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A more detailed overview of the Performing Arts and Visual Arts in Islam can be found at Faith and the Arts exploring Islamic rulings in relation to the Arts from a Sunni, Shia and Sufi perspective Many of the Islamic rulings relating to the Performing Arts are gender and event specific. Islam prohibits the playing of all musical instruments for men but makes an exception for women to play the Duff, a traditional one sided Drum on the occasions of celebration and festivals. There is clear evidence of the prohibition of Music in the Hadith collections that are detailed in the Performing Arts Research paper. Some Islamic groups and denominations deem music permissible including many Sufi orders who use music as part of their worship, this is evident in the Persian and Sub Continental traditions of Qawwali. Islam does allow singing without musical accompaniment within prescribed circumstances, the signifcant ruling regarding singing is that it should be performed in an environment where the singer or performer is the same gender as the audience. The gender theme is also evident in relation to Islamic rulings on dance. Dance is permissible for women within a women only environment and is often performed at celebrations e.g. weddings. Dancing is prohibited for men. Many Sufi orders are again the exception to the rule including the whirling dervishes who use dance as a means of worship and getting closer to God. Whilst there are no specific rulings on theate, Islam does not allow for any performances to depict Allah, the Prophet Muhammed peace be upon him, his companions, the angels or matters detailed in the religion that are unseen. Poetry and spoken word have a strong heritage within Islam. Islam places a special significance on the word, many Muslim poets and writers will explore issues of faith and belief in their poems and writing. Islam and the Visual Arts Islam prohibits the depiction of animate beings in paintings and drawings. In many world religions humans and animals have been revered as deities and their portraits have been hung up in the homes and places of worship. Islam teaches that only Allah should be worshipped and there should be no partner in or associate that is worshipped besides him. The Prophet Muhammed peace be upon him prohibited his followers from drawing or creating a likeness of him on canvas or through sculpture. This was out of fear that the Muslims would venerate him in the same way Christians revere the Prophet Jesus. The importance of the prohibiton is highlighted in the Islamic ruling that a Muslim's prayers are invalid if offered in a room or space where there are paintings or sculptures depicting animals or human beings. Photography is an intensely debated topic in Islam. There is no disagreement on using photography to depict non-animate beings but on the subject of animate beings there are two schools of thought. The first viewpoint is based on the fact that photography did not exist during the time of the Prophet Muhammed PBUH therefore it is not prohibited under Islam. The second viewpoint suggests that the Islamic rulings on the representation of animate beings in traditional visual arts can be extended to photography as both result in the depiction of the life caught on canvas or on print. The photography debate is discussed in greater depth in the Visual Arts research paper available for download. Calligraphy, Geometric patterns and Mosaics are the most widely practiced visual art forms in the Islamic world and are often integrated into architecture and the design and decoration of Islamic buildings. |
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