very spiritual and deep realities. God taught man the names of Allah (and the knowledge of the heads of the people) so we are able to recognize invisible dimensions of the divine part of human existence by using spiritual symbols. René Gunon also says in his article titled “Words and Symbols”6: “Therefore, sublime truths that cannot be transmitted and induced in any other way, when they are mixed with symbols, if we can say so, they become somewhat transferrable.”7 The necessity of the existence of symbols provides an example from one of the Vedic texts. According to him, the symbolic figures are like a horse that allows wisdom to travel faster and with less difficulty instead of traveling with difficulty and on foot. In fact, from this point of view, symbols play the role of facilitating and helping to access eternal and spiritual truths faster. As in the works of art of Islam, these concepts are presented in a symbolic format and humans can communicate with them concretely. In fact, the symbol or code is a means of transmission and a tool for the mind to ascend from the lower order to the higher order, and it has a vertical movement, unlike the allegory, which has a horizontal movement.
The divine origin of symbols
Another important point in the discussion about symbols in Islamic art is that symbols have a divine origin. In general, there are two viewpoints about symbolism, one of these viewpoints believes that symbols and symbols are conventional, and the other emphasizes their divine nature. According to our mystical tradition, the second sentence seems acceptable, since our mystics and their teachings, which are actually the source of Islamic art, and this art boils and drinks from this rich water. They believe that all of nature and even Man himself is a symbol of a supernatural truth, and in fact, God has manifested in nature and man, and all of nature is an appearance of God’s divine form, and this is actually the theory of plurality in unity and unity in plurality, which is rooted in mysticism and Islamic philosophy. “If we accept that symbolism is rooted in the very nature of beings and things, which is in complete agreement with the laws governing this nature, and if we remember that natural laws are basically the manifestation and embodiment of the divine will, then we will not be allowed to emphasize this point. According to Hindus, symbolism has a non-human origin, or in other words, its origin is before and beyond humanity?
The origin and origin of Islamic art is related to the worldview of Islam and revelation, and the deepest meaning of this worldview, which is considered its core and fundamental principle, is “unity”, and it is unity that makes the subject of multiplicity in unity and unity in multiplicity so vast in art. Islam determines That God is one and that nothing can be compared to Him is the same view that exists in Islam regarding God, and the other is that God is the obligatory existence, which is the cause of everything, and the rest are all possibilities, and nothing exists beyond the control of God. He doesn’t have it, and in fact, all the world and phenomena are a manifestation of him. Islamic art is the result of the manifestation of unity in the field of plurality. This art shows in a stunning way the unity of the divine principle, the dependence of everything on the one God, the immortality of the world and the positive qualities of the existence of the universe or creation, the creation that God says about in the Qur’an: “Our Lord created this in vain”. We did not create greatness in vain. This art reveals exemplary truths in the form of a material system that human senses are unable to directly understand, therefore it is a ladder for the journey of the soul from the realm of the visible and audible world to the unseen world. 9 Therefore, the art of Islam expresses this principle in many of its manifestations. It is unity.
The role of the sun in Islamic art
For example, in the role of the sun, which is present in many Islamic works of art, this role is a symbol of the same plurality in unity and unity in plurality. Plurality is the manifestation of God’s attributes, which have appeared in this role in the form of many forms that have emanated from a single center. This pattern can be seen, for example, in the dome of Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque in Isfahan. As its name suggests, this role evokes the concept of light, as the Holy Quran also calls God light, “Allah Noor al-Samuwat wa Al-Arz”, so in fact, the sun is considered a symbol of God. Light has a wide presence in all religions, and in primitive peoples, we clearly see the presence of the sun as “God”. “Among the ancient peoples of America (for example, the Tlingit ), the creator god is identified with the sun. In Indian Bengal (Kalari peoples), the sun is at the head of the gods. The ancient tribes of the Eurasian states of India consider the god of light to be the supreme god, the supreme god of the Ovaon tribe from the Mundai tribes is also the sun. In Indonesia and the Malacca Peninsula, the sun is the god of different peoples. In Timur, the sun god is the husband of the lady of the earth and the world is the product of the intercourse of Ando – a meaning that is present in most ethnic myths.”10
According to the divine meaning we mentioned, light and aura have a symbolic meaning in Iranian paintings. The presence of a halo of light around the heads of saints and saints can be seen in the painting. For example, this aura can be seen in the painting “Yusuf and Zuleikha” by Kamaluddin Behzad or the painting “Ibrahim in the middle of the fire” in the school of Shiraz. Muslim artists have taken many symbolic roles from ancient Iran, such as the role of “Simorgh and the Sun”. “Simorgh was a symbol of wisdom and healing in pre-Islamic epic literature (Shahnameh). If there was a problem for the heroes, it would be solved with Simorgh’s guidance and advice, and Simorgh’s feather was also a cure for their wounds. In the Islamic period, Simorgh appears again in Iranian literature and wisdom. Simorgh is mentioned in Attar’s poems in al-Tir logic, the works of Ghazali, Suhrawardi, Shabestri, etc. Here, Simorgh is no longer a symbol of wisdom, healing and health, but as a symbol of divinity, perfect human, immortality and absolute unity in Islamic mysticism.”11 Also, this pattern is used in the entrance of the Naderbeg seminary in Bukhara, which is related to the century. It is the tenth of Hijri.
Symbol in Iranian painting
Iranian painting is also full of symbolic elements. All the colors and forms in this art seek to express an extraterrestrial meaning. If the garden and the space seen in Iranian painting is a symbol and allegory of the Garden of Paradise and an image of the ideal world in its philosophical sense. The ideal world is a non-material but tangible world that is beyond the earthly and non-physical world, and the space in Iranian painting is a symbol of the heavenly space in the ideal world, and even the colors are a symbolic expression with the brightness and shimmer that they have in these works and do not have any bright shadows. They are among the colors in that realm. The theory of the world of examples has been proposed in the works of philosophers such as Mulla Sadra. He was a philosopher who lived in the Safavid period in Iran, and we witness the crystallization of painting works in this period, in which we see a reflection of this world in a way. Another symbolic element in Islamic art is the cedar tree with its head bent. “Cypress tree” is a tree that has both feminine and masculine elements in it at the same time, and it is known as a complete Muslim, and its name is also his obedience to the wind (which is an allegory of Muslim people’s obedience to the Sharia).12
Element of emptiness in Islamic architecture
One of the important elements in Islamic art, especially in the architecture of mosques, is the presence of a sacred element called “empty space” or “emptiness”. Empty space is abundantly seen in the architecture of Islamic mosques. This element is not due to the lack of ability to create decorative elements, but it has a deeper meaning. In fact, the symbolic meaning of this element is completely rooted in the metaphysical foundations and the Muslim concept of one God as the only absolute truth. According to Ibn Arabi, the world of imagination is within imagination and is nothing more than an illusion, and we even witness this concept in the Hindu religion, which is expressed under the title of Maya13, and there is only one truth, and that is the irreplaceable essence of God, and the empty space in the architecture of mosques. An emphasis on this principle is the monotheistic thinking of Muslims. In fact, the aspect of emptiness and nothingness exists in the whole universe in a hidden way, and the truth belongs only to God, and all surrounding illusions and possibilities must be removed so that God manifests as the absolute truth. It is considered a sacred element and as we can see, even empty space in Islamic architecture has a symbolic and symbolic meaning that has metaphysical roots.
The role of the sunbird in Islamic art
Among other Islamic motifs that have a symbolic meaning and are rooted in ancient Iran, there is the motif of the peacock and the sun (sun bird)14. Peacock is considered as a sacred bird in Zoroastrian religion in ancient Iran. “In ancient times, they believed that the peacock got eternal life because of drinking the water of life.”15 But the peacock is also considered in the Islamic era, and the role of this animal is used in many works of the Islamic period. Hazrat Ali (AS) describes the beauty of this bird in his sermon 165 as he says: “The peacock is one of the most amazing birds in creation, if you create it in the most stable and balanced form and bring the colors, feathers and pillows to the best colors, with beautiful wings that Its feathers are piled on top of each other… Peacocks are like scattered blossoms that spring rain and the heat of the sun don’t play much of a role in growing them… If you look closely at peacock feathers, one moment it looks like the red of a flower, and the next moment it looks like an azure green and sometimes a pure yellow. 16 In these sentences, the beauty of the peacock is fully mentioned and its reflection in Islamic art seems quite natural. This role in the Islamic period, as a symbol of the Prophet of Islam, can be seen on the gold coin of twenty tomans in the Qajar period, which was minted in Tehran in 1210 AH. In this coin, the word “Ya Muhammad” is written on the peacock pattern.” 17 All these motifs show that motifs in Islamic art do not only have a decorative role and represent the religious roots and foundations of this religion. The use of “the image of two peacocks in the form of similitude on both sides of the water of life jug, from which the tree of life grew, in the decorations of the entrance gates of many religious places of the Safavid period, including the Imam Mosque of Isfahan, Imamzadeh Haroun in Isfahan, the Abbasid shrine of Imam Reza, There is the tomb of Khwaja Rabi in Mashhad and….”18 Also, the motif of peacock is used inside the octagonal tower of Kharghan.
There are many symbolic works in Islamic art. For example, the role of carpets in this period, which is considered an allegory and a symbol of heavenly gardens. Carpets with a pleasant composition and full of colorful colors reflect the image of heavenly gardens. Heaven is described in the Qur’an as four gardens. “These gardens are cryptically interpreted as four stages through which the seeker goes on an inner journey. These four gardens are the garden of the soul, the garden of the heart, the garden of the spirit, and the garden of the essence. The people of mysticism begin their spiritual ascension through the Garden of Heaven.”19 In this art, the presence of symbolic expression is clearly visible, as if the entire art of Islam is a symbolic and symbolic expression of a transcendental reality and aims to move its audience in a direction beyond the tangible meaning and The tangible effect of the work of art should be the guide.
The relationship between art and religion
The important thing about art and religion is that if we look at these two phenomena with a historical perspective, we will see that art and religion have been related to each other for a long time, as Hegel, the German idealist philosopher, says that primitive people expressed their beliefs in supernatural forces in a material form. which is art, they expressed and the manifestation of this matter can be seen in the paintings of caves and most of the works of art created by primitive man. According to Hegel, the first form of creation of works of art was in the effort of man to express his beliefs in sensory formats. This matter can be seen in all the rituals and religious ceremonies of primitive people, and even dance, which today is considered as a form of art, had a ritualistic aspect in many primitive tribes, and masks, which are examined today as an art object in the history of art, are functional. have been religious The more important point is that “worship and religious ceremonies are often held in a symbolic form.” Satan’s side, seven rounds around the Kaaba and… have a symbolic aspect, and the other thing is that all the elements of the mosque, which is a place of worship for Muslims, have an inner meaning.
The symbolic meaning of the dome
The dome is a symbol of the sky in Islamic architecture, and this spherical dome, which is placed on a cube base, is considered a symbol of the union of heaven and earth. This symbolic meaning refers to a narration of the Prophet in the night of ascension. In his account of his ascension, he describes a huge dome made of white shell and placed on four bases at the four corners, and on them were written the four words of the first Surah of Fatiha al-Kitab: In the Name of God, the Most Merciful, the Most Merciful, and four streams of water, milk, and honey. And Khmer, which is the reservoir of eternal and eternal (heavenly) happiness, flowed from them. This example shows the spiritual pattern of any domed building. The shell or white pearl is the secret of the soul, whose dome covers all creatures. The general soul, which was created before other creatures, is also the divine throne, which is the surrounding throne, but the secret of this throne is an unseen space that extends beyond the sky of rewards and planets… If the dome of the holy building is a display of the general soul, the “stem” or The octagonal “grave” of the dome, which is placed under it, is the symbol of the eight angels carrying the throne, which themselves correspond to the eight directions of “Golbad”. The cube-shaped part of the building is the diagram of the universe. 21
The symbolic meaning of the altar
Mihrab, which is one of the other elements of the mosque, carries countless symbolic meanings. However, the altar is an element that exists in other religions, including Christianity. In fact, the altar is a place where angels bring food to the Holy Mary. The candelabrum that hangs above the altar is also a counterpart to the word “Mishkwah” in the system of symbolism in the Qur’an. God says in Surah Noor: “Allah is the light of the heavens and the earth, like the light of the heavens and the earth. An example of his light is like a niche or a lampstand, in which there is a lamp, and the lamp is in a glass, and the glass is like a shining star that is kindled from the blessed olive tree, which is neither eastern nor western, whose oil is about to be lit, although the fire does not reach it. Light is above light. May God guide whomever He wills to His light.”22 Sometimes the altar is also described as the gate of heaven. In general, it can be said that in the art of Islam, religion and the meanings and ruling concepts hidden in it are considered as the main factors in the formation of this art, and art has also become the deep language of human wisdom at this time. In fact, this art relies on esoteric science and does not take into account the tangible appearance of objects and phenomena. Islamic art tries to create a connection with the “unseen treasures” that are the true face of creation by showing the inside of the phenomena. This art puts aside the naturalistic and naturalistic aspect as it is completely visible in the painting and even the symbolic images of this art and tries to show the basic principles of the phenomena.
The fundamental principles of works of art in Islam
In general, in sacred art, of which Islamic art is a subset of it, motifs and images show a state of thinking and illumination and do not seek to match the appearance and present an image like reality. In fact, the various images and forms of works of art in Islam can be returned to several basic and general principles, “(1)- the principle of continuous change in the field of survival and durability, (2)- the principle of the uncertainty of human knowledge, (3)- the principle of love or receiving with the heart. Islamic sages such as Ibn Arabi [f. 638 AH] and Hossein bin Mansur Hallaj 309 AH], as well as some later commentators of Islam and Sufism, have directly mentioned and explained in detail. It is also possible to understand some of these principles, such as “the uncertainty of human knowledge” from the allegories and symbolisms in works of art. 23. One of the principles of the material and earthly world in which man lives is its constant change and transformation. As this discussion has been raised many times in Islamic philosophy that God creates the world at every moment and everything is moving, changing and changing, and at the same time the principles and foundations of this creation, which originates from divine wisdom, are stable and stable. In fact, the Islamic motifs that are used in Islamic art to decorate mosques tell about this. However, some researchers in the field of Islamic art and art history, such as “Grabar”, have considered abstract figures devoid of any cultural meaning and have presented them only as purely decorative elements. However, these motifs are “a symbolic expression of the continuous evolution of the world (Alam Malik) and how the whole creation is connected.” Different visual arrays are designed to represent the continuous movement of the world. For example, the fundamental forms of movement that are reflected in the moqransi suns are based on the understanding that the human world, which is symbolized by straightness and orthogonal structure (square or rectangle), remains in the domain of the world (the realm of the world) which is the symbol of it. It is a circle, it will be constantly changing and moving. The stars and suns that appear on the domes are not so decorative, but with a deep meaning, they point to the bias of humans and the human world in relation to the whole world.”24
In fact, the whole existence has a symbolic aspect and all the worlds are multiple and symbolic manifestations of the absolute truth, and according to the verse of Hawalawal, Al-Akhr, Al-Zahir, and Al-Batin, “Because God is the Al-Zahir, in this way what is in manifestation and therefore the whole creation is the manifestation of God.” “25, as Anandakumarasu Ami26 thinks of the whole nature as a symbol of the world above, and there is nothing in this world except that it is a symbol of another world. Also, in his opinion, decorations and cosmetic elements in traditional cultures are not luxurious and unnecessary elements, but rather indicate the essential features of the desired object or matter. As many traditional thinkers like Guenon and non-traditional thinkers like Piaget, Claude Lévi-Strauss, Silberer27 consider symbolism and symbolism to be part of the essence of human thought and believe that the primitive man, like the modern man, used symbolic and symbolic language. They emphasize the universality of this language even in the primitive stages of human life. If Silberer tried to discover the spiritual and esoteric meaning of the symbol. Therefore, the symbols are in fact a carrier to meet the fixed and stable aspects of the tangible and phenomenal world, “whether the entities are general, such as the main geometric shapes and patterns resulting from their connection, or spirals or numbers, and whether they are partial, such as the symbols that are in the works Individual visual and musical art emerges. Examples of partial (specific) symbols are the image of a rose petal in a painting, which indicates the face of the Prophet (PBUH), or the use of musical notes or special positions in some events that indicate love, separation, or death.
Symbolic meaning of color
Another important element that has a symbolic and symbolic meaning in many civilizations is the “color” element. Color is a very important and influential element in Islamic art and especially in Iranian painting. In painting, the narrator’s color is a world beyond the phenomenal world, so it definitely carries a symbolic meaning with it. In general, in Iranian and Islamic mysticism, even the steps of a mystic’s behavior and his mystical states each have their own color. Najm al-Din Kobari in his book “Fawaeh al-Jamal wa Faawath al-Jalal” believes that the seeker in a position is represented to him through his own vision by means of color. The colors act as an indicator for the mystic, who can be aware of his true position and rank in the stages of conduct through them.
Alaa al-Dawlah Semnani deals with a kind of mystical anatomy about color. These organs are divided into seven stages, each stage represents a sequence of stages of behavior and expresses a specific color He names these stages with the names of “Latifah Qamaliyah”, “Latifah Nafsiyah”, “Latifah Qalbiyyah”, “Latifah Saryeh”, “Latifah Al-Pereheh”, “Latifah Hifieh” and the seventh stage “Latifah Haqiyyah” or the position of Muhammadiyah. The first stage, which is Latifah’s body, is the same material body or natural world, which has a cold and black color. The second stage, which they call “Noah of Existence”, is blue in color, and the third stage is called Abraham of Existence, which has a red color like agate, which is “a place for the spiritual self that is in the human heart”29 and the seeker Seeing this light, he feels great pleasure in himself. The fourth stage, which has a white color, and “at this point, science can be discovered.” “30 Dawood, another name of which is Latifah al-Pouleh, has a yellow color. In general, the yellow color had a special sanctity in the Far East, and according to Semnani’s interpretation in the treatise of Nuriyah, “yellowness was extremely pleasant, and seeing him makes the soul weak and the heart strong.” 31 The sixth and seventh stages are light black and green, respectively, which are named by the Christian names of existence and the position of Muhammadiyah. The position of Muhammadiyah is actually the image of the divine essence, and the Christian stage of existence is the position of mystery, and this is why He calls it black and bright, and it is actually the same world of theology, and the seventh stage, which was green, “in Islamic culture, green symbolism contains the highest mystical meanings, and in this way, it is especially manifested around the name of Hazrat Khidr (AS) slow The green-clad Khizr is eternal.”32 This division, which represents the close connection of color and the hierarchy and stages of mystical conduct, is indicative of the deep connection that art and mysticism have established together in this great Islamic civilization, and we see the manifestation of this issue in art. We observe Islam. Although some colors contain multiple meanings, for example, “red color, which is the color of blood, has been used as a symbol for rebirth since the past.” At the same time, anger, rage, war, and jihad have also appeared with the language of blood, and the demons and demons of Sirtan are seen in red clothes. Despite this secondary perception, red color was sometimes considered the best color in terms of beauty, as the concepts of red and beautiful are very close to each other in the Russian language. In this way, a kind of double symbolism is induced from the color red, which also applies to the color black.” 33
As in the famous painting “Yusuf and Zuleikha” by Kamaluddin Behzad in the school of Herat in the year 893 AH, which shows Yusuf’s escape from the clutches of Zuleikha’s lust, Zuleikha is shown in a red dress, this great artist Hazrat Yusuf is shown in a green dress. The color has illustrated that according to the anatomy of Alaa al-Doulah Semnani and his explanation about the color green, this color of the dress is completely justified. The presence of a halo of light around the head of Prophet Yusuf also indicates the high status and holiness of this Prophet, and we can certainly accept the artist’s deliberate choice of colors for these two figures in this painting. In general, it can be said that “after the fifth and sixth centuries of Hijri, this mystical vision based on color and light had a profound effect on art, whose whole goal is the curtain of the world of veils and boundaries on the one hand, and the discovery and intuition of the world of light and glory on the one hand. It was on the other hand. Iranian painting and architecture were the mirrors of this spiritual path”34. The point that seems to be raised here is that not all artists are aware of these esoteric secrets and are not familiar with the path and path. It seems, but the problem is that in the past there were people at the head of guilds and professions who were people of walk and conduct and they trained many students and artists and the artists learned secrets from them and the findings of the master of any profession were passed down from generation to generation. and definitely many artists were not aware of all the deep levels of these meanings and symbols used and they were just repeating and continuing the same motifs out of respect and following their masters.
The symbolic meaning of mirrors
One of the other important elements that can be seen abundantly in the architecture of Islamic buildings is the element of mirror and mirror work. In fact, mirrors also carry a symbolic meaning. They are considered as “carriers to show the various aspects of the world.” Being multi-dimensional also implies the impossibility of knowing the truth in essence.” 35 This means that the absolute and hidden nature of God cannot be identified in any way, and all the manifestations of creation and phenomena are His manifestations, but God is not represented in any way. Something is absolute and we will never be able to definitively identify the absolute truth of God. In fact, “mirrors create a visual effect that mixes the real and the imaginary, here the manifestations of things are as if they are seen through a curtain or veil, and the multiple illusions of the single truth destroy the boundaries of the real world. 36 Because in fact, all the phenomena of the universe, while they are the manifestation of God, are considered to be a covering and a veil for the absolute truth. And as Ibn Arabi says: “Despite all this, no one is usually aware of this hijab due to its extraordinary accuracy and delicacy.”37
The image of the lion and the sun, which is considered one of the oldest motifs in Iranian art, dates back to the fourth millennium BC. The oldest concept of this role is its astronomical concept. “According to astrology, each of the seven constellations in the twelve constellations of Alboruj region has different residences throughout the year. In certain circumstances, some places are good and some places are bad. From an astrologer’s point of view, whenever the Sun is placed in Leo, it is a time of comfort and safety. For this reason, the role of the lion and the sun as an auspicious symbol has always been the focus of astrologers and artists. 38 But later in the Islamic period, from the Seljuk period, it is proposed as a Shiite symbol. This pattern has been used on coins of different periods from Seljuq to Ilkhani and Safavid. “In a twenty-toman gold coin from the era of Muhammad Shah Qajar, which was minted in Tehran in 1210 AH, the word “Ya Muhammad” is written on the sun image and the word “Ya Ali” is written on the lion image. 39 In general We can consider symbolism as an integral part of Islamic art. As we mentioned in the article, all the elements in the arts of this period, such as painting, architecture, music, etc., are full of symbolic elements and concepts that have a transcendent aspect and point to a truth beyond themselves. Because definitely, the expression of a divine and transcendental matter that does not fit into the framework of limited and earthly matter, in order to be expressed and transferable, it is inevitable to use a symbol. In fact, it is the symbol of every civilization and spiritual religion that carries transcendental secrets. Even in Hinduism, Buddhism and Christianity, we see the presence of symbolic elements – both in their religious rituals and in their works of art; For example, in Christianity, fish is considered a symbol of Jesus. In other words, “The code of the unity diagram is almost ideal and desirable for all types and ways of expression, that is, it is a perceptual and intuitive expression, a “substitute” that must replace something curved and closed.”40 Also, as we mentioned during the article, the symbol and Symbolism is considered to be part of the structure of human thought and thinking, and all the rituals and prayers of primitive man were mixed with symbols and were performed in a symbolic way. The presence of symbolic elements in the art of Islam in a pleasant and deep way leads us to the rich sources of wisdom and knowledge. Irfan is the leader. Because the works of art of Islamic civilization are nothing but the artistic and aesthetic expression of its mystical texts and its metaphysical foundations.
Sources:
1. Guenon, Rene. “Symbols Of Sacred Science”. Sophia Perenis Hillsdale NY, 2001. // 2. Rappaport, Roy. A. “Ritual and Religion in the Making of Humanity”. Cambridge university, Press 2001. // 3. Stiver, Danr. “The Philosophy of Religious Language, Sign, Symbols and Story”. Blackwell, 1996 .
4. Balkhari Qahi, Mohammad. Mystical foundations of Islamic art and architecture. Tehran: Surah Mehr Publishing House, Research Institute of Islamic Culture and Art, 2014. // 5. Balkhari Qahi, Mohammad. Wisdom, art and beauty. Tehran: Farhang Islamic Publishing House, 2014. // 6. Binay Muttall, Mahmoud. order and mystery Tehran: Hermes Publications, 2005. // 7. Burkhart, Titus. Basics of Islamic art. Translated and edited by Amir Nasri. Tehran: Haqit Publications 2006. // 8. Burkhart, Titus. Islamic art of language and expression. Translated by Masoud Rajab Nia. Tehran: Soroush Publications 1365. // 9. Burkhart, Titus. Sacred art. Translated by Jalal Sattari. Tehran: Soroush Publications, 2001. // 10. Satari, Jalal. Mysticism and sacred art. Tehran: Nash Karzan, 1376. // 11. Khazaei, Mohammad, to the effort. Proceedings of the first conference of Islamic art. Tehran: Publications of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, 1382. // 12. Dehghan, Mustafa, by effort. Jam No and May Kohn: Essays from the Companions of Hekmat Khaleda. Tehran: Publisher of Humanities Research and Development Institute, 2006. // 13. Maddpour, Mohammad. Manifestations of spiritual wisdom in Islamic art. Tehran: Amir Kabir Publications 1374. // 14. Memarzadeh, Mohammad. The image and embodiment of mysticism in Islamic art. Tehran: Al-Zahra University Publisher, 2006. // 15. Najdet Azan, Jhaleh “Islamic Aesthetics: Another Way to Knowledge” Khyal Quarterly Journal of Art and Aesthetic Research. No. 25 and 26 (spring and summer 2017). // 16. Nasr, Seyyed Hossein. Islamic art and spirituality. Translated by Rahim Ghasemian. Tehran: Surah Publications, 1375.
Postscripts:
1. The Philosophy of Religious Language, P 122. // 2. Tillich. // 3. The Philosophy of Religious Language, P 122 .
4- Fundamentals of Islamic art, page 111.
5. Ibid, P123. // 6. Word and Symbol, p55. // 7. Symbol of Sacred Science, p8 .
8- Jam Nov May Kohn, page 52. // 9- Islamic art and spirituality, page 14. // 10- Mystical foundations of Islamic art and architecture, page 452. // 11- Proceedings of the first conference of Islamic art, page 138. // 12- The image and embodiment of mysticism in Islamic arts, page 128.
13. Maya. // 14. Astiatc Sunbird .
15- Proceedings of the first conference of Islamic art, page 139. // 16- Nahj al-Balagha, pages 89 and 90. // 17- Proceedings of the first conference of Islamic art, page 140. // 18- Proceedings of the first conference of Islamic art, page 140.
19- Islamic art and spirituality, page 102.
20. Ritual and Religion in the Making of Humanity, P 26 .
21- Sacred art, page 147. // 22- Islamic art, language and expression, page 98. // 23- Islamic aesthetics: another way to knowledge, Khayal No. 25 and 26. // 24- Islamic aesthetics: another way to knowledge, Khayal No. 25 and 26. // 25- Order and Raz, page 60.
26. Ananda Coomraswamy. // 27. Silver .
28- Islamic aesthetics: another way to knowledge, Khayal No. 25 and 26. // 29- Wisdom, art and beauty, page 171. // 30- the same. // 31- The same. // 32- Manifestations of spiritual wisdom in Islamic art, page 232. // 33- Manifestations of spiritual wisdom in Islamic art, page 233. // 34- Wisdom, art and beauty, page 173. // 35- Islamic aesthetics: another way to knowledge, idea number 25 and 26. // 36- The same. // 37- Proceedings of the first conference of Islamic art, page 137. // 38- Proceedings of the first conference of Islamic art, page 137. // 39- the same. // 40- Codification and sacred art, page 50.
Source:
Information on wisdom and knowledge, year six, number 6
The center of the great Islamic encyclopedia
