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The Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, the gardens of the General life in Granada, the poems of the mystic Ibn 'Arabi and the impenitently secular Abu Nuwas, the calligraphy of Ibn al-Bawwab, the elegant artifacts of Egyptian metalwork: all these are artistic achievements of Arab civilization which are recognized as part of the cultural heritage of mankind. It is the aim of this book, originally published as Schonheit in der arab/schen Kultur(Munich, 1998), to bring out the concepts of beauty inspiring those masterpieces and thus contribute to the study of medieval Arabic aesthetics, which is still in its infancy.
In the Introduction, Doris Behrens-Abouseif explains her decision to limit the book's scope to the Arabic-speaking world, essentially the Arab countries, Muslim Spain and to some extent medieval Iran. The first main section is devoted to "The Religious Approach." Some major principles of Islam, such as its view of the universe as full of signs which reveal the Creator, and the importance of the collective, the community of believers, over against the individual, are set out. Then the Qur'an's representation of the world as an adornment and the effect of the Qur'an itself on its hearers are discussed. The section continues with a presentation of al-Ghazali's thinking on beauty and the pursuit of pleasure, the place of beauty in Sufi thinking and the symbolism of light.
"Secular Beauty and Love," the second section, starts by presenting statements on proportion and harmony and examining ideas on vision and the psychological moment in the theory of perception. This is followed by chapters on the relations between nature and artifice and ways of combining them, often in luxurious settings calculated to appeal to all the senses; on the representation of animals; on ideals of human beauty and the effect it could have on its beholders; and on love, both passionate and mystical. The third section treats "Music and Belles Lettres." It considers the nature of music, theologians' attitudes toward it, its effect on its hearers, the art of musical appreciation, performance practice and the development of musical theory. The discussion of belles-lettres passes in review the genres and uses of poetry before turning to the complex theme of adab, embracing both general culture and the telling use of language. Behrens-Abouseif...