The Hajj
The Hajj is a yearly Islamic pilgrimage where Muslims gather from all around the world in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims (CNN, 2018). Hajj comes with the meaning of heading to a place. Performing primary rituals involving number seven where pilgrims travel back and forth between hills seven times and the symbolic stoning of evil are aspects I find fascinating about the Hajj.
Association between Muhammad and the Dome of Rock
The dome was built about five hundred years after Prophet Muhammad’s death, and the Muslim religion believes that the Dome was the spot where the prophet went to heaven and back. To Muslims, the dome signifies the unity and continuity of the Christian, Muslim, and Jewish faith (Sacred destinations 2018).
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Key qualities of the sacred art of Islam
In the Muslim religion, we get the teaching that man is created in God’s image and, therefore, using art to show the form of a man in God’s image could be considered idolatry, which is forbidden in the Islamic religion. This belief is opposite of what Christians do in religious institutions. For instance, it is common to find the image of Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and God in sacred houses of Christians. This implies that Christians allow the work of art in depicting God’s image and use it to explain the importance of this art as a décor.
Byzantine Art In Churches
The Byzantine arts would be used best in churches where images would be used didactic and decoratively.
Sacred art in the Islamic world
Islamic art separates itself from visual imagery because they believe they are forbidden from worshiping idols. Therefore, when someone paints or draws a picture to represent a religion, it is considered idolatry. Calligraphy is primarily used in Muslim art with reference to the Quran verse that says “The Lord taught men to write who did not know to write.” In comparison to Christian art, mosques do not have pictures as they believe color would distract them from worship, unlike Christians who use them as symbols and representations.
Art and worship
Having walked into a church and a mosque, I think the image of God as art is a representation of Him, but Christians do not put up these images to worship it. If one truly understands how to walk in faith and belief, then there will be no misunderstanding of how art is used. Notably, it is God who gives the gift of art, and we can use art for His service.
References
CNN. (2018). Hajj Pilgrimage Fast Facts Retrieved from https://edition.cnn.com/2013/06/21/world/hajj-fast-facts/
Sacred Destinations. (2018). Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem Retrieved from http://www.sacred-destinations.com/israel/jerusalem-dome-of-the-rock
