Introduction to Traditional Islam Foundations, Art and Spirituality

by Michon, Jean-Louis

• ISBN13: 9781933316512
• ISBN10: 1933316519
• Edition: Illus.
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-07-30
• Publisher: World Wisdom

Summary

"Behind the clamorous headlines of militant and political Islam lies the more serene and cultivated form that is traditional Islam, which now is increasingly under threat from both fundamentalists and modern secularists. Author Jean-Louis Michon unveils this lesser-known dimension of Islam while capturing the essence and beauty of this often misinterpreted religion, which has over 1.5 billion adherents (about a quarter of the world's population)." "Illustrated with over 270 color photographs, Introduction to Traditional Islam is divided into four parts: 1: the foundations of Islam, which highlights the pillars of the faith as well as the traditional Islamic city and its holistic vision of life; 2: the message of Islamic art; 3: music and spirituality; and 4: the way of Sufism, the inward or mystical dimension of Islam."--BOOK JACKET.

Table of Contents

Islam : foundations
Islam and urban civilization	p. 4
The sources	p. 10
The pillars of Islam	p. 16
The functions of the city	p. 30
The message of Islamic art
Art : an integral part of Muslim life	p. 51
The formal languages	p. 54
Art within the city, or how the message of divine unity becomes imprinted in the Muslim living environment	p. 59
Music and spirituality in Islam
A controversial question	p. 91
The philosopher-musicologists	p. 93
Sufis and the spiritual concert	p. 96
The elements of musical expression	p. 99
Musical genres	p. 104
The way of the Sufis
The mystical quest in Islam : scriptural and historical roots	p. 123
The way to God : conjunction of human effort and divine effusion	p. 126
The spiritual meetings	p. 133
Spiritual progress	p. 143
List of illustrations	p. 150
Index	p. 153
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