Art &Architecture  Since  the  worship  of  idols  is  seen  as  the  greatest  sin  in  Islam,  many  Muslim  religious  leaders  declared  it  impermissible  to  

depict  animate  objects,  such  as  people  or  animals,  in  religious  art.  Especially  

prohibited  were  depictions  of  God  or  of  the  prophets.  For  this  reason,  Muslim  art  mostly  consisted  of  elaborate  

geometric  and  floral  patterns,  as  well  as  calligraphy.  

Calligraphy  is  the  art  of  beautiful  handwriting,  

and  it  was  used  by  Muslim  artists  to  beautify  copies  of  the  Quran,  to  decorate  the  insides  and  outsides  of  mosques,  and  as  art  in  its  own  right,  often  using  verses  from  the  Quran.  Because  the  Arabic  script  is  highly  flexible,  skilled  artists  could  shape  the  letters  into  almost  any  form.  

 Mosque  architecture  also  developed  during  this  period,  and  two  features  became  common  to  many  mosques.  Borrowed  from  the  Byzantines,  the  dome  became  symbolic  of  Islamic  design.  Its  most  famous  use  is  in  the  Dome  of  the  Rock,  a  mosque  built  on  the  former  site  of  the  Jewish  Temple  in  Jerusalem,  from  which  Muslims  believe  Muhammad  ascended  into  heaven  to  learn  the  daily  prayers  from  God.  Minarets,  tall  towers  built  on  the  sides  of  mosques,  were  used  for  the  Azan,  or  call  to  prayer.  Callers,  or  muazzins,  would  go  to  the  top  of  these  towers  five  times  a  day  to  melodically  recite  the  call.    

                                     

Dome of the Rock Western Wall (Last Remains of the Jewish Temple)

POETRY  Even  before  Islam,  oral  poetry  was  the  highest  form  of  art  to  the  Arabs.  In  melodic  verses,  poets  chanted  the  dangers  of  desert  journeys,  the  joys  of  battle,  the  glories  of  their  tribal  clans,  or  the  nobility  of  nomadic  life.  After  the  arrival  of  Islam,  religion  became  as  popular  a  topic  as  any.  Rabia  al  Basri  (715-­‐801  CE)  was  an  Arab  poet  from  Basra,  Iraq  who  lived  during  the  Abbasid  period.  Her  poetry  reflects  her  religious  devotion  and  Sufi  influence.  Poetry  remained  important  even  after  the  Abbasid  period.  Centuries  later,  the  Persian  poet  Jalaluddin  Rumi    (1207-­‐1273  CE)  would  become  one  of  the  most  famous  Muslim  poets  of  all  time.      

If I Adore You If I adore You out of fear of Hell, burn me in Hell! If I adore you out of desire for Paradise, Lock me out of Paradise. But if I adore you for Yourself alone, Do not deny to me Your eternal beauty. —Rabia al Basri  

               

       

               

The Body is Too Slow for Me Toward the gardens, Toward the orchards, I am going. If you want to stay here, Stay here - I am going! My day is dark without His Face, Toward that bright flame I am going.

My soul is racing ahead of me. It says, The body is too slow for me - I am going. The smell of apples arises from the orchard of my soul. One whiff and I am gone - Toward a feast of apples I am going… — Jalaluddin Rumi

MEdicine  One  of  the  most  original  medical  thinkers  was  Muhammad  ibn  Zakaria  Al-­‐Razi,  head  physician  at  Baghdad’s  chief  hospital.  Al-­‐Razi  wrote  many  books  on  medicine,  such  as  Al-­‐Judari  wa  al-­‐Hasbah  (On  Smallpox  and  Measles),  which  was  the  first  book  to  describe  smallpox  and  measles  as  different  diseases.  It  was  translated  more  than  a  dozen  times  into  Latin  and  other  European  languages.  In  the  book,  he  explains  the  symptoms:    

“The  eruption  of  smallpox  is  preceded  by  a  continued  fever,  pain  in  the  back,  itching  in  the  nose   and  nightmares  during  sleep.  These  are  the  more  acute  symptoms  of  its  approach  together  with  a  noticeable  pain  in  the  back  accompanied  by  fever  and  an  itching  felt  by  the  patient  all  over  his  body.  A  swelling  of  the  face  appears,  which  comes  and  goes,  and  one  notices  an  overall  inflammatory  color  noticeable  as  a  strong  redness  on  both  cheeks  and  around  both  eyes.  One  experiences  a  heaviness  of  the  whole  body  and  great  restlessness,  which  expresses  itself  as  a  lot  of  stretching  and  yawning.  There  is  a  pain  in  the  throat  and  chest  and  one  finds  it  difficult  to  breathe  and  cough.  Additional  symptoms  are:  dryness  of  breath,  thick  spittle,  hoarseness  of  the  voice,  pain  and  heaviness  of  the  head,  restlessness,  nausea  and  anxiety.”    

He  also  wrote  the  following  on  medical  ethics:    

"The  doctor's  aim  is  to  do  good,  even  to  our  enemies,  so  much  more  to  our  friends,  and  my  profession  forbids  us  to  do  harm  to  our  kindred,  as  it  is  instituted  for  the  benefit  and  welfare  of  the  human  race,  and  God  imposed  on  physicians  the  oath  not  to  compose  deadly  remedies."    

Depiction  of  a  procedure  developed  by  Muslim  surgeons  to  treat  cataracts,  which  causes  blindness.  A  hollow  needle  was  inserted  into  the  lens  to  draw  out  the  fluid,  restoring  sight.