muslim space and the philippine islamic architecture

8/11/2019 MUSLIM SPACE and the Philippine Islamic Architecture

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MUSLIM SPACE and thePhilippine Islamic

Architecture



$he Islami/ation of Southeast Asia commencedbetween the eight h and nineth century# aperiod when Arabs were e0tensi"ely tradingwith Chinese $hese traders established trading

centers in Southeast Asia as their regularcommercial stopo"ers on their way to China

1ut with the political uphea"al in South Chinaduring the later period of the $2ang +ynasty#foreign merchants# including the Arabs# weree0pelled from China



In the interim# these traders established neweconomic routes in the ad3acent islands of insularSoutheast Asia As trade became 4rmly entrenched#the stations of commerce de"eloped in guaranteed

the permanent into ports and business hubs

Soon after# the Arab traders forged economicrelations among the wealthy nati"e population

Marriage with the rich nati"es and local headmenguaranteed the permanent consolidation of theirbusiness partnership# often ta5ing the daughter ofthe local chief who himself con"erted to Islam



In these trade centers# the need for Muslim education

was soon felt Muslim teachers and missionaries werealso among the 4rst transmitters of Islamic religion

$hey came from the Arab region# such as 1aghdad

+uring the last %uarter of the thirteenth century# if not

earlier# a muslim community in Sulu already e0isted.istorically# the introduction and di6usion of Islam inthe Philippines is attributed to $uan Masha2i5a and later

to 7arim ul8Mah5dum# the leading 4gures in theIslami/ation of Sulu# who came to mentor the childrenof the rich merchants of Sulu and assimilate all the

people in the area to the message of Allah



Some scholars argued# howe"er # that theindigenous population themsel"es were simply andspontaneously attracted to Islam because of thebeautiful rituals# stories# and art Moreo"er# the

feeling of belonging to a larger community# to agroup of e%ual people# the brotherhood of Islam#con"inced the nati"es to the path of con"ersion

Many nati"e practices sur"i"e# and people foundways to combine islamic religion with their localbeliefs# tradition and practices that led to thede"elpment of fol58islamic traditions



Communities which resonded fa"orly to the waysof islam were gathered together under theMos%ue# the locus of communal spirituality Islamaccultured the people to a no"el way of life !ith

it came the alliance of economic and socialin9uences into political power and authority

In Sulu# the oldest mos%ue is in $ubig# Indangan#

Simunul Islands $he original mos%ue# built in thefourteenth century# is attributed to 7arim ul8Mah5dum It has been reconstructed many times



In Maguindanao# most of the tarsalis8 writtengenealogical accounts interwo"en withoraltraditions or fol5lore8 impartan impression thatthe wor5 of con"ersion was mainly thesingular wor5 of Sharif Muhammad7abungsuwan around )) it is asserted thatthe process of religious con"ersion in theseareas was a result of the institution of a

system of political alliances and pluralmarriages on the part of 7abungsuwan afterhe had been able to install himself as the rulerof Maguindanao



Maranao traditions cite the arri"al of SharifAlawi to what is now 5nown as Misamisriental !ritten and oral lore also tell of thespread of Alawi2s teaching in Lanao and1u5idnon 1y all accounts# Islam was broughtto La5e Lanao by the +atus who werecon"erted to the faith by means of marriageand alliances with Muslim Iranuns and

Maguindanao +atus# predominantly with theformer



$he Islamic tradition found fa"orablereception from the -ati"es of the Suluarchipelago# 1asilan# Palawan# and Mindanao8predominantly the Samal# 1ad3ao#tausug#

;ama Mapun# <a5an# Maranao# Iranon AndMaguindanao $hey wholeheartedly embracedthe new culture and integrated into their owtraditional wa of life $he wisdom deri"ed from

the 7oran became the "orte0 of their beliefsystem



Philippine Muslim Concept ofSpace



As one religio8cultural group bound together byIslam and common historical e0perience# thePhilippine Muslim belong to a larger Islamic andSoutheast Asian grouping In the Southern

Philippines there is no boundary that separatesMindanao and Sulu from Celebes and 1orneo# andfrom the rest of the islamic cosmos for they alla>liated under the uni"ersal ummah andincorporated into the global religious community

called darul Islam $he ummah# therefore# trancendslong ?established tribal boundaries to create adegree of political unity among the Muslm =aithfuls



Philippine Muslims constitute some thirteenethnolinguistic communities $he ma3orgroups include the $ausug of Sulu# Samal of

$awi8$awi# <a5an of 1asilan# Maranao of Lanao

Pro"inces# and the Maguindanao of Cotabatoregio !ith such plurality of ethnoliguisticroots from which Islamic tradition was graftedupon# =ilipino Muslim o"er history ha"e "aried

widely in their cultural li"es through theyshare certain practices dependent on space



Islamic theology a6ects all aspects of Muslim lifeMuslim2s submission of their will to Allah ideallyreappropriates space and reorgani/es temporality Salat&formal prayer' re%uires space both physically andmentally =asting m5es demand s of mental and spiritual

space# while altering temporality $he ha33 demands itsspace and time In salat # for instance# boundaries areformed when the prayer space is isolated e"en in a plainprayer rug $he calling of adhan &the summon for anobligatory prayer' and the i%amah &to stand up for a

prayer' signals mo"ement from one reality to another asthe Muslim stand before Allah In salat# the indi"idualmerges with the global ummah in a time for @odthat isdistinct and boundless



Muslim scholar Abraham Sa5ili maintains thatIslamic architecture is entangled with Islamicspace# and the understanding of the Muslimconcept and use of such apace should be

probed in relation to the fundamental Islamicdoctrine of $awhid $he $awhid is furtherelaborated through the articulation of IslamicCosmology and "iew of Man as 7halifa or ice8

regent of @od in this world $he correlation ofthese three principles# he substantiates# has aprofound and dirct bearing on the Islamicconcept and use of space on Muslim

Architecture



$he $awhid means BUnity of Allah It is the single mostimportant doctrine of Islam# which at the basic semantic le"elmeans monotheism $he Islamic $awhid# as an all8go"erningconcept# considers e"erything in relation and in unity with@od Muslim aesthetics and architectural ornamentation ha"e

always been the pursuit of geometri/ation anddenaturali/ation of form to di"ert one2s imagination awayfrom human nature and direct the thoughts toward thecontemplation of the di"ine Islam instructs its belie"ers thatno material things should be considered sacred $hus# there

is a widespread use of calligraphic inscription# lifted from the"erse of 7oran# as ornament on Muslim structure in order toshift human consciousness from the material world to therealm of spirituality



A Muslim belie"es that the 7oran is theprecise and literal words of AllahD thus#inscriptions must be inscribed in Arabic# thelanguage of +i"ine re"elation $he choice of

7oranic "erses may be dictated by a building2sfunction =or instance# thefollowing "erse ismost commonly inscribed on mos%uedoorways:



Bthe mos%ues of allah shall be "isitedand maintained by such as those who

belie"e in Allah and the Last +ay#

establish regular prayers# andpractice regular charity# and fearnone&at all' e0cept Allah It is they who are

e0pected to be on true guidance ?7oran :)F



A designer# therefore# who applies Islamiccalligraphy# "egetal reliefs# or geometricpatterns in intertwining and continuouspatterns to architecture yearn for# abo"e all#

the creation of a "isual pattern that willdeli"er the wie"er to an instincti"e perceptionof di"ine trancendence $he basic structuralcomponents of the mos%ue are concealed

through an elaborate but in4nitely repeatinggeometric patterns# for the architecture of themos%ue encloses a space considered sacredby belie"ers



Muslim architects attempt to craft anen"ironment in which the transient andtemporal characters of material things areemphasi/ed and within which the sparseness

and "acuity of the architectural container isbestowed with prominence Surfacedecoration# therefore# reduces the importanceof structural elements by redirecting the

attention away from natural materials to theabstract denaturali/ed ornamentation ofbuildings $he percipience of space leads oneto re9ect on the di"ine



Intertwined with $awhid is the Muslim "iew ofthe uni"erse $he Islamic cosmos is based onthe Emphasis upon @od as the Uni%ue originof all things or beings on the hierarchy of

e0istence who are all dependent upon .im $he Muslim "iews the cosmos or the whole ofnature in all its dimensions not as aphenomenon di"orced from the real world# but

as signs of @od Islamic cosmology ran5s @odat the top and# at the same# recogni/es .isencompassing presence in e"ery dimension inthe Muslim Bhierarchy of creation



$he di"ersity of space in the Islamic uni"erse isaligned and polari/ed by means of a foccal point inMecca# which is the 7aGaba# a s%uare building insidethe great mos%ue in Mecca containing a holy 1lac5

Stone said to ha"e been gi"en by @od to man $he7aGaba is the most sacred architecture of Islam It is

the liturgical a0is with which the mihrab of e"erymos%ue is aligned E"ery Muslim turns towards itsdirection to pray Muslim pay high re"erence to the

7aGaba not as an ob3ect of worship but as a point ofcon"ergence where the spiritual and material life ofthe Muslims comes into contact



$he 7aaba is a cuboid8shape structure whichis made of granite %uarried from nearby hillsStanding upon a * cm &F in' marble basethat pro3ects outwards about , cm &)J in' K)

It is appro0imately ),) m &J, ft' high# withsides measuring ))*, m &, ft' by )F m&J ft'KK( Inside the 7aaba# the 9oor ismade of marble and limestone $he interior

walls are clad with marble halfway to the roof $he marble is inset with NurGanic inscriptions

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granite

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marble

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaaba






http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marble

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granite



$he wall directly ad3acent to the entrance ofthe 7aaba has si0 tablets inlaid withinscriptions $he top part of the walls areco"ered with a green cloth embroidered with

gold NurGanic "erses Careta5ers anoint themarble cladding with scented oil used on the1lac5 Stone outside $hree pillars stand insidethe 7aaba# with a small altar set between one

and the other two Lamp8li5e ob3ects &possiblecrucible censers' hang by a rope abo"e theplatform An enclosed staircase leads to theroof

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Stone

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_lamp

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crucible

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Censer

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Censer

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crucible

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_lamp




$he spot on which the 7aGaba is constructed isbelie"ed to be the 4rst part of the world to becreated It is the a0is mundi of the Muslimcosmos 1eing the location at which

communication between celestial andterrestrial realms is possible $he harmony#dimension# stability# and symmetry of the7aGaba are design principles that inspire and

guide Muslim designers and builders all o"erthe Islamic world



Al-Ħajaru l-Aswad# Othe 1lac5 StoneO# is located in the 7aabaGs easterncorner Its northern corner is 5nown as the Ruknu l-ˤĪrāqī # Othe Ira%icornerO# its western as the Ruknu sh-Shāmī # Othe Le"antine cornerO#

and its southern as Ruknu l-Yamanī Othe <emeni cornerOK)K( $he four

corners of the 7aaba roughly point toward the four cardinal directions of the compassK)Its ma3or &long' a0is is aligned with the rising of the

star Canopus toward which its southern wall is directed# while its minora0is &its east8west facades' roughly align with the sunrise of

summer solstice and the sunset of winter solsticeKFK

$he entrance is a door set ), m &( ft' abo"e the ground on the north8

eastern wall of the 7aaba# which acts as the faade K) In )( the

,** 5g gold doors made by chief artist Ahmad bin Ibrahim 1adr#

replaced the old sil"er doors made by his father# Ibrahim 1adr in )JK)* $here is a wooden staircase on wheels# usually stored in the

mos%ue between the arch8shaped gate of 1anQ Shaybah and the

Ram/am !ell




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardinal_direction

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compass


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canopus

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summer_solstice

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_solstice



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmad_bin_Ibrahim_Badr



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zamzam_Well










http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_solstice

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summer_solstice

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canopus


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compass

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardinal_direction






Meezab-i Rahmat # rainwater spout made of gold Added inthe rebuilding of )( after the pre"ious yearGs rain causedthree of the four walls to collapse

@utter# added in )( to protect the foundation fromgroundwater

Hatim# a low wall originally part of the 7aaba It is a semi8circular wall opposite# but not connected to# the north8westwall of the 7aaba 5nown as the hatīm $his is * cm &, in'in height and ) m &J ft' in width# and is composed ofwhite marble At one time the space lying between

the hatīm and the 7aaba belonged to the 7aaba itself# andfor this reason it is not entered during the tawa Somebelie"e that the gra"es of Ismail and his mother .agarK) arelocated in this space

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hagar_(Bible)



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hagar_(Bible)



Al-Multazam# the part of the wall between the 1lac5Stone and the entry door

!he Stati"n " Abraham# a glass and metalenclosure with what is said to be an imprint of

AbrahamGs foot Abraham is said to ha"e stood onthis stone during the construction of the upper partsof the 7aaba# raising Ismail on his shoulders for theuppermost partsK))

Corner of the 1lac5 Stone &East'

Corner of <emen &South8!est' Pilgrims traditionallyac5nowledge a large "ertical stone that forms thiscorner

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yemen

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yemen


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham



Corner of Syria &-orth8!est'Corner of Ira% &-orth8East' $his inside corner# behind

a curtain# contains the #abut !aubah$ +oor ofepentance# which leads to a staircase to the roof

7iswa# the embroidered co"ering 7iswa is a blac5 sil5and gold curtain which is replaced annually during the.a33 pilgrimageK)K), $wo8thirds of the way up is aband of gold8embroidered Nuranic te0t# including theShahada# the Islamic declaration of faith

Marble stripe mar5ing the beginning and end of eachcircumperambulation

!he stati"n " &abrielK)J

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syria

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiswa



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shahada

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabriel



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabriel

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shahada



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiswa

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syria



$he Mos%ue and the A0is of



At the core of Islamic law stand the =i"e Pillars inArabic# it literally means BCT-ES' $his does note%uate to an architecture of faith that is pentagonal#for the pillars are con4gured in a pattern of a%uincun0 &an arrangement of 4"e ob3ects in s%uare#with four at the corners and one in the center' $he4rst pillar S.A.A+A &the profession of faith thatbegins with the "erse B there is no @od but Allah and

Muhammad id the prophet of Allah' is the center to

which the remaining four are peripheral: SALA$&prayer'D SI<AM &fasting'D RA7A$ &charity ta0'# and.A;; &pilgrimage' $he pillars which ha"e anarchitectural implication are the salat and ha33

$he Mos%ue and the A0is ofPrayer



$hrough worship# the congregation of faithfulbecomes one with @od in a sublime state of

humility and re"erence# best attained in themos%ue# which in its Arabic e%ui"alent# mas3id#

literary translates to a Bplace of prostration $hefunction is clearly established in Sura J# Aya ,:

Bin house which Allah has permitted to be e0alted

and that .is name may be remembered in them#there glorify .im there in the mornings and thee"enings &7oran J:,'



Architecturally# the Mos%ue2s basic shape isderi"ed from early Christian churches# withtheir important entry courtyards# and fromMiddle Eastern courtyard houses# possibly

because the prophet Muhammad# Arabfounder of the Islamic faith# addressed his4rst followers in thw courtyard of his house



At the outset of its inception # the mos%uestructure consisted only of a courtyardbordered by a wall# patterened afterMuhammad2s house in Medina# Saudi Arabia#

which consisted of a courtyard surrounded bya bric5wall of li"ing rooms and a latrine $hiscourtyard was the place where the earlyMuslims congregated for their daily prayers



$he 4rst embryonic mos%ue# characteri/ed byan open %uadrangular court# soon de"elopedinto a building comple0 e%uipped with anumber of functional and decorati"e elements

and incorporating spatial arrangementsuni%ue from components and buildings ofearlier religions



$he mos%ue can be de4ned as a buildingerected o"er an in"isible a0is $his a0is is theprincipal determinant of the mos%ue design

$he muslim uni"erse is distributed li5e a

centrifugal wheel with Mecca as the hub# withlines drawn from all mos%ues in the worldforming the spindle $hese lines con"erge onthe city of Mecca and the centerpoint is the

7a2aba Mecca# the birthplace of Muhammad#is Islam2s saced city ang the goal of thepilgrimage $he 7a2aba# a hollow cube ofstone# many times rebuilt# is the a0is mundi of

the Islamic cosmology



Prayer# the second pillar# can be construed asthe use of the hori/ontal a0is by which onerelates to the "ertical a0is as represented bythe 7aGaba $he Mos%ue becomes grounded

around a single hori/ontal a0is#the 5ibla #which tra"ersesin"isibly down the middle ofthe 9oor and# issuing from the far wal#terminates e"entually in Mecca $he

orientation of the edi4ce along the 5ibla is incompliance with the regulation ro"ided bySura Ayah )J# which states that:



Band now we will turn you indeedtowards a Nibla which shall pleaseyou So turn your face Kin prayer

toward the Sancti4ed Mos%ue# and yeKo muslims whereso"er ye 4nd

yoursel"es# turn your faces Kli5ewise

toward it &7oran :)J'



$rimmed to its essentials# the mos%ue# therefore# isno more than a wall at right angles to the 5iblaa0is At the point where the 5ibla a0is intersectswith the wall an indentation is produced# a

directional ninche called the mihrap# which is aliturgical a0is made "isible $he mihrab is the "isual

and liturgical clima0 of the mos%ue It is in relationto the 5ibla a0is that the principal liturgicalfurniture is distributed and arranged $he imam# as

the leader of mos%ue prayer # stands 3ust within theniche $o the right of mihrab stands thw mimbar araised pulpit where the imam deli"ers his sermon



$he minaret# the dome# and the ablution areacomprise the e0ternal features of the mos%ue

$he mue//in# a mos%ue o>cial# summonsMuslims to prayer from a minaret 4"e times a

day $he dome is a cosmic symbol in almoste"ery religious tradition In islam# itrepresents the "ault of hea"en in the sameway that a garden pre4gures Paradise



=ormal prayer in Islam consists of repeatedse%uences of standing# bowing# prostration#genu9ection Islamic prayer is not only amental and "erbal act but also a physical one

in"ol"ing the entire being

Prayer is established at four le"els: theindi"idual# the congregation# the totalpopulation of a town# and the entire Muslimworld

$he Architecture of the Philippine



$he Architecture of the PhilippineMos%ue



$he 7oran contains no special or speci4cinstruction for the architectural form of itsworship space =ilipino Muslim architects arefree to interpret these basic re%uirements in

accordance with their own pree0isting ideas $hey ha"e no e0act indigenous e%ui"alentfrom which to pattern the mos%ue $hemos%ue is a totally new building type $he

physical feature of early Philippine mos%uesha"e been ascertained through theamalgamation of Islamic and Indigenousnotions about the form which sacred

architecture should assume

muslim space and the philippine islamic architecture

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