MOSQUE ARCHITECTURE (NO.8): A DELIBERATION ON THE EXCESSIVE ENCROACHMENT OF THE ‘ISLAMIC ARTS’ TYPICALLY OF ARABESQUE ORNAMENTS INTO THE MOSQUE ARCHITECTURE VIA MISGUIDED HISTORICISM AND SELF-INDUCED IGNORANCE

 

• On the global scene, perhaps, it’s just due to a simple ‘viscous cycle’ which has led to the contaminations of the over indulgence of the ‘Islamic Arts’ of arabesque ornaments within the sanctified mosque buildings. This ‘vicious cycle’ is being created via historicism due to ignorance of the spiritual values on one aspect, and the other is due to the lackadaisical attitude towards the deen; a sequence of reciprocal cause and effect in which the two aspects intensify and aggravate each other, leading inexorably to a worsening of the situation. 
• Throwbacks to the past of mosque architecture, revealed that this mishap of excessive ornaments has been going on since from many, many centuries ago, recorded as early as of 670. (A paper presented at the meeting, “UIA 2017 Seoul World Architects Congress”, with a topic, Does Islamic Architecture reflect Islamic Faith?). This took place as early as the time of the Dome of The Rock (691), the Great Mosque of Kairouan (670), the Great Mosque of Damascus (706-715) and the Great Mosque of Samara (851).
• For the mosque architecture, its decorations or embellishments have stricter limits governed by the Islamic fundamentals, whereas the general ‘Islamic Arts’, when applied generally, and not for the mosque use, can be quite liberal with fewer restrictions.
• ‘Islamic architecture’ covers all Muslim buildings, including the mosque, but the mosque comes with a much stricter control of the scope and type of embellishments that are allowed to be incorporated.
• The ‘Islamic Arts’ of a rug for general use can be quite decorative and beautiful, sometimes with all sorts of decorations, usually designed as representations of symbols either religious or otherwise. But, according to the Sunnah, a prayer rug should be a plain one not to distract in prayers. Unfortunately, the prayer rugs are designed with making up stories, with pictures that depict such as Masjidil Haraam, Kaabah, Prophet’s Mosque, Dome of the Rock, Al-Aqsa Mosque, other mosques, mihrab, lamp in niche, etc., and they used to step and step on them while passing over, without even feeling remorseful. The entanglements start when the decorative rugs are used in performing prayers, let alone when they are brought into the mosque for prayers. Although the majority of scholars said they they are only makrooh, but the practice contradicts the Sunnah. There are many other bigger examples which transcend, are brought cluttering the mosque.
• When the over decorative rugs for the floor are brought into the mosque, the other over-decorative elements for the walls, ceilings, etc., follow suit and become negligently accepted although it’s not recommended and impropriate for mosque use.
• It’s most unfortunate and it has been long practised that the excessive unbefitting ‘Islamic Arts’ are being associated with the mosques due to the runway historicism.
  
• There’s no spiritual significance of the excessively decorated mosque that falsely ascribed to the generic ‘Islamic Arts’.
• Muslims and non-Muslims alike, are so obsessed that they keep on writing ignorantly on this misleading historicism; that attributed ‘Islamic Art’ excessively with the mosques. Generally, the ignorant have dumbfounded with the unfortunate phenomenon and are still overwhelmed with it.
  
• Many false claims of the spiritual significances as the symbol of Islamic Architecture are made in the name of the ‘Islamic Arts’, which sometimes are made according to own desires and conjectures. It’s more fitting if the so called ‘Islamic Arts’ is designated as ‘Muslim Arts’ and the Islamic Architecture as Muslim Architecture, which attribute any mistakes to their own weaknesses and not to the deen.
• There are differences between the general ‘Islamic Arts’ and the art forms used for the mosque. A study of the Arabesque Art is necessary to understand its intricateness and complexities. Arabesque- Definition: It is a very ancient form of artistic decoration method that is based on rhythmic linear patterns; this art style is used to decorate the surface of the huge edifice, building, mosque, etc.
• Presently, there are new forms of modern decorations been introduced, which are as unfavourable as the older art forms, when they are used excessively.
• “The runaway approach is regarded as the outcome of the historical phenomena or historicism which has unremittingly become a defective hypothesis and precedent when designing mosques.” (Ref: The Mosque Founded on Taqwa)
• Let us ponder some of the Ahadith which regulate the decorative elements in the mosque architecture.

AHADITH ON EXCESSIVE DECORATIONS OF THE MOSQUES 

1. It was narrated that ‘Umar Ibnul Khattab said: The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: "No people's deeds ever became evil deeds, but they started to adorn their places of worship." (Sunan Ibn Majah)
2. In another Hadith, the Prophet (pbuh) said: “When you begin to adorn your mosque (with such beautifications that interfere in salah), and when you adorn the Qur’an's in such a way (that it is a disturbance in the heart) then know that this is your time of destruction.” (Sunan Abu Daw’ud)
3. Ibnu Abbas says that, “Excessive decoration of the masjid is a custom of the Jews and Christian. And it is a tone of grief he predicted.”(Sunan Abu Daw’ud)
4. Ahmad and al-Nasa’i and Abu Dawud reported on the authority of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, “I was not ordered to decorate the mosques.” (Sunan Abu Daw’ud)
5. Narrated A’ishah: I ask Allah's Messenger (pbuh) about looking (at mosque decorations) with hither and thither in prayers. He replied, "It is a way of stealing by which Satan takes away (a portion) from the prayer of a person." (Sahih Bukhari)
6. It was narrated that Anas bin Malik said: The Messenger of Allah said: “The Hour will not begin until the people compete in (building) mosques.” (Sunan Ibnu Majah)
7. It was narrated from Anas that the Prophet (pbuh) said: "One of the portents of the Hour will be that people will show off in building Masjids." (Sunan an-Nasa'i)
8. Abu Hurairah reported that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, "The Final Hour will not come until people compete with one another in the height of their buildings (including high mosques)." (Al-Adab Al-Mufrad)
9. Narrated Anas ibn Malik: The Prophet (pbuh) said: “The Last Hour will not come until people vie with one another about mosques.”(Sunan Abu Daw’ud)

All above are injunctions and exertions on the admonishment against vying one another in building mosques, including on being ostentatious or showy display of decorative and high mosques. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said that the Hour will not begin until the people compete in building mosques.

According to Islam Question & Answer, The mosques are the houses of Allaah, built for the establishment of prayer and the glorification of Allaah and the fear of Allaah. 

Patterns and decorations in the furnishings and on the walls of the mosques are things that distract the heart from the remembrance of Allah and take away much of the worshippers’ proper focus and humility. Hence, they were regarded as makrooh by many of the salaf. So the Muslims should avoid that in their mosques and strive to make their worship perfect by keeping distractions away from the places in which they seek to draw close to Allaah the Lord of the Worlds, hoping to increase their reward. But with regard to praying (on carpets decorated with such patterns), it is valid (but makrooh).

Below is a link which also elaborates Ahadith on the rulings of decorating of mosques:

Ahaadeeth about the decoration of mosques - Islamweb - Fatwas

https://www.islamweb.net/en/fatwa/300670/ahaadeeth-about-the-decoration-of-mosques

Remove the things that distract the heart from remembrance of Allah, and keep the distractions away, which can cause loss of concentration, to avoid negligence and carelessness in solah, and to avoid destroying the solah.

The following is a summary from the Al-Islam.org on Negligence & Carelessness towards the Prayers:

a. Negligence & Carelessness towards the Prayers

Regarding the Prayers as Insignificant The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his progeny) has said: “One who considers the prayers to be insignificant and trivial is not from me. By Allah! He shall never come close to me at the pool of Kauthar.”

Biharul Anwar, Volume 82, Page 224

b. Debasement of Prayers

Imam As-Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: “Our intercession shall never reach one who considers his prayers to be inconsequential and unimportant.”

Biharul Anwar, Volume 82, Page 227

c.  Destroying Prayers

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his progeny) has said: “Do not destroy your prayers for verily one who destroys his prayers shall be resurrected in the company of Qarun, Haman and Fir`awn.”

Biharul Anwar, Volume 82, Page 202

d. Carelessness Towards Prayers

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his progeny) has said: “Prayer is the pillar of your religion and one who intentionally forsakes his prayer has destroyed his religion. And one who does not guard the times of the prayers, shall be made to enter ‘Wayl’, which is a valley in Hell, as Allah, the Exalted, has said:

“So woe to the praying ones, who are unmindful of their prayers.” (Suratul Ma’un, Verse 4 and 5)

CONCLUSION 

On excessive  decorations of the mosques, and the many myths by the Historicism, avoid them by holding fast to the Sunnah for guidance:

The saying of Allaah’s Messenger (pbuh): “Whoever from you, lives for long will see a great deal of differing, so stick to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the Rightly Guided Caliphs after me. Hold to it tightly, and bite on to it with your molar teeth. And beware of newly introduced affairs [into the Religion] for every newly introduced affair is a bid’ah (innovation) and every bid’ah is misguidance.” (Abu Dawood, no. 4607, at-Tirmidhee said “The hadith is Hasan-Saheeh.”)

The mosque interior should be conducive to performing prayers and not for the eyes to be entertained by the profane, temporal ornaments which steal the concentration in prayers.

Hence, there is a need of a guide to control, limit, or a line drawn somewhere to restrain the over indulgence of decorating of a mosque which can distract the heart, the embellishments that are contradicting to the spirit of the Sunnah.

In the thinning of the spiritual bend and the lackadaisical to set the right framework, rules are just waiting to be breached.

In the Muslim world, to put the Art Historicism back on the right track, do we need to make a big U turn, does it require a well coordinated effort, and it’s incumbent on who to make the initiative move?

At the same time, it would be possible to reduce the mosques’ carbon footprint and more importantly to reduce its ecological footprint to combat overconsumption of environmental resources in excessive decorations and embellishments of the mosque.

Wallahua’lam.

N.M. AZMI